Archives for May 2020

 

CORNERSTONE & COVID: Our members around the world are stepping up to comment  on the new challenges facing our industry.   Here’s Martin Braddock of Dubai

 

Back in 2016, I wrote an article called: ‘Emulating the qualities of the Salamander: How an Executive Coach can help you’. Not the ‘catchiest’ of titles, but it was an interesting exercise comparing some of the qualities of that amphibian (no, it’s not a lizard!) with the qualities (often) expected in a Leader.

Well, 2016, seems like a long time ago and the current Covid-19 (no, its not the same as flu!) means that most of us are in environments that very few would have forecasted four years ago.

The media (fake & real) is awash with ‘gurus’ and ‘experts’ advising how we should best manage our lives under current restricted/virtual/remote conditions and how should prepare and position ourselves for a ‘New Normal’.

Well, as neither ‘guru’ nor ‘expert’ but as an Executive Coach, I’ve had this question from several clients:  “ What do you expect the future business environment to look like and, more importantly, how can I prepare for it?”

I could take the easy, “coach” option and counter with: “well, what do you think you should be doing?”. But I answer honestly with “I’ve no idea”, before taking refuge in my Salamander Solution.

It turns out salamanders are just as helpful as they were four years ago.  Even knowing a little about them, triggers trains of thought that encourage problem solving.  Here’s what I mean.

A quick re-cap: salamanders in literature and legend are associated with fire, being supposedly unharmed by the flames.  Clothes made from their skin are believed to be incombustible. The salamander also can regenerate lost body parts.

These are among five characteristics of this amphibian that can have special meaning for us today.

1. Surviving the Fire

A pandemic causing sickness and death in the millions would surely qualify as a “furnace of adversity”.  Surving the fire, as the salamander does, can also  be interpreted as being able to ‘survive’ major disappointments, setbacks, mistakes or decisions.  A parallel could be drawn here with ‘resilience’–  a quality that has emerged strongly in recent years regarding a leaders’ ability to pick him/herself up from a major set-back and push-on with renewed vigour and determination.

2. Re-generating body parts

The regeneration of body parts could be akin to being able to, if not re-invent yourself, then certainly re-position or refresh your thinking and approach to a challenge. For example, thinking through your communication strategies, recognising the increasing use of virtual/remote communication and how it can be used effectively.

3. Permeable Skin

The skin of a salamander is thin, permeable to water and serves as a respiratory membrane, with outer layers that renew periodically through a skin shedding process.

How ‘permeable’ or ‘open’ are you to absorbing new ideas in the current ‘climate’? Could you strengthen or develop existing skills?  Develop new ideas and exploit learning opportunities that could enable you to embrace a new approach or methodology?  Perhaps you can re-invent your existing business proposition by shedding the ‘old skin’ so you can be innovative and fresh-thinking, with new and ideas and action.

4. Protection from infections

An uncanny association in this Covid-19 world.

Glands in the salamander’s skin discharge mucus which helps protect against bacterial infections. It also makes them slippery and more difficult for predators to catch.

You may not have a natural defence against a coronavirus, but you can prepare yourself to resist “infection” from negative people or actions that can drain your energy and distract you from seeking positive  solutions.

What you need is PMA – a Positive Mental Attitude that influences you to build immunity from negativity.

5. A ‘middle’ ear

Finally,  salamanders have a system in the middle ear, able to detect low-frequency vibrations which in turn warn them of an approaching predator.

Four years ago, I would associate the business world as being full of predators waiting to see you fail or steal your ideas. But I have mellowed.

Could we not emulate the early-warning ability of the salamander to spot the good things?  To  pick out a resource that can help you, a colleague that will have your back, an investor who shares your long-term goals?

Is that not what we mean by having a Leadership capability that recognises the differences in people, how they behave to you, you to them and to each other?

Let’s remember, as we travel down the exciting road of Emotional Intelligence, maybe the salamander got there first.

BEIJING, CN. May 26, 2020 – The global industry leading the fight against COVID-19 will be one of those facing fundamental change in the aftermath, according to a new survey.

“We completed a global survey of the Life Sciences and Healthcare industry just weeks before the pandemic hit,” says team leader Eric Bouteiller of Cornerstone Beijing. “Key findings of the survey have been profiled in developments since.”

The survey by Cornerstone International Group presents a portrait of a global industry heavily fragmented.  Regulations are global for reasons of patient safety and product standards — but are applied differently from one country to another. The efficient provision of goods and services follow market-based principles —  but the medical community and each State determine how people are treated.

This fractured globalization continues with new regulations such as those governing health data.

“The treatment of genetics data by insurers is very different between neighbours Canada and the US,” says one survey participant. “You can imagine how much worse it gets in other countries.”

