CSA Exclusive: Korn Ferry talks about leading teams in a ‘new normal’

Efficiently managing teams in an evolving, unpredictable landscape is more important than ever. It also can be a challenge.

The pandemic has forced leaders to oversee their teams remotely, yet traditional leadership skills are falling short when it comes to sustaining workforce morale, communication and productivity. Agile, transparent and forward-thinking leaders are crucial when driving team engagement and success in this “new normal.” However, the only way leaders can achieve this goal is to break out of their comfort zone and adopt new management styles.

That’s according to organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry, whose senior client partner, Craig Rowley, and principal Morgan Stroble talked with Chain Store Age about how retailers need to rethink their leadership and engagement strategies if they want to create more inclusive and productive work environments. (Rowley and Stroble will dive deeper into how to efficiently lead teams amid an unpredictable “new normal” at Chain Store Age’s X/SPECS conference, Nov. 17-18. Click here to register.)

What are the biggest challenges that companies are facing while managing their teams in such a fluid landscape?
Remote workforces make it difficult to stay connected, and support and manage two-way communications. This not only encompasses work-related discussions, but informal, “water cooler conversations” as well. Meanwhile, a lack of predictability across companies and the economy also impacts how managers efficiently communicate business needs to their teams.  

How are these issues impacting traditional leadership styles?
Moving forward, leaders need to be less directive and more participative. This means they need to carve out time to interact with employees on an informal basis, as well as adopt more teleconferencing technology, like Zoom. 

The key is to make sure people are informed about what is going on in their organization — and it’s OK to not have all the answers.

What new management strategies should leaders consider adopting — and why?
There is a current shift from pacesetting and directive styles, which essentially focus on “telling people what to do,” to more coaching, affiliative and participatory styles. These new approaches require executives to spend more time listening to and engaging employees, and actively taking into consideration employees’ viewpoints and needs. Leaders also need to respond to their employees — to show them that they are listening and acting on their needs. 

Is this an easy transition to make?
This is actually a very difficult transition. Retail leaders have spent their career in pacesetting and directive styles, and they have been successful. 

It will take a conscious effort to understand — and practice — the more employee-involved styles, and that is not easy. For those struggling to make the change, we provide leaders with assessments and coaching.  

Will the industry be able to go back to those former leadership styles when this current situation is over — and should we?
Absolutely not, and there are two reasons why. Millennials and Gen Z want these new leadership styles and work more effectively under them. 

Additionally, the industry is going to look different after the pandemic, and there will be a greater need to quickly share decisions with those associates who have the most customer contact.  The old controlling style of leadership will not move fast enough to be successful in the future. 

What is the most important way to drive employee morale going forward?
That’s easy: communication, communication, communication!  Employees want — and need — to know what is going on. Without communication, typically they will assume the worst.

Employees will need guidance of where to best direct their efforts in a rapidly changing environment. Open lines of communication will be a must for driving success.