A new strategic leadership model for surviving and coping: Lessons from Canada’s leadership approach to COVID-19

Abstract

In order to improve leadership effectiveness, it is critical to highlight leadership approaches and practices that contribute to improving situations of uncertainty and instability. This paper investigates and reviews Canada’s leadership at the federal level during the COVID-19 pandemic to propose a new leadership model that explains what leadership looks like and how it can make a difference in a time dominated by uncertainty and instability. The primary benefit of this new model is identifying leadership practices for coping and surviving unpredicted crises through four stages: Gathering, Protecting, Challenging, and Integrating. This novel focus on the specific situation of the COVID-19 crisis has important implications for leadership effectiveness and development.

Keywords

• canada’s government
• covid-19
• leadership practices
• leadership approaches