Respondents regularly identified issues which have since become prominent.  Digitization in the search for standard procedures was a pre-pandemic bottleneck. For big hospitals, managing information has become more critical than clinical or bench work.

A shortage of talent extends through the sector from technology and IT skills to the complexity of leadership.  Fragmentation and the high speed of development has made it a challenge to find CEOs able to strategize while being strong in their own health field.

“It is hard to find anything good about a pandemic,” says Bouteiller, “but we have been reminded forcibly that a healthy lifestyle and environment is one of the primary goals of our society.  And how that can be both complex and fragile”.

The survey is based on interviews with 50 industry leaders in 12 countries. Read or download the full survey report “Key  Challenges: Life Sciences and Healthcare 2020”.

Cornerstone International Group is an executive search and leadership development organization with 52 offices in 37 countries.  It has headquarters in China and the United States and a global Life Sciences & Healthcare practice directed by Team Leaders globally. More information is available at: www.cornerstone-group.com

For Information, contact:

Eric Bouteiller Global Survey Leader Cornerstone Beijing eric-bouteiller@cornerstone-group.com

Simon Wan Chairman & CEO Cornerstone International Group simon-wan@cornerstone-group.com

CORNERSTONE & COVID: Our members around the world are stepping up to comment on the new challenges facing our industry. Here’s Laurie O’Donnell of Vancouver, Chair for Executive Coaching

As managers, many of us are preparing to return to the office after many weeks of managing virtually. We are all living through a world pandemic, yet we know that each person on our team has had his or her own unique experience. Same crisis, different realities. We may not know what to expect, but we do know that this return to normal, whenever it comes, will be a different normal.

One of the first things I will do is meet with each member of the team to check-in, to better understand what it was like for them to work from home and their emotions around returning to the workplace. Remember that nearly 20% of our population struggles with an anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive related disorder.

These conditions include panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias, generalized anxiety disorder and more. I encourage all of you to establish (unless already in place) Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and other organization-sponsored mental health resources during this transition time. And most importantly, do everything you can to de-stigmatize using them.
Transition takes time, patience, and strategy. It will also take training.

Be prepared for a lot of questions about cleanliness and workplace safety. It may take some employees more time to adjust. Some won’t believe that the threat has been greatly minimized. When you return, encourage people to talk about their experience at home, their challenges and fears. But provide leadership that gently encourages compassionate discussion but not dwelling.

This is a time for employers to show resilience – the ability to endure, recover and grow in the face of adversity. To learn about composure, adaptability and self-care, your team may need both strategies and resources.

As we have seen from some of our politicians, leaders, friends, and colleagues, bias and discrimination are common reactions in times of stress and crisis. Emotions like fear of the unknown can cause people to act contrary to their conscious thoughts and feelings. There will be a role for education about unconscious bias and how that will impact our decisions in the COVID-19 aftermath if left unchecked.

Most importantly we need to remember to be ourselves; our authentic selves. We lead companies and have been working hard on strategies to adjust to the future, and the present. But we are, also, mothers, sisters, fathers, brothers, dads, moms, children and we are in the same crisis, doing our best.

“The measure of a country’s greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis.”
Thurgood Marshall, US Supreme Court Justice (1908-1993)

CORNERSTONE & COVID: Our members around the world are stepping up to comment  on the new challenges facing our industry.  Here’s Dan Heiman of Kansas City , Regional Chair for North America.

Some of you may be old enough to remember the 1979 song Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles. It was the very first music video to air on MTV in 1981 and was expressing mixed attitudes towards modern technology in the media arts.

Fast forward 40 years (WOW!) and related modern technology once again appears to threaten something we all took for granted — the in-person interview.

In light of the global COVID-19 pandemic, recruiting and the in-person interview have become essentially impossible to conduct, making it equally impossible to recruit new talent. This predicament has quickly brought the age of video meetings and interviews into the spotlight in a big way.  How big? Have you seen the stock price of ZOOM lately?

As an executive recruiter who happens to enjoy classic rock, the song I referenced by the Buggles has been on my mind lately because we have all been forced to use video to conduct our meetings – kids for school, doctors to evaluate patients, business meetings, family gatherings, the list goes on.  And, of course, as a recruiter – interviews.

Has/will video kill the in-person meeting?  Of course not, but it will and has already changed things and we must get used to it.  Video is here to stay because it’s a pretty good alternative in many situations. 

In fact, my firm just placed its first-ever candidate in a new position with one of our valued clients and they never met this candidate in person. It was all done by video and we have several current projects that are also being done by video.    

