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Date: May 15, 2020

Introduction

Are you leading through the crisis … or Managing the Response? As this future of Covid-19 crisis unfolds, it is useful to think what distinguishes past, present & future. There was a past of relative firmness & predictability. There is now confusion & disruption. There will be … a different state. Some will become resilient. For others, this future will be catastrophic. Covid-19 has placed extraordinary demand on leaders in business & beyond. What leaders need in this pandemic is not a pre-defined response plan but continually collecting information as the crisis unfolds & observing how well their responses work. More so anticipating what may happen next, and then acting. Effective leadership in such serious circumstances is absolutely necessary for an organisation and its people and requires physical, psychological and emotional fortitude. After two successful Tweet chat series, Kontempore Inc in association with KIIT University in its 3rd series discussed and deliberated on how to take leadership skills to a new level. The Kweettalk has identified five fundamental qualities of successful leader to navigate the crisis.

Demonstrating Empathy & Resilience

  • Servant leadership to evolve post Covid-19 crisis.
  • Sharing power, putting people first & leading from back to follow.
  • Leaders to start at bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy.
  • Leaders with heavy emotional bank account of trust & compassion to tide over crisis.

Open to change & Adaptability

  • Leaders with adaptive capacity and agility in decision making to emerge strong.
  • Ability to quickly engage people & experts from different fields.
  • Dynamic scenario planning and anticipating the new business models.
  • Leaders with ‘Circular Vision’ to navigate crisis.

Displaying Bounded Optimism

  • Leaders who combine reality with optimism can tackle crisis better.
  • Leaders demonstrating ‘Integrative Awareness’ to lead in crisis.
  • Leaders who can reframe threat as an opportunity can be a source of energy for everyone in the Organisation.
  • Leaders with “we have to survive this mentality”

Communicating Effectively

  • Leaders with consistent, reliable, fact-based communication at each point to lead.
  • Hyper communication to be the new norm for leaders to excel.
  • Maintaining transparency & providing frequent updates about current realities to help navigate the pandemic.

Making Decisions amidst Crisis

  • Leaders who take decisive actions based on imperfect information – knowing that expediency is essential can tackle crisis.
  • Leaders who take a hard rational line to protect business from crisis.
  • Leaders embracing the long view!

SPEAKERS:

  • Mr. Saptagiri Ulaka (@saptagiriulaka), MP, Lok Sabha, Koraput (Odisha)
  • Mr. Rajesh Mahapatra (@rajeshmahapatra), Formerly Editor at large, Hindustan Times
  • Mr. Krish Shankar (@kshankar21), Group Head, Human Resource, Infosys
  • Ms. Madhavi Lall (@madhavilall1), Managing Director, Head HR India, Deutsche Bank
  • Mr. Anil Bhasin (@Anil_bhasin1), President & Business Leader, Havells
  • Mr. S Vaitheeswaran (@vaithee58), MD & CEO, Manipal Education & Medical Group
  • Mr. Vikram Gupta (@vikramgupta70), Founder & Managing Partner, IvyCap Ventures Advisors Pvt. Ltd.

Here what Industry leaders suggest on “Leading in Crisis”

Q1) Which are those factors leader must consider to deal with crisis in today’s difficult situation? “Leader must deal with mass scale anxiety, handle panic & uncertainty in the markets and contend against the impulse for extreme risk aversion and doubt within government” – Mr. Rajesh Mahapatra, Formerly Editor at Large, Hindustan Times “Accept that the old equilibrium is gone and a new normal will emerge – this is not a pause but reset button. Get a hang of the market model and get real on your competitors strength” – Mr. S. Vaitheeswaran, MD & CEO, Manipal Education and Medical Group Q2) How to build foresight to balance pragmatic vs. Idealism? “Don’t think pragmatic and idealism two sets when it comes to leaders. Leaders should always have a big picture at same time focus on achieving short-term goals. It’s combination of risk appetite, managing resources, localised solutions, collaboration and incorporating lessons learnt” – Mr. Saptagiri Ulaka, MP Lok Sabha, Koraput, Odisha Q3) Define traits/styles of successful leader who deal with crisis very well vs. other leaders who are not able to? “Consistent, reliable, fact-based communication; managing hybrid teams; flexibility and adaptability; humility and active listening” – Mr. Anil Bhasin, President and Business Leader, Havells “Crisis is the litmus test of leadership. The leaders look tall only when they rise. Leaders acquire charisma while leading in crisis. Courage, compassion and communication are the 3 most important traits of successful leaders” – Dr. S K Mahapatra, Director, KIIT School of Management Q4) Describe leadership evolution post Covid-19 scenario? “One needs to work through ambiguity, be more purpose driven, needs to have much higher empathy and build trust someone who can delegate more and give autonomy to teams, and lead with focus and clarity”- Mr. Krish Shankar, Group Head, Human Resource, Infosys Q5) How leaders can succeed in today’s VUCA environment? “Collaborate proactively; optimise on resource utilisation; play to your strengths; focus, focus and focus; adapt to the change and finally don’t hesitate to take critical decisions” – Mr. Vikram Gupta, Founder & Managing Partner, IvyCap Ventures Advisors Pvt. Ltd “Keeping clarity of thought amidst so much ambiguity; following a principle based approach; adaptability and agility in decision making without all answers available; developing dynamic scenario planning and having back up for back up plans” – Ms. Madhavi Lall, Managing Director, Head HR India, Deutsche Bank

SPEAKERS:

  • Mr. Saptagiri Ulaka (@saptagiriulaka), MP, Lok Sabha, Koraput (Odisha);
  • Mr. Rajesh Mahapatra (@rajeshmahapatra), Formerly Editor at large, Hindustan Times;
  • Mr. Krish Shankar (@kshankar21), Group Head, Human Resource, Infosys;
  • Ms. Madhavi Lall (@madhavilall1), Managing Director, Head HR India, Deutsche Bank;
  • Mr. Anil Bhasin (@Anil_bhasin1), President & Business Leader, Havells;
  • Mr. S Vaitheeswaran (@vaithee58), MD & CEO, Manipal Education & Medical Group;
  • Mr. Vikram Gupta (@vikramgupta70), Founder & Managing Partner, IvyCap Ventures Advisors Pvt. Ltd.