On Friday, April 17, ATD hosted a Twitter chat (#ATDleadershipdev). We asked seasoned leadership experts and you, our audience, to chime in around different topics surrounding leadership development.

Here are some top tweets with important insights for ways to strengthen your leadership development:

How do you help leaders grow in an atypical environment marked by uncertainty and fear?

A2: Remind your co-leaders that their gifts are essential. #ATDleadershipdev

— Dr. Courtney L. Teague (@CourtneyLTeague) April 17, 2020

A2

I’m a huge believer in reflection for leader development. I have engaged a cohort on social platform to apply the change curve, reflect and share.#ATDleadershipdev

— sandi (@sandimax200) April 17, 2020

A2: leaders now face unique pressure to be the stable figure for their teams while navigating an uncharted roadmap. it can help to humanize them outside of their job title and ask what they might need or how they are feeling.#ATDleadershipdev

— Niranjani Chidamber Papavaritis (@ATDHealthcare) April 17, 2020

What advice do you have for your peers in leadership roles? How do you lead through a crisis when you’ve never done it before?

Emphasize every win! People dealing with crisis are consistently questioning themselves. Don’t just tell them it’s ok, show them where they are winning! #ATDLeadershipdev

— Paula O'Brien, M.Ed. (@nhpaulao1) April 17, 2020

A3.

Regardless of the situation the response will involve people. Invest time upfront understanding the people who are looking to you for leadership. #ATDleadershipdev

— Rich Neasom (@RAFResilience) April 17, 2020

A3: Advice would be remember you are leading by example. Be transparent and remember to always talk with compassion and think with empathy in mind.

— Lisa Spinelli (@atdcareerdev) April 17, 2020

What do you think the main role of leaders right now is? How do you develop the curiosity and creativity that enables people to harness the fear of the moment into action rather than paralysis?

A4:

Right now, #leaders need to be present.

They don't have to have all the answers, but they do have to have all the support.

Allowing people time & space to process what we're going through and approach things differently can lead to more #creativity.#ATDleadershipdev

— Avra Bossov (@Avracado) April 17, 2020

A4

That’s a great question! A leader must embrace this time as one of opportunities. What can be done differently? What can be tried? What can we learn?

— sandi (@sandimax200) April 17, 2020

A4: leaders can shine light on where there are opportunities for growth, collaboration, and innovation during these times. they can bring people together to work toward a common cause, to brainstorm ideas and solutions as forms of service. #ATDleadershipdev

— Niranjani Chidamber Papavaritis (@ATDHealthcare) April 17, 2020

For those seeking to develop their leadership, what best practices, tools, and resources are you turning toward?

A5:

📘Book Recs: "The Infinite Game" by @simonsinek, "Rising Strong" by @BreneBrown, and "The Art of Gathering" by @priyaparker.

🙌Best Practices:

- Listen.

- Be intentional.

- Ask questions.

- Rinse. (Go wash your hands!)

- Repeat. #ATDleadershipdev

— Avra Bossov (@Avracado) April 17, 2020

A5: Read outside the box! Check in on sports leaders and coaches of your choice, I recommend Why The Best Are The Best as a starting point. #ATDLeadershipdev pic.twitter.com/MvgjGx0sIq

— Paula O'Brien, M.Ed. (@nhpaulao1) April 17, 2020

How are you embracing the lessons of this crisis and growing your leadership capacity?

A6.

Joining in with chats like this is a big help to reflection and to consolidate learning. 🤔

#ATDleadershipdev

— Rich Neasom (@RAFResilience) April 17, 2020

A6: increased communication and having genuine conversations, taking the time to connect with others.#ATDleadershipdev

— Niranjani Chidamber Papavaritis (@ATDHealthcare) April 17, 2020

What’s your biggest piece of advice for talent development professionals right now?

A7:

Keep doing the amazing work you're doing to help people grow and develop.

Remember: we're all doing our best. Let's take care of each other.

While there's a lot of unknowns right now, we know that people, community, & growth matter.#talentdevelopment#ATDleadershipdev

— Avra Bossov (@Avracado) April 17, 2020

A7.

Every cloud has a silver lining. This crisis offers opportunities for deeper reflection and new connections. Try and find one “win” from this in your Continued Professional Development quest...

#ATDleadershipdev

— Rich Neasom (@RAFResilience) April 17, 2020

Be flexible on performance levels for the short-term realizing humans ability to perform is diminished when under stress. Let employees know your game plan for ‘when we get through this’... #ATDleadershipdev

— Paula O'Brien, M.Ed. (@nhpaulao1) April 17, 2020

Want to participate? Join ATD on Friday, April 24 at 12 p.m. ET for a Twitter chat about volunteerism in honor of National Volunteer Week using #ATDvolunteers!