LEADERSHIP & STRATEGY
Sally Helgesen Sally Helgesen |
Max Morielli Accenture Interactive |
Amy Lui Abel The Conference Board
Francine Katsoudas Cisco
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Satish Shankar Bain & Company |
When it comes to holding onto leadership gains made during the pandemic , prioritising people is a must . Business Chief gains insight into leadership lessons learned from a crisis
WRITTEN BY : KATE BIRCH
When talking with a leadership expert recently , she recalled a conversation she ’ d had back in May last year with the CHRO of a large American energy producer . The CHRO had explained how the company ’ s rigid prohibitions on working from home had made it tough for the company to attract and retain talented women . But now , forced by the pandemic to open up to remote working , the company ’ s executive team had witnessed no fall-off in productivity and decided that those rules were ‘ going to change ’.
Welcome to ‘ leadership lessons learned from a crisis ’ number one . Because while the COVID-19 crisis has given rise to more than a handful of headaches and hurdles , it has also inadvertently delivered on more than a handful of positive leadership gains .
Leadership lesson 1 : Flexibility equals greater diversity The leadership expert in question , Sally Helgesen – cited in Forbes as the world ’ s premier expert on women ’ s leadership ( and author of How Women Rise ) – told Business Chief that this acute observation by the energy company suggests that “ while the pandemic has had a well-publicised negative impact on working women , the aftermath may prove a boon ”. It may also prove helpful to skilled workers whose careers have depended upon access to scarce visas , thereby “ making the workforce more global as well as more diverse ”.
It ’ s been a similar story for Fortune 500 firm Accenture Interactive , with remote working having forced the company to change both how it hires and how it enables its people to realise their full potential .
“ There are ways in which the remote working revolution has been positive for diversity ”, Max Morielli , President for Europe at Accenture Interactive tells Business Chief . For example , where some individuals may not have been able to attend a daily 9-5 office role , leaders are now able to draw on talent no matter where it is in the world .
“ At Accenture Interaction , we aim to work with empathy and celebrate our differences as our greatest strength and the changes brought about by the pandemic have allowed us to create a more diverse , vibrant working experience for our talent ,” Morielli says .
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