Reflections on Leadership
After reading a few posts starting with “on this day…” and “it’s been five years since…” I started thinking about where I was in March 2020.
This isn’t just a walk down memory lane. It’s a heartfelt thank you to my leaders and a playbook for anyone facing ambiguous leadership challenges.
Leading Geographically-dispersed Teams
I was working for a Seattle-area company, as one of the thousands of employees that worked from the Bellevue HQ. When my husband got a promotion that moved us across the country in 2019, my leadership team was supportive. I kept my job and joined the many fellow remote employees. I traded in my commute (RIP my favorite podcast-listening time) and navigated how to best engage with my west-coast-based team, while working east coast hours so I could be present in the evenings with my family.
My leader respected these boundaries. We would sync up before the end of my business day as needed or work on projects asynchronously, but rarely did I get tapped with “emergency” requests that kept me tethered to my computer late into the evening. To be fair, there are very few life-threatening leadership development programming emergencies. I recognize these boundaries might be harder to honor in other functions or industries, but all the same, I’m grateful for leadership that understood the importance of family dinners at home.
Leading with Empathy
I’d been working remotely on the east coast when confirmed cases of coronavirus began popping up in Seattle, and soon the city was dubbed the first American epicenter of COVID-19. The majority of leadership – from team managers through c-suite – were based in the Seattle area and were navigating this in real time alongside their families, community members, and employees. Unlike corporate messaging that could be scripted and trickled down through different teams on a strategic schedule, the burgeoning crisis was impacting team members directly and indirectly, and my leaders always seemed to prioritize people.
When someone on the team had a sick family member, leaders shifted work to other team members or de-prioritized projects. Even before phrases like “lockdown” and “essential personnel” were common vernacular, our leaders handled remote work and travel cancellations with empathy and compassion. They recognized that some people were considered higher risk. They acknowledged the added stress and anxiety. They understood that we would not be delivering our best work if we were distracted, scared, or sick.
Again, much of the experience I’ve reflected on could not be replicated in essential frontline roles. Defaulting to video conferencing wasn’t an option for everyone. But in my teams’ case, our leaders prioritized empathic listening and compassionate solutions that worked for individuals and the company.
Leading with Core Values
As the virus spread, we began hearing about more cases on the east coast. Although I had been working remotely for about six months, my husband’s company expected him to continue showing up to work in person, and our first and only kid (at the time) attended daycare.
One day in mid-March, I was on a video call with my boss. I really don’t remember much about it, other than I was weighed down with indecision and unknowns related to COVID. Were children more likely or less likely to catch it? Would my husband be exposed to it at his job? Should we pull our kid from daycare? If we did, would it be for a day…a week…a month? There were no answers.
As I was staring off into space, overwhelmed with the whole situation, my boss gently said “Go get him. Right now.” I snapped my focus back to the video screen, and she repeated herself. She said she could see how worried I was, and as a mother herself, she knew I’d be better off with him home. I think I began to ask about the next day and the bigger plan, and she gently cut me off with a shake of her head. She smiled and said we would figure it out together.
I told daycare we would be back “soon” and brought him home early that afternoon. We kept him home for the months that followed. My husband and I staggered our schedules, figured out how to be REALLY productive when our kiddo was napping, and graciously accepted tons of childcare help from my parents.
My boss could have focused on deliverables and deadlines. She could have pushed set work hours and expectations of full-time childcare for everyone on our team. Instead, she saw us as whole beings, juggling unique circumstances with each of our families – whether it was young children, school-aged kids adapting to homeschooling/remote learning, or caring for elderly family members. She showed up with compassion, and honored our values.
Leading with Community
As those “two weeks to stop the spread” crept into months, our leadership team continued to engage the team in different ways. I know some folks will grumble when I reminisce about video conference team activities, but I always saw the good in them. I even had a fascinator on standby for virtual tea parties (an early-pandemic favorite).
One meeting, our senior leader suggested we share something our partner/kid/pet does, but refer to them as our colleague. Hearing “my colleague is snoring by my feet right now” or “my colleague drops goldfish crackers every time he stops by my desk” made me laugh. It also painted a better picture of how team members were navigating the sudden shift to working (and schooling) from home alongside family.
These opportunities kept us connected. They helped us see other sides of each other. When teams have shared experiences, or inside jokes, they are more likely to work through challenges and accomplish more. Our leadership team not only created an organization that cared about each other, but knew how to work with each other to get stuff done.
Leading Today
Five years later, many things have changed. Although these leaders are at different companies, they continue to influence individuals and teams with the same humanity. They meet each ambiguous challenge with empathy, compassion, and a touch of situationally-appropriate humor.
After leaving that company, I built my own practice focused on neuroinclusive leadership development and coaching. I continue to believe that leading with humanity is the only way forward.
I’m so grateful to the leaders that set good examples, and pave the way for empathetic, inclusive leadership. Who inspires you?
If your team is interested in building trust and connection, and accomplishing more at the same time, MPG can help. We build skills to strengthen individuals, teams, and companies. Schedule a consult to discuss!
