Introduction
For the past two years, the world has faced a severe challenge that influenced all the spheres and changed many people’s life. The COVID-19 pandemic still impacts all spheres of life in all countries around the world. It repeatedly causes crises that negatively affect not only the public health system but both global and local businesses and entrepreneurs as well. That is why it is necessary for business leaders to take measures to mitigate the pandemic effect and be better prepared for crises that may emerge in the future (Reeves et al. 2). The present essay is aimed at evaluating the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sphere of leadership. It reveals the changes in the sphere and enumerates the most effective ways of reorganizing businesses in pandemic conditions. In addition, the paper describes several tactics that will help the leaders reduce the degree of pandemic stress.
Changes in the Leadership/Management Sphere
The most significant change that the pandemic led to is switching to the remote way of work in the majority of the institutions. This measure seems to be quite relevant since it helps minimize face-to-face contact between people and, as a result, reduce the degree of the virus spread. Though the remote way of work may be considered beneficial for the public health system, it negatively affects the economic sphere. Not all businesses have an opportunity to work online, and not all workers are eager to work from home, where they may not have comfortable conditions that help perform their job accordingly. Despite the fact that many people may be skeptical about remote jobs, they should understand that it is the only tactic that benefits the public health system. It is necessary to understand that in pandemic conditions economy should not be prioritized more than public health (Allen). That is why the leaders should consider both aspects and develop new management programs and tactics that will ensure the safety of the staff and help the business get regular revenues.
The Ways of Reorganizing the Business in the Pandemic Conditions
The COVID-19 has significantly changed the sphere of leadership, and the leaders themselves since the workers’ health conditions and well-being have become the employers’ main priority. That is why it is wrong to use the old ways of managing the business under new conditions. Hence, the leaders should not only care about the revenues but also pay attention to ensure their workers in the safety of their job conditions and physical and emotional health (Dhupia). The leaders should stay emotionally connected to their employees and provide them with clear and transparent information on the current situation in the company (Tarki et al. 3). The leaders should also demonstrate a high level of trust in their workers since the remote format of the job may negatively affect their moral state.
It is impossible to lead the business under new conditions using the old business strategy. Hence, the pandemic forced the majority of the leaders to seek new ways of managing their business as well as to develop new business models. The leaders at present are forced to reorganize their primary strategies of the business development since the situation at the market changes really fast (Dhupia). The main challenge here concerns the fact that these changes are dictated not only by the economy but by the public health indicators as well. That is why the leaders should use all their courage and ingenuity to develop new business models that will benefit both in short and long-term perspectives.
The final way of reorganizing businesses during the pandemic concerns the fear of making up long-term decisions in a short period of time. Not all leaders have the courage to try new models and strategies when the situation at the market and in the world, in general, is unclear (Tarki et al. 4). However, if the business does not adapt to the current conditions and does not take lessons from the pandemic experience, it will not be able to survive among those who made the right decisions in time.
How the Leaders Can Reduce Pandemic Stress
Since leaders are forced to make up important decisions during the worldwide crisis, they face severe stress that negatively affects their physical and mental health, which may prevent them from managing the business in the future. That is why they should pay attention not only to their work but to healthcare as well (Center for Creative Leadership). First, the leaders should stay resilient to challenges to become more stress-resistant. In order to do that, doctors recommend implementing at least minimal physical activity and regular sleep in their daily routine. In addition, leaders should stay grateful for everything they have in life since gratefulness is related to many forms of well-being and is an effective practice to reduce stress (Center for Creative Leadership). The final technique is not to boycott ambiguity since those who are tolerant of ambiguity tend to stay calm during crises. All these practices help the leaders reduce pandemic stress which ensures their effective business management.
Conclusion
Taking into account all mentioned above, it is necessary to note that though the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the business sphere and the world economy in general, the leaders tend to adapt to the changes. New market conditions dictate new rules for the leaders at all levels, which forces them to develop new business models and strategies. That is why it is important for business people to stay flexible and tolerate ambiguity to survive the pandemic.
Works Cited
Allen, Kathleen E. Viewing Leadership Through a Systems Lens (in a Time of Pandemic).International Leadership Association, 2020, Web.
Center for Creative Leadership. 3 Evidence-Based Strategies to Help Leaders Cope with Pandemic Stress. Center for Creative Leadership, 2021, Web.
Dhupia, Shruti. How COVID-19 Is Redefining the Leadership Narrative.Harvard Business Publishing, 2020. Web.
Reeves, Martin, et al. Lead Your Business Through the Coronavirus Crisis.Harvard Business Publishing, 2020, pp. 1-7.
Tarki, Atta, et al. The Coronavirus Crisis Doesn’t Have to Lead to Layoffs. Harvard Business Publishing, 2020, pp. 1-6.