Leading with Resilience: Five ways Female leaders can effectively manage Crisis in the workplace

Our discussions ranged from the discontent felt amongst some team members with the way they were being spoken at, to having to be assigned impromptu tasks they were not initially given and were manipulated into having to carry out those tasks.

This was a period that called for real restructuring, both in the way communication was handled between all levels of staff as well as a much-needed staff engagement strategy.

Hadn’t this scenario occurred and the restructuring put into work, the strain of the global pandemic on our organisation would have been so untold, because only happy and satisfied employees will endure the storm with an organisation when crisis strike.  With staff members working from home, others having to self-isolate, managing a robust team can only depend on the quality of interaction that existed pre-crisis. Which was why it was a window of opportunity for me, to truly understand how staff members felt, when given the listening ear they deserved.

Regardless of how skilled you are as a leader, or at best, tough skinned, you cannot go through organisational crisis on your own, only a great team with an efficient leader can. For that to happen, mastering these concepts will strengthen your resilience stamina as a female leader:

Build a team of people with whom you share common value: It is important to build a team, where everyone shares values that keep you together than divide you. This way, you will always work towards common goals, that will not only strengthen the dynamics of the team, but also propel everyone on the team towards greater personal and professional growth.

When team members work together, it promotes creativity and innovation and allows for great communication and collaboration in the workplace.

Develop a solid employee engagement plan: As much as it is important to engage staff in activities that make them perform at their best, it is also important to engage them adequately on the overall activities, development, and emergencies, happening within and to the organisation. This way, everyone stays abreast of what’s going on. Also, team members are more likely to stay connected and greatly engaged, if they understand the company’s mission, values, and goals and sometimes, challenges. It is your responsibility as a leader to ensure that your team members understand and stay aligned to the mission, values, and goals of the organisation and that will only be possible through your demonstration of clear foresight and direction.

Invest in the development of team members: It is important for employees to know that they are just not numbers added to the database of the organisation. They need to know that they are valued, appreciated, and are part of the organisation’s priority.  Investing in employees continued professional development and giving perks and bonuses or other valuable incentives go a long way in expressing that they are appreciated, and this will increase the chance of them, wanting to grow with the organisation.  

Adapt an inclusive Leadership: There is no doubt that a diverse team performs the greatest. This is because the various flavour of skillset, backgrounds, viewpoints, and orientation brings richness into the team and how it works and the results from such teams.

Largely, what determines how inclusive a team is, depends on how the leader manages the team. What leaders say and do makes an extremely great difference as to whether an individual feels included or not, and the more people can feel included within a team, the more they are able to speak up, connect with others and go the extra mile, which ultimately affects the overall organisational performance.

Ask for feedback and act upon it: Always ask for feedback from your team members and others that your role as a leader, affect and ensure to seek absolute clarity on the feedback you get. When you seek clarity on the feedback you get, it allows you to plan out clearer strategies to address them and get you set up to show progress in the affected areas in the future. Also, feedback allows you to work on structural and operational loopholes as identified not only by the senior management but also by other employees, including your team members. Take time to understand the complaints, pain and the compliments of the people who follow your leadership because this expresses that you care about growth and change which are the hallmark of great institutions and great people.