Under normal circumstances, many consumers look to marketers and influencers to provide guidance through social, economic, and social challenges. As a marketing leader, your success in delivering these services depends on how you handle the basics. For instance, how do you communicate internally with your own people? Does every member of the team understand what’s expected of them as they interact with customers and suppliers?

These are some of the questions that every business leader ought to ask themselves every time. The basic skills addressed in the questions have proven to be quite critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every company was caught off guard by this crisis, but not all of them were able to come out the other end of the tunnel successfully. Of course, the pandemic is, still, on, but some organizations and countries have already figured out how to handle the situation.

So, what makes one capable of leading their business through this crisis? Here are three tips on effective marketing leadership to help you best navigate this pandemic.
 

• Prioritize Self-Care and The Team’s Safety

One of the most important factors that agencies consider as they try and find the best leadership talent is how you uphold your safety and that of your employees. As you already know, COVID-19 spreads through droplets or contact with infected areas. As such, it’s paramount that you and your team adhere to the health and safety protocols put forth to curb the spread of this deadly virus. Being a leader doesn’t prevent you from feeling what every other human being feels. In fact, you’re subjected to even more stress because of the responsibilities put on your shoulders. Therefore, it’s important that you get enough rest every day as a way of enhancing your personal health. In the same breath, ensure that every employee is given a few hours of a break so as to increase their productivity. Remember, some of them are stressed by the conditions back at home, and a few hours or days off work will be quite helpful.
 

• Involve Your Team in Decision-Making

This is not the time to show the rest of the world that you’re a hero. In fact, no leader can be heroic without the help of their team. So, before you make any decision, no matter how small it is, make sure you consult your colleagues. Meet with various experts who specialize in handling that particular issue and let them share their opinions. Teamwork improves the overall performance and productivity of your workers by showing that everyone’s opinions matter. Within the past few months, there have been some cases wherein managers decided to act according to their personal beliefs or understanding. For instance, if you’re not convinced about the grave impacts of the current virus, that doesn’t mean that the rest of your employees should risk their lives because of your personal beliefs. In such a case, it’s always recommended that you follow healthcare directives from the relevant authorities.
 

• Perfect Your Communication Skills

One of the most important skills to have as a leader is communication. You can have a well-oiled team with all sorts of expertise, but without the right communication skills, you’ll end up failing. A great leader must be able to relay information to their juniors in the right way so as to avoid any misinterpretation. Remember, this entails the content being passed, your tonal variations, and body language. At this time of crisis, most employees are stressed out and can be easily offended by your words. Therefore, ensure you choose the right phrases at the right moments. Also, use the right channels to pass important information, especially now that some of the workers are operating remotely through cloud computing. Choosing the right media of communication is a basic skill for any leader. For instance, you can’t use social platforms to relay crucial company data.

Source: Business 2 Community