Suddenly, a year ago, how we do business changed overnight. Company leaders had to rapidly adapt long-established working models to be able to deliver work virtually whilst ensuring a seamless experience for the customer.

Now that we’re somewhat used to this new way of working, our thoughts have turned to how we can achieve optimum performance in this new world. Our research tells us that one of the biggest obstacles to success right now is a lack of strong people leadership capability. It was an essential ingredient for success even before the pandemic, but now it’s mission-critical.

Workers have been sending the business world a clear message about the need for stronger leadership for a long time. But in the main businesses have done little to support their people leaders up their game. In fact, well over half of them have never had any people leadership training at all.

The huge remote working experiment that we’ve all been forced into may have in the main proved successful. It’s certainly a great step forward for workers and businesses alike. But, if we don’t invest in upskilling our people leaders to be able to better lead in the modern world, we’re at risk of seeing a massive walkout once Covid restrictions start to be lifted.  

So, what can company leaders do to better support their people leaders? Below are six things we believe you should be focusing on right now:  

1. Be crystal clear on expectations of ‘joint responsibility’ from the get-go. When the chips are down, everyone has to muck in. Sure, there’s a responsibility on those in people leadership roles to help their teams make the most of their talent whatever the conditions. But there’s an equal responsibility on everyone in the business. Everyone must be a self-leader. That means owning their own performance, wellbeing, and development - not waiting for others to take control.  

2. Provide absolute transparency and clarity on your business purpose (why the business exists), vision (a picture of what you’re aiming for), and goals (the things that will tell you you’re on the way to success). Help your people leaders to see how their work matters. Give them a clear framework for success and the freedom to decide how to deliver within that framework. Then ask them to do the same with the people they lead.  

3. Make time for people leadership a business priority – starting today. Show you care as much about great people leadership as you do new business targets. Guide people leaders to make the right choices in prioritising building better team connections. Regular 1 to 1s and team meetings should never be sacrificed. The focus right now should always be on health & wellbeing. People leaders need to be taking time to find out how their team is doing and to spot the signs of stress and burnout.

4. Crank up the communication. At a time like this when there are so many questions, people will look to their direct boss for answers. If they don’t have those answers, they’ll be tempted to save face by pretending they do or making stuff up. Give people leaders access to the vital company information that they need. Embrace the idea of ‘sharing as much as you can, as early as you can’. Then ask people leaders to do the same with their teams.

5. Offer bite-sized people leadership training. We get that everyone’s super busy and finding time for personal development can be a challenge. But failing to offer people leaders access to training sessions that will help them to lead in a remote world is as good as setting them up to fail. The sessions should be short, tailored to your people leaders’ specific needs, and highly practical. Things like the importance of self-care, spotting the signs of burnout, and adjusting behaviour to get the best out of all working styles are key.

6. Be a brilliant role model. It should never be a case of ‘do as I say, not as I do’. Show people what great self-care looks like by setting boundaries, taking regular breaks, and sharing when you’re not feeling on your ‘A’ game. Never sacrifice your own 1 to 1s and ensure you’re having regular conversations that delve into how people are really doing. Regularly share what good looks like. Use team meetings to shine a light on great people leadership and tell stories that reinforce the behaviour you’re looking for.

Finally, as you start to think longer term, you’ll need to be sure your people leaders are ready to maximise culture and performance once the new world emerges. Going forwards, we recommend thinking very carefully about who you choose for people leadership roles. The truth is that people get put in a leadership role because they’re technically good at their job. That doesn’t mean they have the desire or relevant skills to lead others. In fact, we know that all too often what makes someone great technically at their job is quite different from the skills they need to be brilliant at leading others.

Are you sure they want a people leadership role? Are they aware of what’s involved? Is it playing to their strengths or are they better focused elsewhere? Answering these questions upfront will save you a huge amount of time in the long run. It’s the only way to be sure you’ve got the right people leaders in place – ready to support the rest of the business to thrive as we emerge into this new world.