Aug 31, 2022 in Business Coaching

Today’s executives must manage crises they never expected

The past few years drastically rewrote the job descriptions of mid- to high-level managers at multinational firms.

“This is not what I signed up for when I was promoted,” the China Regional President of a German machinery manufacturing firm told me. “In theory, I am doing the same strategic job as a few years ago. In practice, I juggle constant crises and firefighting.” He isn’t alone. The past few years drastically rewrote the job descriptions of mid- to high-level managers and executives at multinational firms. It’s not that their job requirements changed, or their targets, or their performance indicators, or their methods—those remained that same. That is exactly the problem, because the business environment where they operate has changed fundamentally, and probably forever.

Most managers today were selected, trained and prepared for a sunnier world of steady growth and deepening cooperation between continents and cultures. Many executives I coach painstakingly try to implement strategies, plans and targets created in pre-pandemic times. If that is not enough, they must work faster and more flexibly than previously, because crises create volatility. The firm still expects them to reduce waste, preserve market shares, increase sales, hire, retain, engage and motivate people. When they realise the futility of their previous methods in a new era, they ask me how to become resilient, crisis-proof leaders. There are, however, two important problems with the question itself.

A shift from relationships to control: How can leaders get things done assertively without damaging the trust that took years, sometimes decades to develop with colleagues, clients, prospects, suppliers, government officials and more? A typical question: "How can I create a sense of urgency without panic?"

A shift from a local to a global mindset: As investment, assets and people escape from high-pressure locations to more promising pastures, how can leaders with deep familiarity and connections in one place adapt to another? A typical question: "Will headquarters, regional centres and local branches ever agree on what to do next?" To keep our focus on practical applications in daily leadership work, I will illustrate problems and solutions on two main case studies: adapting to China’s ‘zero-COVID’ policy and disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine. Of course, comments and requests will help us widen our scope to other unexpected situations in the world that force leaders to become more comfortable with crisis-time leadership. Trust me, this skillset is something we shall need for quite a few years to come.

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