'Leadership happens': Schaumburg business leaders discuss new realities in post-pandemic world

From remote working to quiet quitting, the new realities of business leadership in a post-pandemic world were addressed Tuesday before members of the Schaumburg Business Association by the founder of Schaumburg-based Lavelle Law.

With all deference to The Who and the British band's hit, "Won't Get Fooled Again," Kerry Lavelle said the new boss is no longer the same as the old boss.

The challenge in 2022 is to find the intersection of old school values, leadership expectations and the new style of mindful leadership, Lavelle told his audience at Chandler's Banquets in Schaumburg.

"Leadership happens," he said. "You have to know when to take the ball and run with it. It really is important that you take that lead when the opportunity arises."

What employees want - apart from pay - is recognition, communication, growth, trust, responsibility, respect, pride in the work, learning and achievement. While most bosses already know that, even the old truths need to be reinvigorated for these current times, Lavelle said.

Stating that even five-year-old textbook solutions may no longer work, he quoted former GE CEO Jack Welch who said, "Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be."

"You have to manage in today's environment," Lavelle emphasized. "It's not yesterday. Yesterday may come back, but you don't know."

Today's business leaders have to cultivate a sense of wellness and become a beacon of goodness, responsiveness and clarity, even in the toughest circumstances, he added.

Among the ways they can do this is by being curious and not judgmental about people, Lavelle said. But even a perfectly mindful leader can't solve all problems single-handedly, and employees must also be encouraged to participate in solutions.

He invoked the Buddhist parable of the pampered princess who wanted her entire kingdom to be carpeted so she could explore it, but was advised to wear sandals instead.

While the pandemic has shown that an office environment isn't always needed, Lavelle said he still finds it best to encourage spontaneous communication.

He criticized the effectiveness of multi-tasking and said athletes are a good model for working today - following intense concentration on completing a task.

Of all the things he was asked about, Lavelle said the current buzz phrase of "quiet quitting" refers to something that's likely the least new phenomenon in the workforce.

Quiet quitting is generally defined as working putting in the minimal effort at a job rather than resigning. Most of what Lavelle said he's read about it recently has tended to concentrate on young workers at the beginning of their careers. But he said it can be difficult to reengage people who weren't really engaged to begin with.

Effective leaders learn their blind spots, which are the areas they think of as strengths but aren't really good at, Lavelle said. But the No. 1 shortcoming of leaders is not leading by example, he added.

High-level leadership looks more like a plow horse than a show horse and is characterized by setting up one's successors for success, Lavelle said.

"Leadership is statistically successfully when the boss's leadership behaviors are obvious," he added.