As a mother who is currently searching for her next career move, I have been taking the Social Media Marketing Specialization at Coursera and Northwestern University – because a pandemic is the perfect time to learn a new skill.  While doing some recent research on how women handle a crisis, I came upon two articles, one highlighting how women react in a crisis and one highlighting how one woman has reacted during the pandemic.

In the first article, The Power of Women Leadership in Times of Crisis, by Angela Kambouris on She Owns It, she discusses how female leaders can be smart, compassionate, empathetic and kind in their leadership.  These qualities become key traits when dealing with a crisis, because it is shown that leaders who possess these qualities perform better and they keep their employees productive, loyal and engaged.  The downside is that female leaders, such as Michelle Obama, sometimes face harsh criticism, hurtful comments and in the former First Lady’s case, racial bias.

The second article, Reflecting on Change and Connection During the COVID-19 Era, by Kelly Johnson on the blog Cupcakes and Cashmere, highlights how lonely and isolating working from home, in this unmatched crisis, for six months {at the time of her writing} has been for her.  In her article, she comes off as smart, compassionate, empathetic and kind, but she is also single and lives alone during the pandemic.  She takes an honest approach in talking about how difficult the isolation has been for her and how much she truly craves human connection.

Based on the information in these two articles, and my experience as a female leader in the workplace, I have found that these three qualities in female leadership will help you go above and beyond in times of crisis:

• Have Empathy – Especially during the COVID-19 crisis, I think it’s imperative that we have empathy for each other.
• Stay Still – Sometimes the best plan of attack during a crisis is to take a moment and stay still, listen to your gut and act positively instead of reactively.
• Find the Joy – Even during a crisis there is usually something to be grateful for, so look for the joy in the situation.

As we’ve learned this year, life can change in a moment, and there’s no time like the present to learn about ourselves and practice these three qualities when dealing with COVID-19, or any other crisis that may come your way.

 

 

Angela is a freelance writer and public relations specialist.  She loves coffee almost as much as wine, and spends her days filling her 13-year-old daughter’s head with 1970’s and 80’s pop culture.   Find her on Twitter or Instagram since she also loves social media.