Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2020 - 41

What does it take to pivot a business quickly in times of
crisis while keeping the employee in mind? Leading with
humanity, focusing on inclusive leadership and adopting
agile methodologies are critical skills to instill in leadership
and across the organization to drive positive change with
employees, customers and communities in difficult times.

Employees are looking to their leaders to
navigate through turbulent and uncertain
times with a focus on humanity, equity
and agility. Now is the time for learning
and development (L&D) departments
to bring new training opportunities to
the table, focused on amplifying skill
sets that will better prepare leaders to
manage in chaos.

The Current State
The world is not what it was a year ago.
From the COVID-19 pandemic to racial
and social injustice movements taking
place worldwide, it is impossible to
deny these external forces' impact on
the workplace. Many organizations and
their people are feeling the pain of this
crisis and are struggling with sick loved
ones or the loss of a friend or family
member. Others personally experience
and feel the impact of injustice. And
others are simultaneously struggling
to juggle virtually schooling children
from home. Regardless, all employees
are coping with an altered working
environment and workflow - many of
whom are navigating remote work for
the first time.
Any and all of these factors have
varying levels of impact on employees.
It is critical for organizations to keep
an eye on the health and well-being
of their people. According to a Kaiser
Family Foundation Survey, 72% of
Americans say their lives have been
disrupted, and 45% of adults report that
worry and stress related to COVID-19
has negatively impacted their mental
health. When employee well-being
is low, organizational performance is

also lowered. In fact, 46% of company
executives expect a reduction in
performance targets in 2020.
To successfully lead through this crisis,
leadership behaviors need to reflect
cultural shifts that are taking place in
organizations. In a recent article, "A
Call to Leaders in Our Social Justice
and COVID-19 Era," Irma Camps,
Ph.D., wrote for Psychology Today,
"Leadership can mitigate negative
macro-environmental
events
and
elevate organizations to reach new
outcomes during transitional periods."

LEAD WITH
HUMANITY

TRANSFORMATION

INCLUSIVE
LEADERSHIP

INSPIRATION &
VALUE CREATION
COLLABORATION

INNOVATION

AGILE
LEADERSHIP

L&D Execution
and Development
Strategy
L&D teams should partner closely with
diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)
teams to create a seamless leadership
development reskilling strategy that
weaves in critical language, tone and

policies that mirror the broader cultural
efforts of the organization.
The learning strategy for skilling leaders to
lead with humanity, inclusivity and agility
involves a multitiered and multimodal
approach, representing an appropriate
OSF (on-the-job, social and formal
learning) ratio. Each skill builds on the
other and is best taught in a sequence.
Begin by focusing on developing the skills
leaders need to lead with humanity, then
the skills they need to lead inclusively
and finally to lead with agility. As leaders
gain insight and experience, the learning
journey allows leaders to put their new
skills into practice, using quarterly checkins to provide feedback and assess
progress against goals.
In its recent "KPMG 2020 CEO Outlook:
COVID-19 Special Edition" report, KPMG
asserts, "Chief executives of the world's
largest organizations are using this
unparalleled moment in history to lead
with increased purpose and impact,
both societal and economic. They are
leading with empathy and humanity
as they prioritize talent and corporate
responsibility, finding opportunity amid a
fall in global economic confidence, and
rewiring their businesses for tomorrow's
new reality."

Approach
After properly analyzing organizational
need and readiness for this new
leadership framework, gaining buy-in
from key stakeholders, and aligning
business strategies to desired goals and
outcomes - L&D teams can begin to
create the learning journey.

T R A I N I N G I N DUSTR Y MAGAZ INE - L& D'S ROLE IN CHANGE MANAGE ME NT I WWW. T RAININGINDU S T RY . C OM/ MAGAZ I NE

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https://www2.deloitte.com/ua/en/pages/human-capital/articles/impact-of-covid-19.html https://www2.deloitte.com/ua/en/pages/human-capital/articles/impact-of-covid-19.html https://www.trainingindustry.com/blog/strategy-alignment-and-planning/70-20-10-and-the-concept-of-the-osf-ratio/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/blog/strategy-alignment-and-planning/70-20-10-and-the-concept-of-the-osf-ratio/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/closing-professional-gaps/202006/call-leaders-in-our-social-justice-and-covid-19-era https://www.kff.org/health-reform/report/kff-health-tracking-poll-early-april-2020/ https://www.kff.org/health-reform/report/kff-health-tracking-poll-early-april-2020/ https://www.trainingindustry.com/magazine

Training Industry Magazine - November/December 2020

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