SOFT SKILLS TO BATTLE A TOUGH ENEMY
effectiveness. Similarly, in his 1993 article “Transformational Leadership and Organizational Culture,” Bass emphasized that such leaders “align others around the vision and empower others to take greater responsibility for achieving the vision … they foster a culture of creative change and growth … they take personal responsibility for the development of their followers.”
I believe that our leaders challenged everything about the situ- ation we found ourselves in, but they did it in a way that pulled everyone together, not by force but by commitment.
Ivan T. Robertson and Cary Cooper, in their 2011 book, “Well- Being: Productivity and Happiness at Work,” demonstrate that such employee commitment was associated with three elements: work-life balance, well-being and work values that in recent years have become mainstream affecting organizational effectiveness. It was a volunteering effort to support the organization and improve the outcomes. Had we had less capable leaders during these unprecedented times, we probably would be seeing increased numbers in organizational discontinuity. When leaders do not act quickly and effectively, companies are likely not to survive sudden crises. Richard Foster and Sarah Kaplan, in their 2001 book, “Creative Destruction,” said that organizational disconti- nuity happens when companies lose control of present operations during unprecedented waves of creative destruction, while losing
Army leaders have shown increased respect for human dignity and safety by implementing strategies that calm emotions and eliminated anxieties associated with depression and poor mental health.
132 Army AL&T Magazine Winter 2021
their presence in the market. COVID-19 certainly was unprec- edented and silently destroyed many companies.
Would it have made a difference if we’d had a warning? I believe that we had a warning, but the pandemic would still run its course, forcing waves of creative destruction on organizations across the country. At the end, emotionally intelligent leaders pulled through.
MENTAL HYGIENE Finally, “code-switching” became an important part of the adjust- ment. We went from jackets and ties to polo shirts in our virtual meetings with leaders. Being with the family also took on a new meaning last year. For many, COVID-19 gave us a new apprecia- tion for one another and for our families. We realized how much we need each other. At JPEO A&A, leaders took on initiatives to implement virtual get-togethers, monthly virtual town halls and value-added trainings and programs.
Tere is implicit sympathy we share with no words required. Tat sympathy needs to be nurtured to produce organizational and personal fruits. Michael L. and Katherine P. Stallard in their 2020 Government Executive article, “COVID-19 Is Coinciding With a Loneliness Epidemic,” stressed that “collectively, we understand the goodness of ‘flattening the curve.’ Each of us must do our part to slow the spread of the virus and COVID-19, the disease it causes. But it is not the only epidemic we are facing right now. Te requirement to separate ourselves from others comes at a time when America and many other nations are in the midst of an epidemic of loneliness whose antidote is greater positive social connection.”
To combat this new sub-enemy, leaders such as JPEO A&A’s Curran, the chief of staff, implemented monthly virtual meet- ings to give us the opportunity to interact, see each other, and boost social connection. Tis was significant because stressors such as social distancing increased vulnerability to other stress- ors, e.g., loneliness. By having these monthly town halls and communicating the current situation to the workforce, leaders boosted positive emotions and willpower. Te long-term effects of such initiatives could possibly be responsible for an even more reduced depression rate.
A study published in Te Lancet last March, “Te psycholog- ical impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: rapid review of evidence,” delivered evidence showing that quarantined indi- viduals experienced irritability, insomnia, poor concentration, deteriorating work performance and reduced work concentration.
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