COVID-19 is yet another proof: A culture of empowerment and collaboration is what matters most!

For more than half a year now, the world has been in the firm grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, challenging societies, economies, businesses, and families across the globe. Although the crisis is far from being over, I would like to look back on how we have dealt so far with the crisis and what we have learned. In general, I think the following factors were crucial in effectively managing the situation: First of all, we had a solid plan and organizational structure in place to address an emerging pandemic. We could build on established crisis management teams on country, regional and global level – and, most important, a great team across all levels of our global organization.

But beyond the excellent operational crisis management, what I believe was equally important is that we continued to pursue our clear strategic agenda to generate purposeful growth. We focused on optimizing our winning portfolio, competitive edge in the areas of innovation, sustainability and digitalization as well as future-ready operating models, underpinned by a strong foundation of a collaborative culture and empowered people. By doing so, we were able to create a momentum that helped us to navigate Henkel successfully through the crisis so far.

Another key factor was our willingness to learn and adapt. Every single one of us, including myself, experienced the importance of continuous learning and the need for digital upskilling – a crash course born out of necessity, but another lesson learned for the future. It was thanks to the digitalization efforts we started years ago that we were able to make the transition to remote work relatively easy and smoothly. At the same time, we know that we’re never done improving. 

While infection rates are rising again and we are preparing for the months to come, we know that we are better prepared now than we were earlier this year. Each and every one of us has been affected by the pandemic, we all had to adapt to new conditions in our social as well as our work lives. Not only did we send a big part of our staff into home office – also in the Management Board, we decided to limit the risk to a minimum by working remote. 

I have to admit, going into this crisis, I had doubts that this would work. I had taken on the position of CEO of Henkel only a few weeks before, in January 2020. While I have been with the company for 25 years and part of the management board for almost 10 years, assuming the CEO role brings a lot of change. I had to rebalance the way I work and how I make the best use of my time. Then came COVID-19. I wasn’t sure if and how it would be possible to run a global company from a “home office”. How to keep in touch with 52,000 people around the world through virtual channels only.

And like so many others, I had to learn new things and find new ways. For example, how to structure my daily agenda and meetings without my usual team around me. But experience shows: Everything is learning by doing.

Working remote as a CEO is possible. At the end of the day, what matters is how you keep connected to the people, how you engage with them. Whether you are face-to-face or on a video call: It is the message and your personal attitude that make a difference. 

I talked a lot to colleagues around the world. And I learned that the situation is very different to people, depending on their individual situation: for some, it was a time of isolation while for others, especially those with kids at home, it was and still is an intense and often challenging time, leaving almost no time in a busy day to take a deep breath and unwind from managing the new situation. All of us however struggle with being cut off from others – be it family, friends or colleagues at the office. 

In times of uncertainty and lack of direct contact, transparent communication is more important than ever to feel connected and being one team. Therefore, we had to find new ways of bonding.

Like many other companies, we moved our daily communication to virtual platforms, connecting through video calls and conferences. We have developed new communication formats – most notably regular video messages and virtual townhalls.

This has contributed significantly to maintaining the spirit and even strengthening it.

Personally, I decided to join small virtual team meetings on country or regional level, to stay close to the teams and thank them for their dedication and efforts in these demanding times. 

Beside the sad and challenging circumstances, I am glad to say that the crisis has strengthened our collaborative culture, our connection, and sense of belonging. In combination with our Purposeful Growth Agenda, I am convinced that this will enable us to emerge stronger from the crisis. Because our culture enables us to pull through, to adapt where required, to explore the new, to be caring and courageous. 

I am proud of what we have achieved so far together, and I am confident that we will be able to face the future.