Be Kind With Clarity and Do the Right Thing

What It’s About: So you like leadership, eh? For the vast majority of us, being a leader is a matter of navigating through choices that are not even close to life-threatening. We listen to viewpoints, make a call based on consensus, and go from there. For the majority, the choices are significant and if we choose wrong, we learn but life goes on. However, if you lead long enough, you will eventually have to make a call between crappy choices that have lasting implications for others. As much as people like me, generally encourage you to improvise and find the “and,” one day you will find yourself facing an “or.” COVID-19 is giving many leaders, especially those in government/healthcare, along with business, the big impact choice of an “OR.”

Why It’s Important: Listening in leadership is always helpful. And leaders must know where people stand to calibrate. In these circumstances of serious crises, the attribute people need most is thoughtful, decisive clarity. My strong belief is that this is when leaders need to do what’s best for people first. When something like COVID-19 comes around, both public and private institutions need to make priority decisions for the greater good of most humans and the larger community. As an example, if you tell people it’s “up to them to come to work,” rather than being collaborative, it may be perceived as indecisive or even weak. Why? Because it forces people to have to wrestle with that matter. In times of crisis it is courageous to make the right choice for them. If you know social distance is the only way to keep people safer, and from overwhelming the health care system, you need to kindly and clearly say: “I expect you to stay and work from home. And we will figure out how to pay you if you’re sick and can’t work…”

This guideline is uniquely situational if your team is providing a vital community service like health care. However, that is not the case for most of us. Classes can be taken later. Potholes can be fixed at another time. Burgers can be picked up or delivered without contact. Many things can be postponed. They are secondary to one's well-being and that of the community. Have the “balls” to make the call on doing what’s right first. Yes, you may not like the consequences at a business or commercial level, but be a leader and do the right thing.

Think big, start small, act now,

- Lorne

One Millennial View: One little glance at social media, and you’ll likely see that most of your friends, colleagues, etc. are navigating how to successfully work from the safety of their homes. Obviously most of us feel gross and a sense of personal violation when our freedom to go to WORK of all places is infringed upon, but panic can be just as dangerous (if not more dangerous) than the virus itself. Leaders making safe decisions for the betterment of all is a strong step towards normalcy.

- Garrett

Edited and published by Garrett Rubis

Be Kind With Clarity and Do the Right Thing

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