Leadership takes a lot of energy and maintenance even when the office is running well and at full capacity.
COVID-19 is affecting workplaces in many ways, one of which is positive test results of team members. Even if your team members are not sick themselves, they could be caring for those with positive results (and therefore in quarantine) or requiring remote accommodations due to compromised immunity.
In all instances they are out of the office and potentially not even able to work remotely.
This type of scenario requires high levels of energy from leadership to ensure all key responsibilities are covered.
An authentic leader doesn’t wait for the worst scenario to occur before taking action. Authentic leaders expend energy when it isn’t required to protect energy when it is needed the most.
This allows leaders to be with their team in a crisis instead of only spending time on a specific area.
How does this happen? By creating a contingency plan in preparation for the worst before it arrives.
What does a contingency plan look like?
List all main processes and responsibilities of the office
Next to each item, list the primary, secondary, and even tertiary responsible individuals within the office
Schedule training and cross training to ensure all responsible parties understand what they are responsible for and how to accomplish each task
Ensure processes are documented, necessary access is given to all systems, and all information is kept in a location accessible by everyone regardless of physical location (like a shared drive on a protected server)
This ensures that if the primary person is out, or even the secondary, coverage can still exist and everyone is clear on who is responsible.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to create a contingency plan, it’s never too late to start.
Making decisions and taking action now prevents unnecessary energy expenditure when stress levels are high.