The Role of Leadership In the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis

Abstract The concept of leadership has been evolving for ages. Today, leadership focuses on the behaviour of leaders during organizational change and processes related to creating a vision for the future, as well as involving employees in undergoing transformations. Thus, leadership development is a key factor in the success of modern businesses. The twenty-first-century leader must analyse a rapidly changing reality, respond to unexpected events and recognize the benefits they generate. He or she should be characterized not only by flexibility but also by empathy towards his or her employees, provide safe working conditions and build solidarity within a team. The article presents the concept and definition of leadership, which are evolving when an organization’s environment changes. The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the role of a strong leader has become more important. The pandemic has become a test for leaders around the world. The aim of the discussion is to answer the question about leadership competencies during and after the crisis and explain how organizations should support the leaders of today’s organizations to ensure their market success in the event of future crises. The paper examines the role of leadership in business management, taking into account the challenges and problems caused by COVID-19. The study aims to answer questions about similarities and differences in work organization during the pandemic, to diagnose problems in managing a company in a situation of security threat to employees and an organization, and to compare the behaviour of leaders in managing teams of employees. It concludes by proposing solutions for leaders in the event of future crises.