Learn. Adapt. Lead.

Leadership matters. Never more so than now, as we seek to find our way in the new normal.

For myself, these past few weeks under lockdown have represented an important moment of learning and growth.

As I reflect on my own experience and also exchange ideas with Novartis colleagues and peers, a consistent pattern is emerging: We are going through a fast tracked transformation that is affecting not only our ways of working, but also our expectations towards companies and their leaders.

A company doesn’t exist solely to serve its shareholders, it needs to live up to its purpose and in doing so, to contribute and act responsibly towards society in general, its employees and its partners. How a company responds to the Covid-19 crisis, will ultimately reveal its true identity and values.

I believe that the last few weeks have demonstrated in ways we could never have foreseen, the true value of our Inspired, Curious and Unbossed culture at Novartis. Our shared purpose to keep on delivering life-saving medicine to our patients has inspired us to overcome significant challenges together. Our curiosity and willingness to learn has enabled us to pivot and adapt to new ways of working. And our leaders have demonstrated the true meaning of Unboss by empowering teams to reimagine their schedules, overcome obstacles and embrace inclusive thinking to find innovative solutions in real time.

As an organization, we have become more comfortable with complexity and ambiguity and this has helped us navigate through these unchartered waters as a team.

As leaders, our role is no longer to hand out orders and instructions, but rather to seek to create clarity by listening and asking questions, then providing direction and trusting our team to find the solutions.

I was greatly inspired recently by Gianpiero Petriglieri’s article “The Psychology Behind Effective Crisis Leadership”. He explains that in times of a crisis, a vision doesn’t mean a lot, most visions don’t survive. Employees also don’t need blind optimism or a call to action, they need someone to interpret and contain what’s happening, someone who is curious and inspires in a humble way so the team can move purposefully.

True value comes from people with a diverse range of experiences working together. We need leaders who “hold” their teams and create a safe environment in which they can explore these diverse perspectives: leaders who communicate clearly and offer perspective and reassurance. Most importantly, we need leaders who are human. For a long time I thought that successful leadership required the ability to block emotions and focus on the task. Today I learn that the best leaders are those who are able to acknowledge and channel their emotions; who understand people’s concerns and meet them where they are; who acknowledge distress and difficulty without giving in to powerlessness.

"We are at our most powerful the moment we no longer need to be powerful"

E. Leventhal

Covid-19 has taught us to be more aware of one other’s humanity. We are virtually meeting each other at home in our living rooms, with children, partners and pets in the background. The separation between what we would have defined as personal vs professional life has become blurred and we have started, consciously or unconsciously, to bring more of our full selves to work. This can only benefit us moving forward.

So, as we prepare for the new challenges we face in returning to the workplace and adapting to a new kind of normal, we will continue to lean into our culture - to learn and unboss our teams to work in new ways. As leaders, we will keep practicing our listening and coaching skills as we help our team members navigate this hybrid world, recognizing that each person is facing their own unique set of challenges. And we will continue to lead our teams with care and empathy.

I want to finish by wishing you all a gentle transition. Keep checking in on each other and stay safe.