EADERSHIP IN THE TIMES OF COVID-19 by Deloitte study. The rapid and unprecedented spread of COVID-19 has quickly eclipsed other epidemics, both in size and scope. In addition to the deadly human toll and disruption to millions of lives, the economic damage is significant and far reaching. It is appropriate to use this phrase Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) now. Leadership Dilemmas.The current situation pose an enormous challenge for leaders across the world. The uncertainty embedded in this situation makes the ‘leadership challenge’ even more complex. Today, leaders face innumerable ‘leadership dilemmas’ and conflicting demands, and most of these do not have a simple binary answer. Considering opposing perspectives is vital, especially in a situation where both the perspectives seem logical, it almost is like a game that cannot be won. In shor t, leadership demands are of an unprecedented nature. The world of COVID is like a microcosm within the larger ecosystem, which has allowed us to observe presence of leadership with sharp clarity. Leadership in action and the impact that the presence or absence of leadership in situations like these can make are clearly visible. The Deloitte paper ‘The heart of resilient leadership Responding to COVID-19’1 highlights practical insights from leaders around the world and provides valuable guidance for leadership teams around appropriate actions they can consider during this crisis. We attempt to distil leadership lessons from our observations. When juxtaposed with years of Deloitte research on leadership, we find that these lessons further reaffirm the leadership model. The ultimate goal is to strengthen individual and business leadership through effective leadership lessons. Based on the evidence so far, we have seen five fundamental themes of resilient leadership1 during the COVID-19 crisis that constitute successful leadership behaviours. We recognize that companies are in different phases of dealing with the outbreak, and therefore the impacts vary by geography and sector. But regardless of the extent of the virus’s impact on an organization, we believe there are five fundamental qualities of resilient leadership that distinguish successful CEOs as they guide their enterprises through the Covid-19 crisis: In crisis, the hardest things can be the softest things. Resilient leaders are genuinely, sincerely empathetic, walking compassionately in the shoes of employees, customers, and their broader ecosystems. Yet resilient leaders must simultaneously take a hard, rational line to protect financial performance from the invariable softness that accompanies such disruptions. Resilient leaders are skilled at triage, able to stabilize their organizations to meet the crisis at hand while finding opportunities amid difficult constraints. Resilient leaders take decisive action—with courage— based on imperfect information, knowing that expediency is essential. Resilient leaders seize the narrative at the outset, being transparent about current realities—including what they don’t know—while also painting a compelling picture of the future that inspires others to persever Resilient leaders stay focused on the horizon, anticipating the new business models that are likely to emerge and sparking the innovations that will define tomorrow. We believe that a typical crisis plays out over three time frames: respond, in which a company deals with the present situation and manages continuity; recover, during which a company learns and emerges stronger; and thrive, where the company prepares for and shapes the “next normal.” CEOs have the substantial and added responsibility to nimbly consider all three time frames concurrently and allocate resources accordingly. Within the framework of these broad imperatives, resilient leaders can take specific tactical steps to elevate these qualities during the current crisis, blunting its impact and helping their organizations emerge stronger. With the right approach, this crisis can become an opportunity to move forward and create even more value and positive societal impact, rather than just bounce back to the status quo. “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” – Martin Luther King Jr. Answer the following questions from the above case study b.which type of leader do you think is appropriate in the above case study? transformational or transactional leadership? justify why?