time doing work that only the CEO can do, and step into a ministerial role—extending hands who manage their energy with the same rigor and virtually, truly listening, relating to and connecting discipline with which they manage their time, deliver with people where they are—there is enormous higher performance. potential to inspire people and strengthen bonds and loyalties within the company.” Adds Alain As CEOs begin to seize the unique opportunity Bejjani, CEO of MAF, “The people you are leading at hand to recalibrate their personal, team, and have big expectations of you. They want you to be company operating models, they should reflect on perfect and often forget that you are human. But the following questions: the more human you are with them, the more trust and empathy they lend to you. They understand you — How have we worked differently to enable the better. That gives you the ability to do so much more, impossible to happen during the pandemic as people give you the benefit of the doubt.” (including our decision making, processes, resource allocation, communication, and Many CEOs we have spoken with have been location)? positively surprised that bringing more of themselves into the workplace has created — What learnings and new muscles should we connection and motivation. Says Steve Collis, CEO bring forward into the organization for of AmerisourceBergen, “One of the smartest things the future? that we did the very first week was to set up a daily executive-management meeting at 5:00 p.m. That’s — How will this change my day-to-day as I run the important from a decision-making point of view, company as CEO? but it’s even more important for touching base and showing empathy. We’re now in each other’s homes—you’re seeing my study, and we’ve met each Elevate ‘to be’ to the same level other’s families. . . . I asked all my direct reports, as ‘to do’ ‘Is there someone who wants me to reach out to In a moment of crisis, everyone looks to their leader. someone who’s doing a great job or someone who’s CEOs have felt this acutely during the pandemic. struggling? Maybe someone who has a relative David Schwimmer, CEO of London Stock Exchange with COVID-19?’ Sometimes all that’s needed is a Group, says, “People are looking to me for a different word of encouragement to show you care. It’s been kind of leadership. In a normal environment, it’s a great gift to be able to do that for the people in about business leadership and setting up strategy, AmerisourceBergen.” as well as culture and people decisions. In this environment, it’s about helping people maintain Showing up isn’t only about opening up more of morale. It’s about people being prepared for oneself to others, however; it’s also about being the whatever may come in the face of uncertainty.” As a organization’s rock during a time that’s fraught with result, leaders have shown up differently and have anxiety and uncertainty. “[Employees] need to see starting using a different lens to take notice of how that their leadership is vulnerable, empathetic, and members of their senior team show up. We see both making decisions in accordance with our values, of these areas as candidates for permanent change which I’d better be the living proof of,” says Lance in the future. Fritz, CEO of Union Pacific. “Our people are expecting me to be transparent, to have a grip on the situation, Deliberately choose ‘how I show up’ and to be reasonable about what I do know, what I Perhaps the most notable feature of how CEOs don’t know, and what we’re doing about it.” are showing up differently is that they are showing more of their humanity. As Paul Tufano, CEO of Michael Fisher of CCMHC has begun to AmeriHealth Caritas, explains, “This has been operationalize these insights by being explicit about a sustained period of uncertainty and fear, but what is on his “to do” and “to be” lists. As Fisher also a great opportunity to forge a stronger, more explains: “I never purposefully gave thought to cohesive and motivated workforce. If CEOs can whether there’s a way to be really intentional about 148 What now? Ten actions to emerge stronger in the next normal September 2020