How COVID-19 Is Testing My Leadership Skills and What It Is Teaching Me Along the Way – a Weekly Update (Week Three)

Last week, I talked about some of the inspiring ways our customers are tackling the challenge of coronavirus and strategies Calabrio is using to aid our customer network. Staying positive can be difficult now, and that’s why sharing positive stories from our network is so important.

As leaders, our role is to help our people understand what is going on—with our company, our employees and partners, and within our communities. My feeling is that right now, we cannot just nurture communication; we need to focus on overcommunication.

In our own efforts to be as communicative as possible, Calabrio’s leadership team has identified three areas that are making a difference in our organisation. You can read our communication practises and strategies in full on TMCnet, but here’s a quick summary.

Highly Visible Feedback

It has become even more apparent during the pandemic that leadership needs to show up for our teams in a highly visible way. It is equally important as other leadership traits such as empathy and inclusivity. Leaders must look at all the areas where they can offer this visible support, and its frequency.

Full-volume Flexibility

We have to be vocal in letting people know we understand that many currently have circumstances impacting their work and that it is ok to do things differently. The typical “9 to 5” is out the window and we do not want to nurture feelings of guilt or cause people to burn out or have to choose work versus family.

Lighten Up and Have a Little Fun

No one is saying that the COVID-19 pandemic should be taken lightly. But our employees need an outlet. Sometimes they need to laugh; they need to share stories about the chaos of their new home life; they need to be creative and competitive, such as with our recent steps challenge. Leaders need to encourage this fun, and participate.

At Calabrio, we are overcommunicating, because anything less is under-communicating right now. I hope some of these thoughts and actions will inspire other leaders to do the same. Read our communication practises in full on TMCnet.

Tom Goodmanson

Tom Goodmanson, President and CEO of Calabrio, has more than 20 years of experience leading fast growing dynamic software and technology companies. Since assuming the CEO position in 2009, Tom is credited with reinventing the company and its culture around a strategy to expand value and reach through new, innovative products, and remarkable customer experiences. Addressing the market need for simpler solutions to complex customer interaction challenges, Tom’s vision to redefine the standard for software ease-of-use has been instrumental in making Calabrio one of the fastest growing companies in the industry.