(Remember, I write this blog from the perspective of giving you suggestions for strengthening your leadership. I do not write this from a political or a medical perspective.)

In a previous blog about the leader being the Chief Unifying Officer, I mentioned that one job of a leader is to create an environment which allows your team members to contribute their talents while complementing the talents of others.

Like every other issue during these times, wearing a mask is divisive.  You will have roughly 40% of your team members insist that everyone wear a mask, roughly 40% who do not believe it is necessary to wear a mask, and 20% who are indifferent.   Hmmmmmm.   So what is a leader to do when developing a “Mask Wearing” policy?

General Considerations

First, remember that people are watching you.  They are watching what you say, how you are listening, and how you are behaving.  How you approach this decision will be just as important as the decision you make.

Second, one of your objectives should be to create an environment in which everyone can work as effectively as possible. Similar to aligning and organizing your team members to get the most accomplished, you want to remove as many distractions and outside issues as you can to allow people to do their work. If you have people who are nervous about those not wearing masks, then you need to consider the cost benefit of not doing so (and vice-versa).

Specific Considerations

When developing your organization’s mask wearing policy, consider the following:

  • The science.  What are the facts about wearing a mask versus not wearing a mask?  Many people will refer to the CDC for this information, so at a minimum, you should familiarize yourself with its recommendation(s).
  • Your employees’ concerns.  What are they concerned about?  One example may be that they are in an “at-risk” category or have “at-risk” family members at home.  Before finalizing a policy about wearing masks, you should understand their concerns by asking them.
  • The business’s need.  Would your operations be impacted by requiring employees to wear masks?   Would it be more impacted by not requiring masks and having people distracted by anxiety?
  • Creating the most comfort among your team members while moving the business forward.  Which would be less disruptive to the entire group?
  • Your willingness to support the policy by modeling its behavior.  Your behavior will become an effective enforcement mechanism because many people will follow your lead.

Communicating the Policy

This may actually be more important than the policy itself.  Your team members will want to know that the new policy was created with input, sincerity, consideration and concern.  You should communicate the new policy verbally, in writing and then through your actions.  When announcing the policy, you should explain the decision making process you undertook to develop this policy, the reason for the specific policy and how long the policy will be in force.  Be sure to allow for Q&A.

There will be those who will disagree with the policy.  Your goal isn’t to get them to agree with the policy; your goal is to have them adhere to the policy so that all of your employees can focus on their jobs.

“In regards to strengthening your leadership, do not let this crisis go to waste. Even something as simple as developing a mask policy can strengthen your leadership.” – Michael