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Ways Leaders Should Communicate With Employees During This Pandemic By Rita Men
P
resident Donald Trump and others have likened the coronavirus pandemic to fighting a war. As someone who studies how leaders communicate, I believe that’s an apt description. But the president isn’t the only general in this battle. America’s CEOs also have important leadership roles to play as the crisis poses a test of their ability to help their workers not only endure and stay healthy but keep them motivated and engaged as well. What’s the best way to do that? To find an answer, I reviewed 21 academic studies on executive leadership communication and conducted a textual analysis of 12 industry studies related to organizational and leadership communication during the pandemic. I discovered five key themes that may provide some insights for how CEOs should communicate with their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. 44 ONYX MAGAZINE
1. Be Transparent Transparency requires leaders to openly and proactively share relevant information to employees in a timely, frequent and digestible manner; give accurate information regarding what is happening, what the impact is and how the company is handling it; and offer clear guidance on what workers should be doing. It also means encouraging employees to speak up and share their feedback and concerns. This kind of openness fosters trust and reduces uncertainty – especially important in a crisis. In a video message to the employees, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson demonstrated this when he didn’t try to sugarcoat the losses his company has suffered in the crisis. 2. Convey Authenticity Authentic leadership is not a new concept to the business community and its effectiveness in generating positive employee outcomes has been supported by a bulk of academic and industry research.
