The last year has been extremely challenging for everyone, both personally and professionally. It has been more vital than ever to have confident, successful leaders in your company, that can successfully adapt to any situation and offer essential support to their team members during difficult and stressful events. Here are some important leadership lessons from the pandemic.

Be flexible and prepared.

Flexibility has revealed itself as one of the most essential qualities of any leader during the pandemic. Many businesses were forced to completely change how they served their customers, moving to virtual or contactless services. Managers had to make decisions quickly about how to best distribute work among employees and accommodate the precarious situations many people faced. Leaders have demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt effectively to rapidly shifting circumstances. In the future, leaders can be assisted in acclimating to changing norms by creating plans for different significant events that are likely to occur, such as natural disasters or political unrest.

Be empathetic

The pandemic is fundamentally a human crisis, and it became more apparent than ever that one of the most vital skills a leader can have is compassion and empathy. Many employees experienced traumatic or uncertain circumstances during the crisis; good leaders responded to these catastrophes with understanding and accommodation. Empathy is critical to building trust and loyalty among team members in a business environment, and everyone in a position of power should remember to always lead with kindness.

Communicate

One of the biggest challenges of remote work has been communication. The best leaders made sure that, despite the obstacles that physical distance creates, they were constantly communicating with their team members to make sure that everyone was both safe and productive. It is easy for instructions and communications to be misconstrued when everyone is working in a different place. Good leaders over-communicate so that everyone is aware of expectations and protocols, and no one feels unsupported.

Good leaders are who people look to during a crisis to set an example, and the best of them repay that regard by leading in an exemplary manner. They remember that the most crucial part of any business is the people who work for it and that creating a culture of trust and support in the workplace is vital to helping those people.

This article was originally published on richardsimonchicago.com.