Don't know what to do? Start with listening and support | Power is nice, but influence is better | Where should boards focus to emerge from the pandemic?
Practice "attention, presence, and availability" with employees who are suffering in the days since the killing of George Floyd, and find ways to take care of yourself, too, writes Kevin Eikenberry. Separately, NOBL offers a list of resources for leaders to develop "a more equitable and anti-racist workplace."
People respond better when they understand the rationale of decisions and can trust the person or authority setting the rules, writes Steve McKee. "It's the age-old distinction between power and influence; both can get something done, but one is ephemeral and the other lasting," he writes.
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Corporate boards and executives need to have "a bias to action" despite great uncertainty, questions about securing equity and reflection on why supply chains and business models weren't ready for the coronavirus pandemic, according to this McKinsey analysis. Executives must also be aware that their pandemic experiences, including a love of remote work, are not necessarily shared by line employees, small businesses and sectors such as the arts and sports.
Furloughs, holding onto cash, and betting on multiple scenarios are just a few ways to create reversible actions and hedge against the uncertainty of today's economy, writes Annie Duke. When setting these hedges, you also want to decide what potential information or events would trigger a change in course.
One-on-one conversations are not optional, especially during a time of remote work, writes John Keyser. "If we lead with empathy and a welcoming tone of voice and are genuine, letting a person know we care about them and their wellbeing, it will be well-received, even if it's a short call," he writes.
Companies can maintain a remote workforce in the long term by reviewing the costs of keeping an office open, revising expectations for remote workers and reviewing such processes every year, writes Megan Shroy, who has run remote-based Approach Marketing for a decade. "Give yourself permission to experiment and optimize," she writes.
Losing an eye and nearly dying five years ago gave ServiceNow CEO Bill McDermott a new outlook on leadership based in humility and authenticity that has served him well during the coronavirus pandemic. "You've got to get back to what matters to you so you can be authentic in moments like this and know that you're fighting for something worth fighting for," he says.
Al Capone started a soup kitchen in 1930 partly to offset bad publicity from the previous year's Saint Valentine's Day Massacre. While the soup kitchen did serve many residents during the early days of the Great Depression, it was built through bribes and extortion, and it closed shortly before Capone was indicted on federal charges in 1932.
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