As the cases in Australia of Covid-19 reduce, Monash is transitioning back to campus. There are things that we already know: It is going to be a staggered process, that the student experience is going to be different, and our employees are facing unprecedented challenges. As leaders, we can help our employees with this transition.
We know that as managers, we are leading a workforce where some people are still working from home, whereas others will be in the office; We are leading in a sector that is under a cloud of uncertainty; And, We are leading in a community where the daily impacts of Covid-19 are still being felt.
Yet, under these circumstances, we are trying to do more, with less. We are attempting to motivate our employees to go above and beyond for our teams and our students, all the while striving to support our employees during this tough time.
As we are an educational institution, we should look at what the research says is the most effective way to lead a team to both support employees through times of crisis and still deliver the services we know our teams can.
Leadership research has become very clear over the past two decades. A compassionate approach to leadership, where leaders put the needs of their employees above their own and the organisation, is both good for employees and the organisation.