So, how are you embracing this technology? If you are just starting out, here are best practices in the age of video interviews during and after this pandemic:

1. Video interviews work – with high speed internet readily available and quality (hardware) video devices on every cell phone, laptop and even home PC’s, access is simple and easy.
2. ZOOM, Skype, Teams, Google Meet, FaceTime – the software tech is already good and getting better every day so do not be intimidated. 
3. Be sure your video and sound quality are strong. If not, you can purchase a high-quality video cam for under $100. 
4. Proper lighting, angle and a pleasing background are VERY important so be sure to practice and look at yourself in the video BEFORE you start an interview. 
5. If you really want to geek out, check out a recent video blog posted by my friend, Jason Terry, at Blue Gurus. He offers great insight into camera quality, lighting, background settings, etc.
6. Just like an in-person interview, 1^st impressions are still important on both sides so treat a video interview just like you would an in-person interview; grooming, attire, look into the camera, have your questions prepared and keep it warm and inviting. 
7. As an employer, you should prepare to communicate your brand, culture and your values via corporate videos, brochures, web sites, and social media

As we go forward, all of these will be a MUST to attract top talent. Of course, video has not killed the radio star and it will never kill or replace the in-person interview. They are complementary and video can be used effectively to conduct the first rounds of interviews before getting to a final slate of candidates.

And, perhaps by then, everyone will be ready to make a more informed hiring decision.

Now is the time to begin thinking about your employees, and having the right people on your team as you move forward.  Although not crystal clear, we are beginning to have an idea of how organizations will operate in the future.

What will be different?

There have been numerous articles written about how organizations will function.  My perception is probably similar to many others:

• Working remotely will be more prevalent. There will still be “office functions and roles,” but most individuals in the organization will spend some time working from a remote office.
• Technology supporting remote offices will become more important. Much exists today; more will be developed that will make working remotely more effective.
• Communications will be critical. Sharing and collaborating will be required on an informal, as well as a formal basis.  We do not know how conversations “around the water cooler” will be replaced.
• Understanding employees as people, and considering their preferences when making decisions, will be the norm. Empathy, particularly on the part of individuals on the management team, will be an important characteristic.
• Focus will be on results. The “time spent working,” will be less important than what is accomplished.  Rewards will be based on contributions.
• Flexibility in work schedules will provide more work-life balance which will reduce turnover and maybe create a more engaged work force.

These changes will result in an organization where employees with certain characteristics thrive, while those with different characteristics struggle.  A key part of leadership will revolve around making certain the right people are in the appropriate roles in the organization.

How will you define your vision?

Organizations must create an updated plan for the future.  Is the goal to “get over” the current challenges and “return to normal,” or is it more transformational, emerging as a different organization?  Whatever direction chosen, creating the vision for the future is the first step in getting there.  Nowhere is it better illustrated than in this famous Yogism (Yogi Berra quote) “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” 

The more difficult work – determining how to get there

However solid the vision, and the plan to attain it, having the right people is imperative.  Six months ago, dramatic change may not have been considered in most organizations.  Today it is a way of life.  The skills and characteristics that enabled people to be effective in the past are no longer sufficient.  A changing business environment requires new skills, and in many instances, quite different personal characteristics.

The way to determine what these skills and characteristics are is first to identify what must be accomplished to attain the new vision and to determine what each role must contribute.  The next step is to evaluate each person in terms of how his or her current skills and characteristics match these requirements.  Finally, consider how each will need to change to be successful in the “new” organization.

Ensuring you have the right people

Many employees’ skills and characteristics enabled them to be effective in a structured, office-based environment where “following the rules” was the norm.  Some may struggle in a culture that requires self-motivation and accepting responsibility; being remote will challenge them even further.  For those employees willing to learn and grow, development programs focused on specific skills or characteristics should enhance their value to the organization.  There will also be times when it will be required to reach outside the organization to recruit employees who can be effective in the new environment.  Both successfully developing and recruiting employees will be critical for success.  The first step in successfully doing so is identifying what skills and characteristics are important for the roles in the new organization.

Skills are learned, often through experience, reinforced with training.  Many organizations are effective supporting their employees in developing these.  More support will be required in the future.  At the same time, there will be greater emphasis placed on personal characteristics.  These enable people to be successful in the specific work environment.  In today’s environment of complexity and uncertainty, here are some of the most important personal characteristics leading to success:

• adaptability (agility)
• desire to learn
• self-responsibility
• self-motivation
• collaboration
• communication
• empathy
• situational awareness

These characteristics are required in an environment that is less structured, one where employees are required to think, address new challenges and effectively work with others, often remotely.

There are a number of tools available to assess how strong these characteristics are in an individual, and many ways to support the individual if they need to enhance any of these.  Investment in helping employees develop these characteristics usually has a high ROI to the organization.      

Now is the time to identify your critical employees and make certain you “keep them,” as well as to identify your gaps and to begin steps to fill them.  The uncertainty in many organizations today creates an excellent opportunity for those organizations that have their vision in place to source talent that fits.