Transformational Leadership: Conclusions from the Panel DiscussionTransformational Leadership:
The question “Where were you on February 24, 2022?” has become a synchronization point. We start the discussion with this not to re-traumatize, but because it is our new reference point. For every individual and for organizations. The longer this period lasts, the more reflections transform into systematic decisions, instructions, and action algorithms.
Risk management and crisis management have become an integral part of transformational leadership today. That’s why we raised this topic in the last panel discussion of this program.
Andrew Rozhdestvensky invited to the discussion Sophia Opatska, Vice-Rector of UCU for Strategic Work and Founding Dean of UCU Business School, Roksolyana Voronovska, CEO of LvBS Consulting, and Dmytro Vasylchenko, CEO of ProSteer Group.
What conclusions have the leaders drawn about management in companies during the period of full-scale invasion?
1. A bad plan is better than no plan at all.
It’s important to have a plan, but you have to understand that things might not go according to it
Andrew Rozhdestvensky
2. Communication.
It’s important to stay in contact with everyone, because when a crisis comes, everyone tends to shut down and sever connections. Communication can sometimes save lives
Dmytro Vasylchenko
3. Crisis is a time of opportunity.
The international community is very supportive of Ukrainian businesses, so now it may even be easier to build partnerships than before. Don’t despair, maybe just look around more widely
Roksolyana Voronovska
4. Empathy.
We’ve already built the muscles of adaptability regarding infrastructural challenges. We’re not afraid of the absence of electricity, water, or heat; we store critical data in the cloud. The only thing that still shakes us as leaders is loss
Sophia Opatska
5. Centralization and decentralization.
In the spring of 2022, there was strict centralization, but later people emerged, and the responsibility for decision-making started being delegated locally. It’s impossible to decide what’s right for people in Kharkiv from the other side of the country. Every day, the owner and top management gathered anyone available for a 30-minute call to inform what was happening
Dmytro Vasylchenko
The participants concluded that centralization and decentralization are happening in parallel — on the one hand, leaders can’t control absolutely every process and must delegate tasks to ensure their completion, while on the other hand, there are still decisions that depend solely on the leader.
6. Team well-being.
Whose interests do I protect as a leader: shareholders or all stakeholders? If in the past, Western businesses measured efficiency indicators and marketing KPIs, now the well-being of the team is also considered. If it’s high, people will stay with us. It’s getting harder to find talented people, so this is crucial
Andrew Rozhdestvensky
We hope these conclusions will serve as useful recommendations for your leadership transformations, and we invite you to the Leadership Center’s programs at UCU, where you can build new management systems and develop your Leadership Character.
