by Vanessa Oakes, Course Director at Staffordshire Business School

Leadership theory identifies a vast range of styles and behaviours to emulate and develop, most with their own sets of advantages and disadvantages. This blog identifies three of the most useful behaviours to help you and your business survive and thrive, through the pandemic and beyond:

Leadership behaviour that develops resilience – Ensuring continued business success means that you and your staff will require a level of resilience in the face of significant change.

Resilience means more than just bouncing back to what was once ‘normal’, it requires fostering an atmosphere of support for those who are struggling to cope, talking with staff about the changes they are facing now and those that will come and encouraging an atmosphere of adaptation and innovation so that staff feel a part of the changes around them.  Most importantly, developing resilience is not just about how you weather the storm but how you harness it to improve your business for the future. For free webinars on developing resilience in yourself and your team, visit here

Leadership behaviour that exhibits trust – As organisations move towards more flexible forms of work in order to get the job done, resist the temptation to implement strict monitors and controls around new ways of working that communicate to your staff that they are no longer trusted to do their jobs well. During lockdown, your most valuable assets have found a way to work for you, in the face of childcare, caring or other personal hardships. Now is the time to communicate that you still trust them. If you feel you need to keep up to date with what they are doing, ask them for regular updates via email or virtually. If you feel that you need metrics for your own peace of mind, consider how you identify and develop them, and try to do it as openly as possible. Read more here

Leadership behaviour that builds loyalty – Once the impact of the pandemic lessens and a level of normality starts to return, labour markets will open as recruitment starts to rise once again. Staff will have more choice over where they work and how they work. Do you want to retain the staff that have seen your business through this crisis? Then it’s important to start thinking about how you will retain them over the next 2-4 years. This ManpowerGroup Webinar (on demand) identifies several recruitment and retention priorities to focus on as your business begins to re-focus

Contrary to the beliefs of the layman, Leadership is not a dark art or a skill that only certain individuals are born with. It is something that, once recognised, can be developed, honed and put to good use to improve organisational performance without the need for new products, new services or restructures. Effective leadership harnesses your organisations greatest asset, it’s people, and allows them to flourish for the benefit of the organisation.

If you would like more free training in this area then have a look at the Small Business Leadership Programme

The Small Business Leadership Programme is provided by Staffordshire Business School and is fully funded (free). Participants will develop strategic leadership skills and the confidence to boost business performance.

The course lasts ten weeks and the next two cohort start dates are

West Midlands 12^th January  3.00-4.30pm

North West 13^th January  3.00-4.30 pm

Register here https://smallbusinesscharter.org/sblp-registration

For more details see the website https://smallbusinesscharter.org/small-business-leadership-programme/

Contact Kat Mitchell if you would like a chat Kathryn.Mitchell@staffs.ac.uk