The years invested in learning to be great leaders during volatile times, is the well we need to draw from, now more than ever. The coronavirus has shut down swaths of private business and is challenging business models on every level. In the U.S. alone, it put about 3 million people out of work in just a week.

Government and leadership everywhere are grappling with problems they are not prepared for. There is no rule book for a global lockdown.

In South Africa, as we begin our nationwide lockdown, our cases have climbed to more than 1100 – about a third of Africa’s 3,721 cases. Over the next few weeks in South Africa, we will feel the impact of this crisis in our businesses, homes and in the health of those around us.

As leaders we must draw on the fundamentals of leadership. All complex situations demand communication, resourcefulness and innovation. 

Engage your management team

As leaders we need not only to address the top management teams but also line managers, supervisors, human resources staff, and people heading up clusters of key functions.

You need to know what problems are being faced on the ground floor and you need to know what your customers are experiencing. What are expectations in terms of deliverables?

Tools to communicate remotely for on-demand collaboration include the following video conference platforms: 

• Skype for Business allows up to 250 people in a single meeting or conference call. This can be used for presentations such as webinars, as well as full company meetings where you have more than 25 people. Skype for consumers is limited to 25 people on the meeting or call at one time
• A Cisco “Advanced Collaboration” partner, Omega offers the full suite of WebEx services making online meetings as quick and seamless as possible. WebEx is a cloud-based web-conferencing tool allowing users to connect to a video conference via mobile or desktop devices. WebEx users can easily share their screens and even collaborate.
• WhatsApp is a useful tool for when information needs to be disseminated fast, or group decisions need to be made. In Italy, a group of mayors use WhatsApp to help urgently address issues. Local restaurants in Madrid use WhatsApp to coordinate supplying food to hospitals. Medical professionals in Paris formed a WhatsApp group to get the latest updates on hospital capacities. 

Business ingenuity gives us hope

The World Health Organization has confirmed more than 660,000 cases and more than 30,000 coronavirus deaths since the illness emerged in December. The virus has spread to 199 countries. But there is hope. A fascinating article by Forbes, 20 March 2020, highlights business innovation being used for good. Business leaders are tackling the issues in innovative ways, unleashing their pioneering spirit, and driven by their passionate desire to help. CEOs I’ve talked with have moved with vision, focus and speed to confront the pandemic.

• Without a single law or regulation in the offing, the CEOs of supermarkets have created special opening hours for elderly people most vulnerable to the virus so they can safely shop for their groceries.
• Companies have repurposed their entire production capacity to deliver needed products without government appropriation of industry. Luxury goods company LMVH, home of high-end perfumes such as Dior and Louis Vuitton, converted their perfume factory practically overnight to produce hand sanitizer for French hospitals and public health facilities — for free.
• In the United States, commercial labs heeded the call for more coronavirus test capacity. More than 90 test developers and 40 labs have notified the FDA that they will devote their resources to coronavirus testing. In return, the FDA loosened its regulatory process — an affirmation that the government believes it can trust the private sector to deliver a reliable product.

Day to day innovations

During the lockdown in China, the education for schools and universities was moved online, gyms provided virtual fitness classes to students, and orchestras used video platforms to practice together. We saw companies continue to conduct meetings on Zoom and Skype.

In Europe, restaurants which were forced to close have evolved and developed flourishing delivery and fast food services, and retailers with a good online reputation are booming.

Around the world we are seeing a more abstract approach to flexible hours, working from home and parents meeting deadlines whilst caring for their children. 

Carbon emissions have dropped precipitously, proving that conducting business and curing climate change aren’t mutually exclusive.

We must stand strong 

With the lockdown there is now less contact, people are going out less and will get infected less. 

Even the initial numbers in South Africa are staggering; they will get worse, unfortunately. In the meantime, it is up to leaders to lead, to engage with all stakeholders to seek innovative ways to solve problems, communicate with clients, and use technology to overcome communication barriers and care for their staff’s psychological well-being. 

According to official statistics, China has defeated the coronavirus. Over the week, health authorities have reported only one new locally transmitted case of Covid-19. In Wuhan, the centre of the outbreak and the country’s worst-hit area, officials on Monday reported a fifth day without new cases.

The figures are a sharp drop from just a month ago, when recording a daily increase of fewer than 2,000 new infections was a milestone. Authorities have begun easing Wuhan’s two-month lockdown while cities across the country are following orders to “fully restore” production and resume normal life.

We must stand strong, keep engaging, keep innovating, and reach and help all of those we can (competitors included) to fight this fight. We will need an antidote for the looming recession. But for now, let’s win this battle.

Tebogo Mogashoa