Some Current Thoughts on COVID-19 and How That May Impact Business Leaders

Last week was certainly a busy news week and I am sure that most retail leaders are facing challenges they have never seen before. From questions about how to stay safe during a viral outbreak to maintaining cleaning standards, to questions about business and how people will be paid if they become ill. In many ways this is an unprecedented situation.

While many of the articles I write and share with you are general leadership ideas with a slant towards retail specific leaders, I wanted to assure you that my intention is not to be tone deaf to current world events, but rather continue to provide an outlet for leadership information that may be relevant in any situation. Certainly managing through crisis and troubling times requires different levels of leadership.

For some of my thoughts on leading through a crisis, you can see my post here on Leadership is Most Important in Times of Concern or Crisis.

This month I had planned a series of articles on hiring for success. Those will continue next week. I believe that we must continue to manage based on the situation at hand and while some practices, such as hiring, may change during dramatic shifts in business trends, we should not abandon sound fundamental activities that will solidify our businesses for the long-term. In other words, just because you may not have immediate hiring needs right now, you will eventually in the future. Knowing your options and identifying new ones at any time can be a practical way to ensure that you are ready for a rebound in business when it does come.

In the meantime, please stay safe and stay informed. The most important thing you can do as a leader is be a stable, reliable source of information for your teams. They will look to you for what their next steps should be and their attitude and activities will likely mirror yours. Empathy, trust, and authenticity will be critical skills that followers and peers will be counting on in every leader.

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