The Heart of Resilient Leadership Responding to COVID-19

KUALA LUMPUR, 20 March 2020 - The rapid global spread of COVID-19 has quickly eclipsed other recent epidemics in both size and scope. In addition to the deadly human toll and the disruption to millions of lives, the economic damage is already significant and far-reaching.

With reports of our first two COVID-19 casualties yesterday and a total of 673 confirmed cases, Malaysia joined the likes of Italy, Denmark, France, Iran, Israel, Spain and many more countries, in the recently announced ‘Restriction of Movement Order’. The order which will be in effect till the end of March will restrict the travel of the people, closing down non-essential establishments, and strict social distancing.

“These are times where companies are expected to do their best in ensuring their employees are protected, the companies business risks are identified, and supply chain disruptions caused by the efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 are well managed, said Cheryl Khor, Deloitte’s Asia Pacific and Southeast Asia Operational Risk Leader. “What we’ve learned from the previous two epidemics is that immediate response to challenges and a steady cash flow in times like this, will help protect a company,” she added.

In the face of challenges and a yet uncertain set of risks, business leaders are rightly concerned about how their companies will be affected and what they have to do next. A resilient leader is defined by who they are, together with the 5 qualities they portray, and by what they do, along 3 lifecycle dimensions. Our experts suggest the specific actions resilient leaders can take within each dimension and across 6 business priorities.

In this latest findings, we also share a detailed look into the China case study, with learnings from leading companies in the Chinese market, as well as other regions. Learn specific steps that can help blunt the crisis’s impact—and enable your organisation to emerge stronger.

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