Phase 1: COVID 19 Full Site Doing and Being: How the COVID-19 Crisis Has Humanized Leadership

Learn How

The Emergency Unfolds

Phase 1: The Emergency Unfolds

Leaders around the world respond to the COVID-19 crisis

Learn How

The ramifications of the COVID-19 virus started slowly, then exploded—first in China, and shortly thereafter nearly everywhere on the planet. Factories ground to a halt; hospitals filled beyond capacity; markets collapsed; businesses, schools, and highways emptied. As the scale and chaos of COVID-19 grew, leaders had to implement emergency plans practically overnight, facing choices they never had to before, with no road map. Distinctions were made between essential and nonessential workers, and those who could not shelter at home were given additional safety equipment (though some companies struggled to provide the necessary gear). Nonessential employees began working remotely, putting pressure on IT teams. A global health pandemic striking the whole world at once, with serious economic consequences, was not part of anyone’s scenario planning. Leaders had to spring into action quickly while caring for their employees and customers in a deeper way, taking responsibility for both their physical and mental health. They had to personify both the “being” and “doing” aspects of their roles. Read on for insights about how this dual approach to leadership helped companies weather the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Doing and Being

Doing

Being

The actions a leader takes. Making the operating decisions about keeping an organization running, such as hiring and layoffs, workplace safety, finances, and more.

The human side of leadership. The essence of who you are and how you connect with and motivate others.

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Prioritize people over profit

Doing

Doing and Being

Being

Use both your heart and head to connect with employees; Create and maintain a sense of calmness and stability in the organization

Think beyond your responsibilities as the leader of one organization and help contribute to the societal effort to combat the coronavirus.

“Focus on the most important asset that any business has—the physical safety of people first—and then worry about collateral damage and the P&L next.”

Dig Deeper

Leading Through the Coronavirus Crisis

Leaders secured PPE for employees and implemented additional safety measures for customers.

Companies communicated frequently and clearly, using facts and data to prevent misinformation from causing a panic among employees.

“More than words, we had to act…to protect the safety of the people in the stores. We moved very fast, before any regulations. We had masks for people before the government said to. We distributed disinfectant gels, plexiglass for the cashiers, and we are now measuring the temperature of everyone in the stores - Clients AND workers.”

Doing

Doing and Being

Technology makes the difference

Doing

Being

Make difficult decisions with little clarity

Doing

Doing and Being

Being

Use purpose to motivate frontline employees to stay energized, ensuring the safety risks they are taking are for the greater good.

Be transparent with employees.

How purpose helps leaders meet the challenges today and stay true to the their values for the long-term.

Dig Deeper

CEO Community Call: Leadership through Crisis

Doing and Being

Develop cross-functional teams that focus on different time horizons.

CFOs struggled with scenario planning and making forecasts and predictions with any level of certainty. Said one CFO of a global retailer: “It’s hard to see six days in advance, let alone six months.” Said another: “We are humbled by our inability to forecast.”

Strike a balance between employee safety and business continuity.

Doing

Dig Deeper

‘Humbled by the Inability to Forecast’: Global CFOs on What Comes Next

At first, some companies put their top talent on the emergency response, but then divided teams into one unit focused solely on the current crisis while a second team worked on long-term business strategy

“What has gotten traction for us is when we delivered free pizzas to hospital workers or to school teachers. You feel the upswell in engagement, and love and appreciation.”

Value partnership and collaboration—even among competitors

Doing

Doing and Being

Being

Develop trust and deepen relationships between organizations to create major global change.

Doing and Being

Doing

Being

“The most positive impact is not on everyday employees but instead on Boards, CEOs, and executive committees. Now they are forced to be home, like the employees, and living the life of their everyday employees. The learning curve for them is so important for us and the future of their companies.”

Cultivate a spirit of unity and equality among employees, as physical office walls are replaced with glimpses into people’s homes.

“We’ve made it normal and acceptable for meetings to be disrupted by family members, and we’re also allowing people to shift their working hours if needed, in part because we know people are sharing bandwidth within households.”

The Great Digital Opportunity: Technology Officers in the Age of COVID-19

Doing and being

Dig Deeper

HR Leadership Lessons From the Early Days of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Find ways to connect, despite distance.

IT teams worked around the clock to ensure that employees who could work remotely had the capabilities and tools to do so almost immediately.

Doing

One-time rivals set aside their differences in the midst of the crisis. They opened up, gathered virtually and crowdsourced solutions to both immediate and longer-term challenges.

Read more insights from the early days of the pandemic

Liquidity, Communication, Flexibility: Global CFOs Respond

COVID-19: Supply Chain Lessons from Asia

Learning from Each Other During the COVID-19 Pandemic

How leaders and organizations are navigating a new reality

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

Doing and Being

Phase 2

Phase 3

Read all of our Covid-19 insights from leaders across geographies, industries and functions.

Egon Zehnder can help you lead through crises.

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— CEO, Italian retail company

“Don’t forget that we live, work, and profit within this society which is now under unbelievable stress.”

