A deck of essential truths to help leadership in a time of abrupt change and disruption by Nancy M. Picard, Ph.D., Managing Member, Picard LLC, former head of R & D, RHR International

1. Leadership Used
to Be One Thing.
What is
Leadership Now?
The first days
Nancy M. Picard, Ph.D.
March 2020

2. What is Leadership
Now
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NancyM.Picard,Ph.D.,PicardLLC,March2020
• The most important thing a leader
needs to keep in mind when there is
change, is that you are more powerful
now than before.
• The reason is that in a time of crisis,
people want guidance, and they feel
they need to act quickly.
• Therefore, your power resides not in
you alone, but in peoples’ willingness
to follow what you suggest they say
and do.

3. Leadership
Now is Calm3
NancyM.Picard,Ph.D.,PicardLLC,March2020
The first thing you need to do, is to calm
yourself. Most people react to tone before
words.
So, tone is critical.

4. Leadership Now Has 1 Goal
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NancyM.Picard,Ph.D.,PicardLLC,March2020
• Our Leadership Now Goal is to avoid distractions.
• What once was a normal daily routine has been disrupted.
• People look to leaders to tell them what to do, and also how to think about these disruptions in
their normal routines.

5. Now is the
time TO DO,
and NOT TO
DO
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NancyM.Picard,Ph.D.,PicardLLC,March2020
• We need calm, orderly thinking. This
type of thinking allows for good
decisions, so we always strive for telling
people two things:
• What to do
• What NOT to do

6. Leadership Now is
Balance
• Telling people what TO DO and NOT TO DO are
important messages.
• Telling people what TO DO helps people direct
their energy.
• Telling people what NOT TO DO helps them avoid
distractions.
• Without both messages, people may focus too
much on one set of expectations, creating
imbalance.
Nancy M. Picard, Ph.D., Picard LLC, March 2020 6

7. Leadership Now:
To Do
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NancyM.Picard,Ph.D.,PicardLLC,March2020
• Do show up as much as possible by
phone and, per your judgment, in
person. By phone and virtually now is
acceptable. People like to see their
leaders. Send images. Visuals are
important.
• Do tell people that you'll inform them
with what you know and when. If they
don't hear from you, you will reach out.
• Do set clear expectations - what you will
do, when you will do it.
• Do over-communicate. More than you
think is necessary. Hearing and seeing the
latest news, even if it's repeated, will
bring calm.

8. Leadership Now
NOT To Do
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NancyM.Picard,Ph.D.,PicardLLC,March2020
• Do not promise jobs or money or
employment stability… even when asked.
• People will ask you a version of - “Is my
job safe?” What you can say is, I do not
know if anyone's job is safe, and when
we know more, we will let you know.
• What you can say is, We are stronger
together. Let’s focus on what is at hand
to work toward a more certain future.
• Do not say you will do something, and then
find an excuse not to do it.
• But if you know in advance you have a
50/50 chance of doing something - do
not promise it as if you know 100%,
you’ll deliver.
• Do not extend yourself physically beyond
your capacity to think clearly - this will affect
your judgment when determining the
following:
• “What is going on here?”
• “Who is involved?”
• “How quickly do we need to decide?
• “What should we do?”
• “What’s likely to come next?”

9. Leadership Now Is A Job
To Be Done: Focus
• Your job, as a leader, is simple: keep the focus on
the business, say what you can say - and if you
can't say anything - show up and say, I don't know
any more at this time. But still, show up.
Nancy M. Picard, Ph.D., Picard LLC, March 2020 9

10. Leadership Now Reaches
Out Individually
• And finally, each situation is unique with each
person. People get triggered or upset by different
things.
• It’s important to both stay calm and keep your
messages simple.
• It is ok, and preferred, to reach out to individuals
who are really needing that 1:1 touch and ask,
"How is your partner/pet/friend/family member.."
by name. The personal touch is important.
Nancy M. Picard, Ph.D., Picard LLC, March 2020 10

11. People Will
Remember What
You Said & Did
Because they are vulnerable, people will
remember what you said and did these
next few months for the rest of their lives.
Nancy M. Picard, Ph.D., Picard LLC, March 2020 11

12. Leadership
Now Is…
Leadership.
• It's time to understand what
leadership is - calm, simple,
honest, communicative, and
trustworthy.
• Your goal is to remove
distractions, so that people
attend to the right
information to help them
communicate and
collaborate.
• When people calm their
minds to attend to what is
happening, it becomes
clearer when immediate
action is required.
• Leaders plan for what is
most likely to happen next,
and guide people past
distractions to prepare to
meet that challenge.
Nancy M. Picard, Ph.D., Picard LLC, March 2020 12

13. Nancy M. Picard, Ph.D.
• Feel free to distribute this slide deck as you
see fit.
• For further information, please contact:
• nancypicard@picardllc.com
Nancy M. Picard, Ph.D., Picard LLC, March 2020 13