What will people say about your COVID-19 Leadership?

Philosopher and psychologist William James once noted, “The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.” In addition to death, suffering, and financial losses resulting from the pandemic, COVID-19 has been a time where leaders can and will have a lasting and memorable impact.

As much as you have accomplished in more tranquil times, your leadership legacy is likely to be inordinately shaped by the actions you have taken and are taking in response to this most disruptive leadership challenge. Many leaders who thought of themselves as human-centric and compassionate end-up faltering during COVID. Some jumped on videoconferences and announced mass-layoffs with little to no sensitivity. Others seemed to become paralyzed when making morally challenging decisions based on limited reliable data. Yet others demonstrated inspiring qualities that drove team alignment, innovation, and sustainability.

As the pandemic took hold in the United States, I served as an outside leadership and customer experience consultant on C-suite level COVID-19 taskforces for my clients. In that context, I had a front-row seat on vastly different crisis leadership approaches. Those differences prompted me to ask the CEO’s what they were learning or affirming from the pandemic. Not only were my clients eager to discuss their strategies and insights, but they were also open about their uncertainties and fears. Those discussions seemed productive and cathartic. My clients found value in taking time to reflect amid the fog of chaos, and I benefited from the insights shared.

My clients also introduced me to their friends, and more discussions ensued.

Within months of COVID-19’s emergence, I had spoken to over 140 C-suite leaders of for-profit, nonprofit, and public safety organizations. I intentionally passed on discussions with political leaders because their motivations can become tainted with self-interest. Here is a sample of the types of CEO’s and Presidents who shared their perspective:

• Target – Brian Cornell
• Verizon – Hans Vestberg
• Farmers Insurance – Jeff Dailey
• Logitech – Bracken Darrell
• Kohls – Michelle Gass
• H&R Block – Jeffrey Jones
• Raymond James and Associates – Tash Elwyn
• Microsoft – Matt Renner
• Smartsheet – Mark Mader
• Marriott – Stephanie Linnartz
  PGA of America – Suzy Whaley
• Goodwill Industries International – Steven Preston
• American Red Cross – Gail McGovern
• YMCA of the USA – Kevin Washington

I captured my discussions in a soon to be released (available for pre-order) book titled Stronger Through Adversity.

In addition to insights about effective and errant leadership and communication approaches deployed throughout the pandemic, the book captures how global leaders perceive their pandemic leadership’s lasting impact.

In keeping with prior writings on the importance of creating a leadership legacy statement that synopsizes desired leadership impact, I asked all 140 book participants how they wanted to be perceived, given their choices and behavior during the pandemic.

Their responses fell into three broad areas. They either wanted to be known for leading with:

1. Competence
2. Purpose, or
3. Character

While many leaders blended elements from these three areas, they typically had a prominent theme. In the context of competence, they often wanted to be viewed as having fostered effective:

• Communication
• Goal-setting
• Team alignment
• Operational excellence, or
• Organizational productivity

Concerning purpose, many CEO’s wanted to be viewed as has having:

• Prioritized team members
• Set safety as supreme, or
• Championed mission, vision, and values

With regard to character, CEO’s wanted to be known for having led with:

• Calm
• Moral courage
• Compassion, and even
• Love

I will ask you some of the same questions I asked the Stronger Through Adversity contributors, what do you want people to say about your leadership during the pandemic? How sure are you that you will be perceived that way? More importantly, what can you do today to ensure your desired legacy is realized now and into the future.

You can learn more about Stronger Through Adversity here.