Rachel McVinish, General Manager of Jeunesse Australasia, shares her insights into what it takes to be a great business leader during a time of global upheaval.
To say that 2020 has been a challenging year for a lot of people would be a huge understatement. With the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic came government enforced lockdowns, months of self-isolation and social distancing, and predictions of a global economic recession.
As a business leader in a global company trying to navigate these rapidly changing and uncertain circumstances, there are three leadership lessons that I believe have helped me to be achieve success: active listening, always focus on the big picture, and having a strong vision for the future.
Active listening is the art of listening deeply, whether it be to your team members, distributors or customers. It isn’t limited to just to the words they are saying but to the sub-text, anticipating their needs, wants and concerns. I believe it is the secret to successful leadership. In challenging times, with product and ingredients in short supply and distributors struggling to adapt to the new normal, we need to listen deeply, be audience-centric and ensure that every single decision we make is to support their needs in a virtual world. This approach means it is rare that we make the wrong decision. As a leader, leadership coaching, tells me that thousands of quick and strategic actions and decisions need to be made every day, and active listening leads me, even during the most difficult times.
My second insight into successful leadership is to always have the big picture in view. When it came to my career, I used to be ultra-focused on decisions or small things that had not gone exactly to plan, instead of focusing on the bigger picture. I was so hard on myself. Someone would disagree with something I’d said, I would take it to heart, and it would really affect the rest of my day. But in the end, I realised I can't control everyone else; I can only control my response. During a crisis such as a global pandemic when emotions are running high and people are experiencing increasing amounts of stress in their personal and professional lives, learning to be less reactive is more important than ever when it comes to great leadership.
My final insight is to have a strong vision - both for your own career and for the future of the company and the people that you are leading. During a period of upheaval, it is paramount that you trust your gut and put your best foot forward, leading by example to show that you have a strong and agile vision for your business to move through and beyond the pandemic. That’s what your employees, distributors and customers are relying on. As a female leader, I want to make an impact on my fellow female business leaders and entrepreneurs, by inspiring them and showing them what is possible for young career-driven women or those who are just starting out in the entrepreneurial space.
To say that 2020 has been a challenging year for a lot of people would be a huge understatement. With the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic came government enforced lockdowns, months of self-isolation and social distancing, and predictions of a global economic recession.
As a business leader in a global company trying to navigate these rapidly changing and uncertain circumstances, there are three leadership lessons that I believe have helped me to be achieve success: active listening, always focus on the big picture, and having a strong vision for the future.
Active listening is the art of listening deeply, whether it be to your team members, distributors or customers. It isn’t limited to just to the words they are saying but to the sub-text, anticipating their needs, wants and concerns. I believe it is the secret to successful leadership. In challenging times, with product and ingredients in short supply and distributors struggling to adapt to the new normal, we need to listen deeply, be audience-centric and ensure that every single decision we make is to support their needs in a virtual world. This approach means it is rare that we make the wrong decision. As a leader, leadership coaching, tells me that thousands of quick and strategic actions and decisions need to be made every day, and active listening leads me, even during the most difficult times.
My second insight into successful leadership is to always have the big picture in view. When it came to my career, I used to be ultra-focused on decisions or small things that had not gone exactly to plan, instead of focusing on the bigger picture. I was so hard on myself. Someone would disagree with something I’d said, I would take it to heart, and it would really affect the rest of my day. But in the end, I realised I can't control everyone else; I can only control my response. During a crisis such as a global pandemic when emotions are running high and people are experiencing increasing amounts of stress in their personal and professional lives, learning to be less reactive is more important than ever when it comes to great leadership.
My final insight is to have a strong vision - both for your own career and for the future of the company and the people that you are leading. During a period of upheaval, it is paramount that you trust your gut and put your best foot forward, leading by example to show that you have a strong and agile vision for your business to move through and beyond the pandemic. That’s what your employees, distributors and customers are relying on. As a female leader, I want to make an impact on my fellow female business leaders and entrepreneurs, by inspiring them and showing them what is possible for young career-driven women or those who are just starting out in the entrepreneurial space.
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