The turbulence and uncertainty of the past several years continued into 2022, impacting the workforce in unprecedented ways. It’s no secret that leaders have been challenged. Yet, a large part of being an effective leader is taking those challenges that will inevitably arise, unprecedented or not, and learning from them. It’s about having the ability to take measured responses when emotions are running high and the future path is unknown, which is even more common in our complex, ever-changing world.

The real question leaders should be asking is—What can we learn from the past twelve months, not only from our own experiences, but from the world around us? And how can we use what has transpired to help us lead better next year and into the future? To that end, we’ve put together five of the world’s most impactful events in 2022 and what we can learn from each.

 

Quiet Quitting 

The year began still heavily in the throes of the Great Resignation, where millions of employees left their jobs in search of something more. Then, by the summer, we began hearing less about this mass exodus and more about the Quiet Quitting Movement. This was a time where employees proudly demonstrated doing the bare minimum to keep their jobs—nothing more, nothing less. And regardless of the reasons on either side of the argument—leaders claiming these employees are being lazy versus employees claiming they are being taken advantage of, one of the things they have in common is the effect of leadership. In fact, one may begin to question if these impactful employee stances are merely the symptoms of a larger problem—toxic leadership.

The modern workplace demands more than an antiquated leadership model where employees are kept at a distance and told to keep their heads down and work hard until they themselves reach the upper echelons of the corporate ladder. Simply, it no longer works. Today, effective leaders must connect with their employees with more transparency and empathy. And unfortunately, most are failing at developing and maintaining these connections.

This disconnect is apparent. Take, for example, a recent Deloitte study showing that only 56% of employees believe leadership cares about their wellbeing, while 91% of leaders think employees know they care about their wellbeing. In 2023, more leaders may want to consider taking action to close that gap and establish true, authentic connections with their employees.

 

Crisis in Ukraine

In February of 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to turn down an offer from the United States of evacuation from the capital city, Kyiv. In President Zelensky’s statement, which would be broadcast and published around the world, he famously said, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”

From a leadership perspective, his actions, and specifically this statement, demonstrate that standing strongly alongside the people you lead comes above all else. There is perhaps no greater show of unity than what this statement portrays. Yet, how many leaders are only looking out for themselves today? Are they standing strong with their teams or hanging them out to dry? This reminder of true leadership may warrant another look at how we are leading our own teams each day.

 

Death of Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth reigned the United Kingdom for seventy years. There is, arguably, no better example of what a true leader looks and acts like than her. How she conducted herself in public for decades was unwavering and consistent. And, as any leader knows, consistency invokes trust and confidence. People need this when being led. They need to feel that they are being led by someone who is capable of doing so—someone who deserves their trust and respect. 

Queen Elizabeth also demonstrated a strong sense of values and vision for the country. If she was unwavering at all, she never let it show. By always portraying that confident appearance, and focusing on others, she put an entire country at ease. She drew them in with her full attention, despite the constant pull of distractions around her. That is how you make people feel heard and valued. And that is exactly how you make people want to follow you. But how many leaders do that today. If it’s not another person, it’s their phone or computer distracting them. Are we really giving our employees the attention they deserve?

 

Impending Recession

Unfortunately, financial uncertainty is nothing new. We saw it most recently when businesses around the world had to close their doors, some permanently, due to the pandemic. But we are once again facing an uncertain financial future as talks of a recession are occurring with increasing frequency among world leaders and CEOs. Each day, we are hearing about hiring freezes and more layoffs from some of the world’s largest companies. 

While most leaders may be taking this information and crunching the company’s numbers to predict how a recession will impact the bottom line, more need to look at what this uncertainty is doing to their team. Taking care of them means more than a paycheck today. Leaders must possess a greater understanding of their needs and their own financial uncertainty. They must take a more human-focused approach to leadership, including mental health and wellness initiatives, especially during times of unpredictability and extreme stress.

 

Elon Musk Purchases Twitter

Known for being unconventional in his approach to business in the past, Musk’s recent actions involving his purchase of the social media platform push conventionality to new levels. It’s not often someone would purchase a company (let alone for $44 billion) and immediately terminate most of the leadership team—who theoretically had a large part in making the company so valuable in the first place.

As if that wasn’t a big enough blow to a conventional business approach, in another unprecedented move, Musk then surveyed Twitter users about whether he should stay on as CEO. Although it is too soon to tell how his unconventional ways will impact the company and/or his leadership of it, there is a leadership lesson here. Sometimes, we need to think outside of the box. Sometimes, it is time to do away with the old ways of doing things to make room for innovation and creativity. Maybe not to the extent of this case, but still, it shows we don’t have to always stay in a certain box and continue along a certain path because history demands we do so. 

 

As we wrap up another year and look optimistically to the next, it’s important to remember that leadership lessons surround us daily, even in ways we may readily imagine. Look for them. Listen to them. And determine how you can use them to improve your own leadership style. This is how we truly evolve as leaders.

At The Win Woman, we focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance strategic development and policies for organizations of all sizes and funding opportunities for nonprofits. We work with boards and C-Suite executives to help develop the right solutions for their specific situation in their specific industry. For more information, please contact us. 

 

Until next time, keep Building Your BADASSERY!