Leadership Development Pays Off in Times of Crisis

June 19, 2020 – The coronavirus pandemic is threatening both lives and livelihoods across the globe. Catastrophes happen and most of the time we have no control over them. “However, our response as leaders is something we do have a control over, and that’s what more often than not defines the outcome of any crisis,” according to a new report by The Taplow Group. “As a leader one cannot predict crisis but can always stay prepared to face them and leadership development coaching is one such tool that prepares the leaders to face such upheavals with aplomb.”

Leadership development coaching is defined as a process in which a leader receives leadership coaching from a special coach in order to become an effective leader. “Always remember that as a leader you are responsible for actions that you take during a crisis,” The Taplow report said. “Therefore, leadership development is also an integral part of crisis management of an organization and leadership development coaching is considered to be a sound investment.”

Most of the skills that the leaders must bring to the fore during crises are the skills that leadership development coaching frequently addresses. The Taplow Group said that the top three skills for leadership coaching are communication, decision-making and delegation. It is a combination of these skills that enables leaders to navigate unexpected turbulence.

With leadership development coaching, executives:

Become aware – This is true for both self and situational awareness, said the search firm. Leadership coaching prepares the leader not only to be self-aware during a crisis but also be aware of the situation around them to react appropriately.

Become self-confident – Leaders who undergo leadership development coaching are more self-confident as they have already enabled themselves to overcome their fears and self-limiting thoughts and beliefs through leadership coaching.

Develop self-leadership – Leadership development coaching helps leader to develop their ability to lead themselves with more compassion and self-acceptance.

“Leadership coaching also a critical tool for organizational change as it helps to develop key people into leaders,” The Taplow Group report said. “Effectively designed leadership development coaching programs use action and experiment to develop leaders. A crisis situation, for example the current pandemic, not only calls for short-term firefighting measures but also for a long-term planning. Leadership development programs enable leaders across all levels to develop their skills, increase their effectiveness and maximize their potential.”

The Taplow Group report also said that an “excellent and structured leadership development coaching program benefits the next generation of leaders—leaders who come into the organization from the outside, and current leaders who need to up their game to meet new strategic and global challenges.” For example, leadership coaching for experienced leaders helps them to redefine their success metrics, reevaluate their leadership style, rearrange their priorities, be prepared for exigencies and lead their teams to success.

Related: Conducting Executive Searches During a Pandemic

“Similarly, it is through a leadership development coaching program that an aspiring leader, can understand what are the essentials to be successful in an organization, develop their own leadership style, and create a robust development plan in tandem with their future aspirations,” the report said.

Remote Working Model

Leadership development programs, however, cannot be put into place without executive search firms doing their part to bring these executives to organizations. And for search consultants, who are trusted to bring the right talent in, their world has been turned upside down due to the global pandemic. Due to the outbreak, many organizations including executive search firms have switched to the remote working model.

Virtual Recruitment: How to Hire From a Distance
Have you hired someone without ever meeting face-to-face? With COVID-19, businesses can’t recruit the same way they once did — but that doesn’t mean they can’t find the best candidates for the job now. In fact, Comhar Partners recently concluded an executive search that was conducted completely virtually using Zoom, the video conferencing tool, and the person’s first day will be the first time the individual will have gone on-site or met a board member or the management team.

In a separate report, The Taplow Group pointed out that working from home might be overwhelming for many, especially executive recruitment consultants. “The job involves a lot of face-to-face interactions for the best executive search,” The Taplow Group said. “It takes time to understand whether a candidate is technically and culturally fit for an organization. But technology has simplified many things for executive search consultants. Now one can connect with anyone from across the globe. There are no physical boundaries, overhead investments, or time constraints to limit the executive search. With the help of technology and its tools, executive search consultants can perform any job sitting right out of their homes.”

Related: Best Practices for Virtual Job Interviewing

Working from home brings in many advantages. Like an artist needs the perfect set of paints and brushes to create an artwork, an executive search consultant also needs the best tools to remain productive. The Taplow Group cited these tools to help recruiters work from home.

• Communication Tool– The first tool that is needed for executive search is an excellent quality software for video and audio communication. The success of candidate interviews and client presentations is largely dependent on video communication software in a remote setting.
• Project Management Software– This will help organize work, keep track of progress, and make it easy for executive recruitment consultants to work from home.
• Cloud Storage– An executive search consultant has a massive database of candidates across the globe, multiple documents and presentations as well. This data needs to be secured and stored across a cloud platform. It will enable a search consultant to access it from anywhere, anytime.
• Team Collaboration Tool – Though we maintain social distancing, technology can connect us. These tools will connect teams across different locations for daily meetings and updates.
• Other Software — These would include tools for note taking, maintaining work-life balance and engaging with fellow employees.

“Almost all companies engaged in executive search have adopted the remote working model,” The Taplow Group said. “We believe that the global pandemic has changed the work environment for good. Video conferences would replace live interviews. Online tools and software will become critical in judging the fitment of a candidate. But whatever be the scenario, an executive search consultant will never stop working. The executive search for the best candidate will continue with the help of online tools and software.”

“At The Taplow Group we have taken all the necessary steps for business continuity and we are serving our clients globally through our work from home model across our offices around the world,” the search firm said.

Related: Working Virtually Keeps Everyone Safe and Productive

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media