April 2020 Part 2: Leading in the Time of Corona

I cannot imagine what it's like to lead a large company right now. There are so many unprecedented issues to address. Most important is employee health and safety, but there is so much more.

Leaders need to make decisions about office closures. They need to look at the financial situation and potentially implement contingency plans. At many companies this means no employee raises or promotions. It means hiring freezes and cancelled investments. It may also mean pay cuts, furloughs and layoffs. No matter how you look at the situation, for most companies it's somewhere between challenging and bleak.

This is why I am so appreciative of the leadership at my company. The CEO has been transparent with employees, talking to us on a regular basis about what is going on and the actions that are being implemented. Both the CEO and the head of HR hold calls with all employees where they answer every question thrown at them. They are calm, polite and thorough in their responses, and they treat every question with respect and honesty.

It's a relief to have leaders with such a strong combination of integrity and humanity. Nobody wants to be going through what we are right now, but knowing that they are at the helm makes it easier to handle.