— Executive in China

— Global hotel chain executive

“Focus on the most important asset that any business has—the physical safety of people first—and then worry about collateral damage and the P&L next.”

— Senior executive, asset mnagement firm

— Global chief information officer

— Chief talent officer, global CPG company

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Doing

Being

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Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

Phase 4

The Emergency Unfolds

Being and Doing

How the COVID-19 Crisis Has Humanized Leadership

Managing During the Crisis

The Slow Restart

Business Unusual

Being and Doing

How the COVID-19 Crisis Has Humanized Leadership

Phase 1

The Emergency Unfolds

Phase 2

Managing During the Crisis

Phase 4

Learn more about Egon Zehnder's restructuring expertise.

“I think it is crucial as head of HR to have a solid external network of colleagues who are living the same experience.”

— Global HR director

“Once you open the door to speculation, irrational behavior and panic sets in.”

— Managing Director, Global supply chain

and logistics corporation

Businesses reoriented to produce the most needed products, including hand sanitizer, ventilators, and PPE.

“We are sewing face masks for a cooperative consortium of apparel and textile companies supplying non-medical face masks to the health care sector. We are also producing non-medical face masks and isolation gowns for various retailers to be distributed to health care organizations.”

— Arun Bajaj, CHRO, Gildan Activewear

Dig Deeper

Leading with Care, Purpose, and Resolve During a Pandemic

Use both your heart and your head to connect with employees; create and maintain a sense of calmness and stability in the organization.

“We moved into the 21st century this week. This is not just an economic and financial crisis. It is a complete change in society and the way people behave.”

– Global technology executive

From speaking with employees at risk on the front lines to engaging with those working from home, leaders had to establish regular communications to keep employees informed and engaged.

“This is an opportunity for CIOs to be more recognized as contributors. They need to take this opportunity to stand up as business managers with critical information – demystifying technology and working for the purpose of the company.”

– Global technology executive

Technology leaders can act as coaches—not just by managing through this crisis but also training the next generation of leaders for future shocks.

Be transparent with employees.

“While we cannot be exacting on what will happen, communicating the possible scenarios has helped employees prepare for possibilities and not be in the dark.”

— Senior leader, pharma company

Former BP CEO Bob Dudley and Sir John Rose, former CEO of Rolls Royce, joined 25 CEOs to share advice on leading through a crisis.

Recognize employees, telling them how much the company—or the world— needs them

“I think it is crucial as head of HR to have a solid external network of colleagues who are living the same experience.”

– Global HR director

– HR executive

“The scientific community has all come together. There is no room for competition; [we are all] trying to find a solution, either therapy or vaccine.”

Dig Deeper

When People Matter Most

Dig Deeper

The Ultimate Stress Test

No one can survive alone in this crisis, particularly in industries that rely on intermediate suppliers. Said one CEO: “If partners are not ready to help each other, they will not be successful.”

Phase 3

The Slow Restart

Doing and Being

Business Unusual

“Once you open the door to speculation, irrational behavior and panic sets in.”

— Global Supply Chain and Logistics

Corporation Managing Director

Some companies completely reoriented their business to produce the most needed products, including hand sanitizer, ventilators, and personal protective equipment

— Arun Bajaj, CHRO, Gildan Activewear

Dig Deeper

Leading with Care, Purpose, and Resolve During a Pandemic

“We moved into the 21st Century this week. This is not just an economic and financial crisis. It is a complete change in society and the way people behave.”

– Global Technology Officer

From speaking with employees at risk on the front lines to engaging those working from home, leaders had to establish a regular communications cadence and tone to keep employees informed and engaged

Technology leaders can act as coaches—not just managing through this crisis but also training the next generation of leaders for future shocks

— Global chief information officer

“While we cannot be exacting on what will happen, communicating the possible scenarios has helped employees prepare for possibilities and not be in the dark.”

— Senior leader, pharma company

Former BP CEO Bob Dudley and Sir John Rose, former CEO of Rolls Royce, joined 25 CEOs to share advice on leading through a crisis.

“The scientific community has all come together. There is no room for competition; [we are all] trying to find a solution, either therapy or vaccine.”

— HR executive

Dig Deeper

When People Matter Most

No one can survive alone in this crisis, particularly in industries that rely on intermediate suppliers. Said one CEO: “If partners are not ready to help each other, they will not be successful.”

Dig Deeper

The Ultimate Stress Test

Doing and Being

Phase 1

The Emergency Unfolds

Phase 1

The Emergency Unfolds

Phase 2

Managing During the Crisis

Phase 2

Managing During the Crisis

Phase 3

The Slow Restart

Phase 3

The Slow Restart

Phase 4

Business Unusual

Phase 4

Business Unusual

Doing and Being

Phase 1: The Emergency Unfolds

Phase 2: Managing During the Crisis

Phase 3: The Slow Restart

Phase 4: Business Unusual

Content Lead: Jennifer Reingold, Cheryl Soltis Martel | Digital Project Leads: Luke Sherwin, Kelsey McGillis | Communication Strategy: Stacy Drumtra