The pandemic has left its mark across all spheres of life and brought a fair share of uncertainty. Times like these define a leader and their skills which make them distinct from others. There may be several theories on Leadership Behaviour, but the radical change of these times demands empathetic leadership to keep teams engaged, cohesive and forward-focused. Leaders must demonstrate a spirit of purpose and optimism to reinforce the idea that an uncertain future has the potential to be a better future.

We all understand that at times like these, it is a leader who must stand up and instil courage in the team. One of their primary attributes to encourage and empower comes to the forefront – give them the right direction and further strengthen their wit. Often, under such circumstances, employees tend to look upon their leadership to make sense of the uncertainty. While the leader will nurture to bridge trust and create a congenial environment. It will, therefore, be upon them to remind their employees to look for the future - if there is disruption, there will also be a recovery. This tends to be a principal aspect of effective communications and the foundation that holds all relationships.

Also at such times, building upon a culture of assurance is set to play a strategic role. Reassuring, so that every member realises the sense of purpose and takes charge to become a driving force and reinstate confidence in others. Similarly, organisations will be required to work along a cohesive culture - where your employees and customers are living the One Dream, One Team and One Family mantra.  

Further, in uncertain and ambiguous times over, communication plays a critical role. And dynamic organisations will leverage technology to connect and be heard, now more than ever. More and more organisations will encourage a culture where digitisation will fit right into everything they do. Across financial services, digital communications play a key role in improving organisational efficiencies – especially as it streamlines the connection with the geographically diverse customers and employees. Increasingly, it is advisable to put in place an internal communication channel to engage with employees to ensure direct, simple and comprehensive communication specifically in their vernacular language, which compliments the digital outreach. Since pandemic has hastened the digitisation efforts in the organisations, they will also need to modify their work culture and embrace wiser ways of working. Financial institutions with a strong Rural connect and interests will be tasked upon undertaking training in building the digital infrastructure, rightfully skilling their employees, and suitably adjusting their culture will have a head start in such transformational times.  

As these are testing times for everyone, we are sure that ‘Together’ both as a leader and as a member we must collaborate to generate better output. Staying connected and being in touch with the employees and customers, getting real about what is happening will help us all ride the crisis. The culture will always be the strength and guiding factor to connect and communicate through newer, wiser - extended modes. Leadership, thereby, will be the one, driving confidence and inspiring employees to drive excellence and achieve customer satisfaction for the success and stability of the organisation.