People often ask me, what does it take to be a great leader? In my opinion. A transformational Leader is someone that is constantly leading and learning about themselves.They empower and inspire teams to innovate and create change that will help grow and shape the future success of the organisation.

The crisis that we face today is like no other. In fact, many businesses face many challenges that are unique but this is something that none of us were prepared for. In times like these, it is the leader who knows the way, shows the way and goes the way. The shift of corporations to work from home has been the biggest migration in recent times. Many employees were let off, and the ones that remained had no hopes or motivations to work from home. The job of the leader in this case is to get the employees feel accountable for themselves and get them inspired to work from home. Motivating or inspiring without micromanaging, holding the team responsible and putting your trust in them.

There are four I’s of Transformational Leadership.

Intellectual Stimulation: Ones who challenge the status quo and encourage creativity to explore new ways of doing things.

Individualized Consideration: The leader who involves full support and encouragement to each team member for growth of the team.

Inspirational Motivation: Ones who have a clear vision of where they need to go and can guide the team well.

Idealized Influence: The kind who plays almost a role model, lays their trust in their team and the team trusts them. The team internalizes their ideas.

People think it’s about strategy, it’s about coming up with ideas that change the world. You have the vision, now you must come up with a great execution. Your team now has one goal and adheres to one execution.

Largely, It means you create a culture where each member of the team is as much a part of the vision as you are. You can not micromanage each little detail. When you micromanage, productivity is compromised. You lay your trust in the team and earn theirs.

There are many things a leader can do in the time of Covid-19. Do not underestimate the power in a good conversation in this time of uncertainty. Keep in touch with your team and let them know you’re there.

It is imperative in today’s day to build skill. Of the team and the leader. To increase productivity without compromising quality. The goal is to strike the balance.

Often managers say they are great at communication skills. I believe it is a great challenge to be good at it since it is a constantly evolving field.
It’s great to be self aware, it is more important to be open to working on yourself. Being in a position of authority does not mean you know everything. Building skill is more important.

It all starts within. We often do not recognize our potential until it is pointed out to us.

Productivity comes down to building trust, implementing an execution and providing support to facilitate it, especially in these challenging times.
Covid-19 has thrown us off every strategy we could have ever come up with. Provide your team with a template and let them work out an execution. It might take more time but delegating your tasks is better for you in the long run. You must sometimes go slow to go fast. So establish a guideline. Maybe the leader is missing from the leadership. Build Engagement. Create a human connection. You’ll have a team that will believe in you through thick and thin. And be a great leader.