The past several months have presented leaders with a wide array of unexpected challenges that few of us anticipated we’d have to collectively address. Without question, one of the few shining examples of exceptional leadership we’ve seen during this unprecedented time has been New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Thanks to her leadership and guidance, her country has been successful in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic with an almost complete elimination of COVID-19 cases and a safe resumption of normal activities.
An interesting aspect of Prime Minister Ardern’s leadership is how it reveals a critical factor to getting those you serve to embrace a major change initiative, particularly one that will disrupt how and what they work on. Namely, how leaders need to ensure all their employees feel a sense of belonging if they are to embrace the changes you want to put forth.
With this in mind, here are three lessons we can learn from Ardern’s approach to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic in her country and the connection it reveals between successfully driving change and promoting a sense of belonging amongst your employees.
1. Communicate a shared ownership over the outcome and future successes
“The Government will do all it can to protect you. Now I’m asking you to do everything you can to protect us all. None of us can do this alone. Your actions will be critical to our collective ability to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
– Jacinda Ardern
One of the critical factors behind Ardern’s success at getting New Zealanders’ on board with her plans to fight COVID-19 was creating a vision of shared ownership in that fight through a platform she created called “Unite against COVID-19”. The messaging she created through this platform was clear – that this fight was in the hands of every New Zealander and that any success would be dependent on each person doing their part to make this plan work.
Similarly, to get people to be invested in your shared purpose, your vision, or your long term goals, you have to empower your employees to share ownership in the outcome of their collective efforts. You need people to care if they are going to not only accept the changes you propose, but to not let any setbacks or restrictions impede their drive to see those collective efforts through to the end.
Of course, as important as it is to communicate shared ownership over the outcome, it’s equally important that this is also reflected in whatever future successes your organization attains.
That this success is a result of what we did, of how we rallied together and put our concerns, fears, and ambivalence aside to ensure we made that vision or long term goal a reality.
2. Offer clear expectations about what you’ll do and what you expect others to do
“I know people will want to act as enforcers. And I understand that, people are afraid and anxious. We will play that role for you. What we need from you is to support one another.”
– Jacinda Ardern
Early on, Ardern created a clear expectation that she would defer to medical experts, scientists, and business leaders as to what would be the best approach to stop the spread of COVID-19 while minimizing damage to their collective economic well-being. At the same time, she made it clear what she was expecting her fellow citizens to do to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in their country.
Now with most if not all of your employees working from home, it’s easy for leaders to fall into the habit of overly relying on those within their inner circle for guidance and insights, and not actively seeking out employees who are directly implicated at various stages of your change initiative.
That’s why from the very beginning of your change initiative, you need to set clear expectations of what your employees should expect from you, of who you will be relying on and conferring with as things progress, as well as what you expect from them both at the start and as the situation evolves.
It’s also important that you remind your employees of the importance of looking out for one another for those opportunities where they can support one another. Remind them of how their efforts are connected, especially as it’s not as obvious now that they’re working remotely. Encouraging that sense of belonging will both reduce those feelings of isolation as well as encourage stronger commitment to the changes being put forth.
3. Be present to let your employees know you understand what they’re going through
“I do not underestimate what I am asking New Zealanders to do. It’s huge. And I know it will feel daunting. What we need from you, is to support one another. We will get through this together, but only if we stick together.”
– Jacinda Ardern
Probably one of the most impressive skills Ardern has demonstrated is her ability to show up and be present. Of the ease with which she demonstrates to those under her care that she’s just like them and consequently, very much aware of what’s she’s asking of them, and the worries and concerns it can create.
Perhaps the best example of this was how Ardern held a livestream the night before her country went into a four week lockdown to “check in with everyone as we all prepare to hunker down for a few weeks.”
At one point, she even apologized for her “casual attire” stating how “it can be a messy business putting toddlers to bed.” The simplicity and understated nature of this livestream conversation from her home sent a clear message to those under her care – I understand what you’re going through because I’m right there with you.
Now this doesn’t mean you should be showing up to your Zoom calls in your pyjamas. Instead, this is about sharing your humanity with those you lead, and encouraging your employees to do the same.
Show them you hear and understand the realities they’re facing. Of the joys and frustrations that come from working from home. And share your own frustrations and joyful moments. After all, what better way is there for us to feel like we are all in this together than to remind people of the things we share in common, especially when you have to inspire people to embrace the changes you want to put forth.
Now granted, this list is not a thorough description of the various things that made Prime Minister Ardern so successful in helping her country beat COVID-19, not to mention earning accolades both at home and abroad for her empathetic and resolute leadership.
But through these three lessons, we gain fresh insights into an often overlooked critical element to ensuring your change initiative succeeds:
As much as we need to know that our work matters, we also need to feel like we belong. That we are a part of something that’s bigger than ourselves. [Share on Twitter]
And if ever there was a moment in time where leaders need to be communicating this message, now is certainly the time we need them to do so.