What will leadership look like post COVID-19

Future of Leadership 2021 and beyond

As the roads get busier and the world slowly returns to normality business owners, leaders, managers and employees are going to face change, to some extent. We’ve all got used to working from home, with Zoom calls and unscripted dogs barking, doorbells ringing and homeschooling becoming routine. Returning to the place we call an ‘office’ has its challenges, especially for business leaders who have got accustomed to managing their employees remotely.

Changing the “Status Quo”

For businesses to be successful, leaders and managers will need to think and behave differently whilst taking with them all the important skills gained whilst operating remotely. Skills and behaviours like Trust, Accountability and Flexibility shouldn’t be brushed aside and will play an important part in helping businesses to transform post-COVID. It will test the character and behaviours of leaders and managers as they aim to find the balance between applying the skills they’ve learnt, and their previous “status quo” mindset of what they’ve always done.

Leadership Attributes

According to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), the core attributes that managers will have to work on as they return back to the office are;

Building trust
Constant empathetic communication
Awesome listening skills
Being open to diverse perspectives
Creating a sense of belonging

Being able to transition and apply the core attributes will enable business leaders to change their business direction and improve the culture of their company. Moreover, applying a leader-leader model gives everyone accountability no matter what their role is. This allows leaders to re-focus efforts on more meaningful tasks whilst trusting the team to decide on how best to get the job done.

The leader-leader model

The leader-leader model is something that managers should consider adopting as businesses shift into the new era to help their team feel trusted to make decisions independently. Not only will this improve the flexibility of the business by giving back control, but it will also increase cohesion and empowerment within the team.

Adapting to the new normal will require managers to apply the skills they’ve acquired during lockdown and implement them in the new era of working life. If not, businesses that stay stagnant will become the victims of their own lack of vision.

CMI Leadership Courses

As an accredited study centre for the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) we are able to deliver the leadership and management award, certificate or diploma qualification at the following levels:

CMI Coaching & Mentoring Courses

The Coaching and Mentoring courses are designed for supervisors, first-line managers and middle managers to support the development of coaching and mentoring skills and techniques of individuals and teams, alongside working to achieve business goals.

CMI Leadership Apprenticeships

Choosing a Leadership Apprenticeship means you will work towards your CMI diploma qualification alongside your apprenticeship. This is a highly regarded qualification in the industry. All our apprenticeships provide added value and the CMI qualification comes at no extra cost to the apprentice or employer.

Level 3 Team Leader / Supervisor + CMI Level 3 Diploma in Principles of Management & Leadership
Level 5 Operations / Departmental Manager + CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management & Leadership

We work with businesses across the region to deliver business improvement through training and skills development. Our ‘Plan. Do. Crack On’ ethos is adopted by all our expert tutors who are industry specialists in their own right.

If you’re looking to gain a CMI Leadership qualification or an accredited Leadership apprenticeship, get in touch with us via email; info@whyychange.com or give us a ring on 0114 400 0077 and we’ll be more than happy to help support you or your business.