Lessons learned at the helm of a corporate COVID-19 response—and how we move forward

The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t behind us yet (in fact, I *just* got over it!), but, for the most part, many of us are back to our previous routines.? As I get back into the swing of things, I’m reflecting on how the pandemic pushed me and others around the world to quickly transform how we do business, and ultimately how we lead.

At the start of the pandemic, I found myself leading PwC’s New York office reimagining our local operations and protecting the safety and well-being of our firm’s people. Then, I joined our US Leadership Team as Vice Chair of our Tax practice—and now, currently co-lead our Trust Solutions segment—where I helped develop and manage our firmwide strategy and COVID-19 response, all while leading more than 20,000 people and a multi-billion dollar business.?

Lessons learned during this time and while in these roles continue to guide me today? As we enter the third summer of the pandemic—and also confront new and unpredictable market forces—I believe these key takeaways are essential to how I approach business today and in the future.?

Constant, clear and reassuring communication is key

Employees and clients want to be reassured, even if leaders don’t have all the answers. They want transparency and clarity! I’ve learned that providing a constant flow of information about the steps you are taking or how you are thinking through a problem helps increase trust and confidence in uncertain times. Be accountable for getting the answers to both your employees, clients and other stakeholders. Leaders don’t need to have all the answers all the time (we are people too!), but they do need to offer constant, transparent communication and follow through with delivering information when facing the unknown.?

This is important as we manage the pandemic, but it’s also relevant to so many other areas. The world is changing at a pace unlike anything we’ve experienced before—businesses need to adjust. Whether through digital transformation, workforce transformation or reimagining the overall strategy, uncertainty and change can create anxiety with employees, clients and stakeholders. But I learned that leading with transparency and being honest with my people—even when I didn’t have all the answers—helped provide stability and built a level of comfort and trust during a tough time.

Build agility into the business model

There are a lot of factors impacting the business environment—always—and now more so than ever! Executives are still dealing with the effects of the pandemic while also responding to rising inflation and the Great Resignation. And at times, there is no playbook. Business leaders should listen to their people and be agile to adapt as situations change. We may not always get it right on the first try, but that’s okay as long as we’re putting our people and clients first, and willing to make timely and strategic adjustments along the way.?

What does this look like? As I work with clients, many are looking at their processes, prioritizing key areas and using data to help make real-time decisions. And they continue to revisit these issues as they receive feedback and new information so they can make meaningful decisions for their people and their clients.?

Connectivity and a positive overall experience with clients and employees drives success?

While I love seeing my teams and clients in person, I know it’s important to offer flexible options to meet many different needs. Just a couple of weeks ago, when I had Covid, I missed attending our new partner meetings in-person – and I was so disappointed not to be there. As I started to feel a bit better, I was able to join virtually – this required adaptability and flexibility.?

We’ve heard it over and over again from our people—and in our surveys of US companies—and we’re proud to provide the flexibility our team members need to support their well-being. Simply, we want to meet them where they are while still providing the same level of quality service to our clients!?

The goal is to create an overall positive experience, in virtual, hybrid and in-person environments, to generate sustained engagement—and to make sure our people feel heard, valued and know they belong. Remote and hybrid work models are not a fad, so it’s important to understand how to successfully connect with both clients and coworkers in a remote setting.?

Having fun with work is essential to feeling fulfilled and building team culture

The past few years prompted? us to reflect on—and often, reprioritizing parts of our lives and our work. Fostering an environment that allows employees to find purpose in their careers and build a connection with their colleagues is key…and it can help fight burnout!?

Check in on your people and your peers. Lead with authenticity. Be empathetic, supportive and? adaptable. These are critical steps to build a fun and inclusive culture. And this should be the responsibility of everyone in the organization! Everyday, I work to continue building a culture of belonging because our people are the heart and soul of our firm and it’s important to us—and should be important to business leaders everywhere. Plus, empathetic leadership is a key way to build trust with employees and consumers. A recent PwC survey on trust showed that consumers and employees rank ‘treating employees well’ as one of their top priorities to earn trust with a business.?

Be empathetic of your employees’ personal lives and support work-life integration. The pandemic forced us to peer into the homes and lives of our coworkers, especially as many found themselves managing remote school and child care all while continuing to work. Just because businesses are returning to the office doesn’t mean people’s personal lives should be out of sight and out of mind. Be mindful of your employees lives outside of work, and lead by example by embodying work/life integration yourself.?

Organizations should recognize that we are returning to a different future. We have an opportunity to take hard-learned lessons from the past few years to become better leaders and build more inclusive environments than ever before. This is good. This is progress! And embracing these changes isn’t just the right thing to do…it’s also good for business! The sooner business leaders and organizations recognize this, adapt to today’s landscape and focus on building trust with a broader set of stakeholders, the better.?