Professional Documents
Culture Documents
LEADERSHIP DURING
A PANDEMIC
From client work we do with the Employer Brand Index, we know how vital
Management & Organization is to candidates, employees, and alumni. The
leadership of a company has a direct impact on the employer brand,
sometimes way beyond the control of the team in charge.
Now, more than ever, do employees look to managers for information and
leadership on many levels. We’re all in this together, there is nobody to blame
for this pandemic, and it’s testing for every employee of an organization.
Whenever I’m asked about examples of influential leaders that embrace the
people agenda, Marc Benioff pops into my mind. He is the founder and CEO
of Salesforce, as well as a very progressive and outspoken advocate of social
change. He will use his (and his company’s) full leverage to influence public
opinion, customers, suppliers, and lawmakers. Judging by the results of
Salesforce in the last few years, his strategy is working.
If we look at what he is doing during this Coronavirus situation, it’s worth
casting an eye at his online presence which is full of messaging, both from a
corporate perspective and from his own. Marc Benioff is an excellent example
of a leader that has always been a good communicator, now adapting to a
crisis and leads from the front.
We can stay in our homes with our families to protect our physical
health, but we have to take one more step to protect our mental
health. Now is the perfect time for prayer, meditation, mindfulness, or
just reaching out to say hello to a family member, friend or colleague.
But what about employer brand leadership? Surely that is the responsibility of
all managers, not just the upper echelons. Some might argue that employer
branding is only required in times of large scale hiring; however, they’re
missing the point. Employer brand is about the whole employee experience,
and now more than ever, it’s about ensuring this experience is as good as it
can be. And let’s not forget candidates, who are in the hiring process and
understandably unsure about their prospects.
Here are a few tips for managers, inspired by The Economist:
The job of the employer brand team, together with communications, PR,
marketing, HR in general, is to ensure leaders and employees are kept
updated regularly.
More on this topic at Why Leaderships is Critical to Employer Brand.