Leadership Tips for the Covid Era

Every day on Twitter, there’s a business expert who shares leadership insights, and as a result, followers learn something valuable that impacts their daily lives, both professionally and personally. This leadership expert is John Baldoni, and I’ve been fortunate to know him thanks to Twitter since 2009.

To address the uncertainties resulting from the Covid pandemic, John wrote a book entitled, GRACE NOTES – LEADING IN AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD.

According to Jennifer McCollum, CEO of Linkage, Inc., “John Baldoni explores the issues that overwhelm and concern leaders, particularly in times of crisis. GRACE NOTES is a collection of personal insights that provide us with welcome advice on how to act for the benefit of others, especially in turbulent times.”

Starting with the memorable prologue, John wrote, “Because of Covid. It’s a phrase we heard a lot and with good reason…Despite not knowing when it would end. But because of Covid we learned new lessons about ourselves. We have strengths. We have resilience. We have opportunities. We have one another.”

John continued in the book’s prologue, “While no one will want to relive 2020, what we learned in that terrible year will make us better – more resolute, more resilient, more compassionate. It was also a year of “grace notes,” women and men from every walk of life reaching out and helping others.”

One of my favorite poems in the book was GRACE UNDER PRESSURE. Its main message was, “Today everyone is looking for a leader who can exhibit Grace Under Pressure. Be collected. Be calm. Be composed…When the heat is on, good leaders step forward. They demonstrate that they have what it takes to deal with the pressure. They bring others along with them. Grace Under Pressure.” How many leaders do you know like this? Especially during the Covid pandemic?

Another favorite poem was BE THE OPTIMIST. “Half empty or half full? If you’re in leadership, you have to opt for half-full. Leaders must look on the bright side of life…What is there to be optimistic about? That’s a good question, and that’s where it falls to leadership. You have to be the person that rallies your people together…Find the optimism, and you will find a reason to persevere.” As the Covid pandemic has raged on, leaders have tried to think positively despite falling revenues and lack of personnel.

In FINDING NEW OPPORTUNITIES, John compared used golf balls to an organization’s ability to discover new business opportunities. “We’re in an upside-down world. What at first seems like a problem might just turn out to be an opportunity.” It’s the job of a leader to look at situations from different angles while simultaneously encouraging employees to think outside their comfort zones.

In STAYING CONNECTED, John wrote, “When times are tough, people want to know that leaders have their backs. They want to know that leaders will stand up for them…We need to stay connected. And leaders can do that by being available, by being accessible, and by listening. Stay connected with your folks.” Despite working from home situations, many leaders conducted online meetings to stay connected on a regular basis.

Above all, my favorite poem from John’s book was INSPIRATION. John wrote, “People look to their leaders for something special, something extra. We call it inspiration…[Leaders] share what they have with others. They give us courage. And they do it through their example. They do it through their words. They lift us up. They give us something bigger than ourselves to believe in. Inspiration. It is a fundamental concept. And we need it now more than ever.” How many leaders are truly inspirational? The genuinely inspirational ones shine in times of crisis – and they are the ones who are the core of John’s book.

When times are tough, people want to know that leaders have their backs. They want to know that leaders will stand up for them. ~@JohnBaldoni #LeadershipTip #EmployeeExperience

If you know a genuinely inspirational leader, he or she may be evident when reading all the poems in GRACE NOTES. If you don’t work for or haven’t worked for such a person, you can learn how to become one – thanks to the seeds planted in the book. My gratitude to John for writing a much-needed book for the covid era for all of us who wish to improve our leadership skills on a regular basis.