This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on July 13, 2020 - July 19, 2020

“Faced with crisis, the man of character falls back on himself. He imposes his own stamp of action, takes responsibility for it, makes it his own.” — Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970), former French president

Another article about the world post-Covid 19. Really? Have we not got our fill of futurists, seers and prognosticators telling us what to expect when a semblance of normalcy appears on the horizon? Well, read on. This one might make you think about some steps you would need to take not just after the pandemic, but to ride out the new normal.

Remember the old adage “Crisis does not build character, it reveals it”? Well, now is the time to re-evaluate your own character and leadership stance, and curate it to fill the demands of the immediate future.

If you succeed, your employees will remember for a long time how they were treated during this crisis. Nothing drives employee loyalty and engagement more than knowing “my boss cares about me as a human being”. As a leader, you must treat this Covid-19 crisis as a defining moment for yourself and your organisation. Step up and lead accordingly.

There is no “playbook” for leadership when the stakes are high, and there is certainly no playbook for what to do in the face of a 21st century pandemic. We are all facing threats on multiple fronts at once: to self, family, employees, customers, suppliers and business partners, even the government. What we really need now is sober, smart, values-driven and focused leadership. It is these traits will separate the men from the boys.

The reality of life post-Covid-19 has not fully sunk in yet, but what we are certain, now, is that multiple changes will play out over the rest of 2020 and beyond. Right now, leaders, even (and especially) highly successful ones, must reinvent and change themselves or risk being outrun by these changes. No matter how effective you were yesterday, you will find that today and tomorrow are likely to make new and different demands on you as a leader. If you fail to reinvent and adapt, you and your organisation will stall and fail.

First, sobriety is key. Leaders in times of crisis will need to have clarity. The urge to act with alacrity surfaces in times of turmoil. Speed should dictate how you react to a crisis, but not necessarily for a post-crisis. If the house is on fire, put out the blaze. But you do not need to rebuild quickly. Consider your options. What you thought was essential before the pandemic may not be so critical after all. If business growth and leveraging was your plan earlier, you might be wiser to focus on steadying your cash flow and managing your value-chain. Survival in a post-crisis scenario takes precedence over growth, at least until you are out of danger.

Being smart by addressing pressing issues is a given. Surveying the horizon, looking for life-changing trends, is clever. With changes that roll us one day and roil us the next, the urge to keep moving is strong. But, unless necessary due to cash flow, take time to reflect and rethink. Consider your strengths as well as your shortcomings. How are you using what you do best to overcome what you do worst? Be mindful of what you have and ask for help whenever you can.

Your team needs to draw up your assumptions. Test them however possible with a combination of research and common sense. Then make your decision according to the probabilities. What was once an 80/20 proposition may now be 50/50. There is more uncertainty now.

And I have news for you: Gone is our time of “winner takes all”. Now, we must cultivate an attitude of “winner shares all”. Look for solutions that benefit others as much as it does you. Find ways to lift people up rather than hold them down. Leaders, of course, abide by this creed, but in our world turned upside down, that abundance must be shared. Doing so increases the bounty for all.

Before this global pandemic, business trends focused on efficiency and cost-cutting. Leverage and risk thrived in a world of abundance. Post Covid-19, supply chains will be tightened and risks minimised. Safety and security will be the watchwords.

Covid-19 has not just changed the world but also changed the DNA of our workplace ecosystem in many ways. As such, leaders must change as well to lead effectively in this new era. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it is that leadership matters and, for many organisations facing decidedly fragile futures, it may matter now more than ever as Malaysia tries to emerge from forced hibernation and rebuild a semi-broken economy.

On a personal front, manage yourself. You are a human being, and you can be stressed like everyone else — and probably in ways you may not even realise. Do not let yourself get to the end of your rope. Take the time to make sure you are as prepared and focused as you can be. Stay balanced — get your exercise, eat properly and make time for the people who are most important to you. Your family and friends need your attention and leadership as much as your employees and customers do.

Throughout this tragedy, we have witnessed certain leadership traits and approaches that may have made the difference between life and death. Life, as we know it, has changed but, as every leader realises, it sure beats the alternative.

Zakie Shariff is managing partner of Kuber Venture Bhd, a specialist investment company. He is also a director of Universiti Malaysia Pahang.

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