Marshall Goldsmith - Leadership in a Time of Crisis: The Way Forward in a Changed World

Leadership in a Time of Crisis

Copyright by Marshall Goldsmith 100 Leaders

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, please contact RosettaBooks at , or by mail at 125 Park Ave., 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017.

First edition published 2020 by RosettaBooks

Cover design by Lee Iley

ISBN-13 (print): 978-1-9481-2257-3
ISBN-13 (ebook): 978-1-9481-2258-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020937401

www.RosettaBooks.com

Quality, character, courage, and beyond the call describe those who respond to these unexpected national pandemicsthe frontline responders and their families.

Nonprofit organizations are particularly challenged, as they work with communities whose needs have not changed, while the way we work in the world has been turned upside-down in many ways. It is inspiring to see how they are reinventing themselves. University students and faculty are working hard to adapt to and excel in exceptionally speedy transitions to remote environments. Corporations are working to educate their staff on ways to be technologically connected. Leaders in all sectors are shifting into overdrive.

It has been interesting to hear from many colleagues, collaborators, and leaders who have shared with us their own challenges and digital opportunities during this uncertain time.

Our leadership work at the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum, housed in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh, fosters the development of values-based leadership: developing leaders of character and competence; providing dynamic global mentorship, training and service opportunities; and engaging, informing and enhancing the leadership journey of incoming generations of leaders.

In March 2020 we surveyed leaders from all levels, in every sector. Respondents cited their top three leadership challenges as:

1. Maintaining work goals and future planning

2. Financial and funding issues

3. Lack of personal connection

Liz Wisemans contribution Leading in the Dark advises: Rather than waiting for information or pretending youve got it figured out, let your people know what you dont know. And in Unleash Your Superpower and Focus on Who You Want to BE, Ekpedeme Bassey writes: In times of adversity, one of the best things you can do as a leader is to stay focused on the truth that learning is your superpower. The best way to address any challenge is to learn your way through it.

Despite these challenges, leaders attested to pleasant surprises in their remote working environments: the opportunity to think, read, study, and learn new things; an improved environment related to reduced national and global pollution; authentic availability and engagement; and enhanced collaboration.

One response was particularly significant: I have learned how committed, ethical, and trustworthy my team is.

Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, experts in gratitude, have some great wisdom in their piece, How to Remove Fear from Your Work Culture. They write: During tough times, its more important than ever to be honest and transparent. When employees know their managers are seeking better ways during tough times, and are encouraging them to practice the same, it builds trust and a larger culture of optimism. In Three Strategies to Keep Team Members Calm and Productive under Heightened Stress, Sharon Melnick offers the following: Optimism paints a positive picture of the future you see, implying theres something each person can do to help achieve success. Realism sets the expectation that there will be discomfort and challenges, which can be adapted to and overcome.

In our survey, we asked our customers which leadership topics they most wanted to explore more deeply? Where should we focus our leadership offerings? They responded:

1. Mindfulness

2. Leading in a crisis

3. Self-care

Elsewhere in this book, in Finding Our Finest Hour, Laura Gassner Otting writes opportunities to be of service are plentiful. Shoma Heyden in the The Importance of CEO Self-Care during Prolonged Crises reminds us that: One thing utterly in a CEOs control right now is showing up in their absolute best condition to perform for themselves, their people, and the communities in which they operate.

Taken together, these articles provide a blueprint on how leaders might reframe their current reality, how they might consider this crisis a unique time of opportunity. In the end, leadership is a matter of how to be, not how to do.

As Ayse Birsel notes in Breaking and Rebuilding, The times call for transformation, but none of us can afford to let it just happen. Rather, heres how we can do it intentionally. Read on, dear leaders.

Frances Hesselbein

New York City

April 2020

After attending Ayse Birsels transformative Design the Life You Love workshop, I (Marshall) was inspired to start the 100 Coaches Pay It Forward project. The idea was to teach everything I know to fifteen highly motivated coaches and leadersfor freeon the sole condition that they, too, adopt fifteen people in their turn and pay it forward. It was the beginning of a ripple effect based on my commitment to helping talented people achieve the most with their abilities.

A simple video invitation on LinkedIn has now been answered by over 18,000 people, and I (Scott) joined as CEO to explore the potential of the 100 Coaches project. Since then, we have adopted over 250 amazing people and are profoundly grateful to everyone who is supporting and involved in this wonderful program. Our members are among the top executive coaches, leadership thinkers, and leaders in the world.

In early March 2020, as the present crisis was unfolding, our group began meeting daily to discuss the developments and repercussions of current events. We heard from global leaders around the world, from leadership thinkers who were beginning to think about the impact on all aspects of our global economy. We considered the pandemics ramifications on people, on the healthcare system, on local, national, and global economies, and on our businesses. Gathering these insights is a work in progress and constitutes a view from the end of the beginning of the storm. We know that the business world will never be the same again.

While our understanding of the crisis is imperfect, we recognize that leaders are looking for the best guidance and direction they can find. We invited a selection of the 100 Coaches to share one insight that could most help leaders during this time of unprecedented crisis. Time will tell how accurate we are.

The ambition of the 100 Coaches is to reinforce the recognition that by creating value for all stakeholders the best leaders create more sustainable value for their shareholders as well. We are committed to bringing the best talent and thinking to the best leaders and future leaders. Each of the 100 Coaches, and the writers of this book, believe that by supporting the growth and development of leaders in all areas, we can create more value in the companies we serve and better lives for the people with whom we work and the communities in which we live.