We thought business was VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) when the pandemic hit, then businesses closed and people were sent home for good or to set up offices on top of their kitchen tables. Parents were expected to home-school their children and Zoom their meetings and social distance. After three months of virtual operations and increased tension, our world changed again.

Racial inequities arose significantly across the country. From police killing unarmed Black men and women to white people calling the police to report Black people for #LivingWhileBlack, protests and riots took over the streets of many cities and conversations of many meetings.

Last week’s gathering of The Culture Matters centered around how leaders can bring the conversations society is having into their companies. We talked about HR leaders especially, but most of us are not in HR roles, so our ideas extended beyond HR.

Below are five actions leaders can take to step up and lead right now. Now’s the time to be relevant and contribute to your companies during this tumultuous time of pandemic, WFH (work from home), returning to work, racial unrest and healing, other inequities (still have gender and LGBTQ too), and more going on. Leadership is needed more than ever, but it is going to be hard. Not every leader will do it. We see good ones stepping up and hope more do so as well.

Here are five ways leaders can make room for the discomfort that needs to happen for forward progress to be possible.

1.       Ease the Pressure. Leaders need to recognize that people are on edge. Recognize that and do something to ease the pressure people feel in general before trying to have conversations about race, other inequities, or even major changes to your business model.

• Consider sharing programs and resources on the following: stress management, mindfulness, physical fitness, nutrition, time management, balance, and various hobbies. One of our clients has had experts on everything from home care to garage organization to lawn care to how to paint rooms to Marie Kondo organization regularly.

• A second idea is to update your Employee Assistance Programs, or get one if you do not have one already.

• Third, make apps like Headspace, Sanvello, or Calm available for your people.

2.      Create the Space. Create the space for people to talk and listen—BOTH are key! You might encourage group conversations, town halls, surveys, pulse surveys, one-on-ones, or other types of conversations.

• Consider the location carefully. For example, HR’s conference room might not be the ideal location for small group conversations about race between management and staff.

• Rely on experienced facilitators for group conversations.

• Do some basic listening skills training. (A smart resource is Dr. Laura Janusik.)

3.      Talk to your People. A great example of this has been Brian Chesky, Airbnb Co-Founder and CEO, who kept in touch with his company during the pandemic. He shared honestly about the possibility of layoffs and that “nothing was off the table.” When layoffs were coming, he sent an emotional letter to all staff, and it was received well.  

In the past two weeks, many leaders and leading companies have issued statements in support of racial equity. If you are inclined to do so, speak up too. You can comfort your people by being present, recognizing where your company stands in relation to equality, and telling how you will move forward. You do not have to know all of the answers or go backward in time, but you could focus on how you will help the company do better starting now.

Enrique Rubio, founder of Hacking HR, said, “This is the time for leaders to shine. You cannot shine in the dark corner of the room.”

Talk to your people and, perhaps more importantly, listen to them.

4.     Be Congruent. There must be harmony between your internal and external messaging. WW, formerly known as Weight Watchers, blew it recently. In May, they started a weekly series open to the public for free. Oprah Winfrey leads the series called A Vision Forward, and it is about “resetting, refocusing and renewing our commitment to what matters most.” The day before the second event, WW laid off part of its staff via a big Zoom call. The incongruence between the internal messaging (“we don’t even care enough to talk personally”) and public messaging (“commit to what matters most”) was staggering and bad for their business. Luckily for WW, they had Oprah to compensate for their misstep. (Source)

When leaders and companies behave incongruently, they cause their stakeholders to distrust them. When your actions do not align with your words, your team will not trust you. When your internal policies do not align with your external messaging, your employees, customers, and suppliers will not trust your company. Distrust costs millions of dollars every year, so if nothing else gets your attention, pay attention because of the impact on the bottom line. (If you need help understanding how brand and culture connect, reach out. We have resources to support your effort toward alignment.)

5.      Evolve as a Human. To be an influential and impactful leader in business today, you must continue to evolve. The world has changed, and if you do not change too, you risk unconscious incompetence with regard to workplaces and stakeholders. Keep learning and adding to your experiences, or you will become irrelevant. Treat people as humans, not as “capital,” or you will become like the dinosaur…dying alone.

This is an important time in history. People matter. Leadership matters. Culture matters.

You are warmly invited to join us for the next The Culture Matters and to join the group on LinkedIn. All are welcome.