Abstract

There is pressure on organizations in these times of crisis to undergo change for them to survive. Copying with complexities is more of a management role but coping with change is more of leadership. The nature of work has been changed due to the COVID-19 epidemic. With everyone still anxiously looking forward to returning to normal working environment, organizations need to tailor their leadership team from dealing with crisis to promoting authentic and transformational leadership. The work environment will never be the same as before especially after prolonged quarantines, remote working online or working from restricted places. Most people have suffered a lot of uncertainty, anxiety, depression, isolation etc. associated to this prolonged period of the epidemic. While many are contemplating on how the new normal will be like after this historical epidemic, we need leaders who are empathetic, flexible, and adaptable to keep workers united, engaged, motivated and cohesive. 
With this major step change that has occurred in the whole world since the outbreak of the corona virus in December 2019, we need leaders who are change champions who will help organizations create clear visions, be able to align organizations to deliver the formulated strategies towards change and be able to embed the change into organizational culture and procedures. 
This article will review literature on leadership, emotional intelligence, and change management and company performance with more emphasis on leadership qualities during this transition time. This article presents the role emotional intelligence plays in times of crisis and why it’s an essential quality for leaders to drive change, it will also elaborate what kind of leaders we need in this era and what they possess for them to lead organizations during the valley of despair like this one. It will also show a clear benefit of having leaders who are change champions and the role of change management in the turbulent times like this one. We need strategic leaders to deal with this strategic change the world is experiencing. This journey of leadership never stops. Organizations that can adapt and be able to evolve by turning the challenges they are facing right now into opportunities, will win in this epidemic era.