The Coronavirus pandemic is a reminder of how rapidly things can change and, for businesses, a
reminder of the need to be able to move with speed and agility. For C-suite executives leading
through crisis, the challenges in these highly uncertain environments are many and there is no
playbook about how to respond. When the context is changing exponentially, it is almost
impossible to time your response appropriately – too early and you may contribute to alarmist
panic. Too late and your complacency could have significant consequences. Achieving the right
intensity and tone for the response are equally difficult. In addition to making the right decisions
for the specific situation, leaders also need to provide confidence, reduce anxiety, and generally
help employees function with some level of normalcy. The role of the C-Suite is particularly
important because during times of uncertainty and crisis, people look to authority figures to
provide direction. In these times, senior management might find that even the most self-directed
individuals at different levels in the organization – those who can normally be counted on to
provide leadership and direction for their peers – are more likely to wait for direction from the
top. The C-Suite executives have to not only provide this direction but do so in an empathetic
manner that clearly demonstrates an understanding of the challenges whilst also projecting
confidence about recovering from the crisis.

SURVIVE | THRIVE
From our recent research, we have described a two-channel system of hardwiring in our brains
that has evolved to help us detect and respond to threats and opportunities. This Survive|Thrive
system provides an explanation for the behavior of individuals and groups in these uncertain
times and provides some insights for how leaders can best navigate the uncertainty. The Survive
Channel, which is the louder and evolutionarily older of the two Channels, has evolved to detect
threats and provides an instinctive response through hormones and other chemicals that initiate
a “flight or fight” response. While these threats were initially physical threats to our survival, this
same mechanism is activated by threats to our health, our status, our egos, or any other aspect of
our wellbeing. The real and perceived threats during the current pandemic crisis are especially
capable of triggering a strong Survive Channel response because 1) it is a physical threat 2) it is
invisible and 3) individuals cannot take actions to eliminate the threat (at least not
immediately).

The Survive Channel, when functioning well, narrows our focus and increases our level of activity
to problem solve and eliminate the threat. However, when we have limited ability to eliminate
the threat and are being hit over and over again by news and information that repeatedly triggers
our Survive Channel, it results in a freeze response and complete inactivity. For businesses where
the impact of the Coronavirus could be especially significant (for instance, a perceived or actual
need for layoffs) this phenomenon is particularly acute. In these businesses, the distraction and
despair from overheated Survive triggers is leading to a severe loss of productivity. And due to
the well-documented social contagion of emotions, this extends to the population at large. For
those in the C-suite, it is critical to start to calm the Survive Channel by reducing the anxiety and
fear.

HOW TO CALM OVERHEATED

SURVIVE TRIGGERS
An understanding of the human hardwiring provides some insights into how to do this:

1. Reduce the volume of threats by separating the perceived threats from the real
ones. There are very real threats associated with the Coronavirus. We are, of course, not
infectious disease experts and will limit our discussion to the impact that the measures to
prevent the virus is having on businesses. Even within that context the threat is very real;
the disruption to supply chains, customer activity, and employee health cannot be
overstated. However, there are also perceived threats that may not be real – most of these
are related to questions around what actions leaders will take in response to the
emerging reality. Will there be layoffs or reduced hours? Will I be forced to physically
report to work? What about sick pay? Leaders can help address these by, for example,
clarifying current or expanding sick leave practices to eliminate that worry. By reducing
the volume of threats, leaders can help prevent the Survive Channel from overheating.

2. Recognize that ambiguity is one of the greatest sources of anxiety and reduce
ambiguity where possible. The Survive Channel is very responsive to the uncertainty
that can hide threats. Leaders can reduce uncertainty by, for example, clarifying what
changes are in scope, what process will be used to make decisions, what expectations will
be revised, etc. Even where answers are unknown, simply recognizing them as unknowns
can reduce the level of anxiety tremendously. It enables a team to ground itself in the
common denominator of not knowing and the knowledge that it is not just you who is
being left out can prevent our social anxiety from being triggered.

3. Inspire confidence through seeking input and demonstrating calm decision

making. While we are big proponents of delegating authority, in time of crisis there is a
desire for more command and control leadership. However, a rapidly changing
environment also means that the C-Suite executives will not, by themselves, have all the
information to make good decisions. By opening channels for two-way communication,
leaders can ensure they are getting real-time information from as many people as
possible and are providing clear direction based on this information. A leadership team
may believe they are communicating consistently and adequately about an emerging
situation, not aware that employees further down in the organization are experiencing
that communication as infrequent and inadequate.
Executive Decision Making
In addition to reducing anxiety and calming the Survive Channel, C-suite leaders also need to
determine what and how to make changes to their operations. While the specific decisions will, of
course, vary from business to business based on different contexts, there are some universal
principles that can guide decision making:

1. Include long term thinking. While the news media and much of the public is treating the
Coronavirus crisis like a blizzard that needs a few days of action, the consensus from the
public health community is that this will be a crisis that unfolds over many months.
Leaders should be thinking about the immediate necessary actions, but also starting to
develop longer-term plans that include the impact of the short-term measures. A work
from home policy might work for a few days or a few weeks, but what impact will this
have on the business if it extends to a few months? How can you redeploy resources that
may not be able to perform their normal roles – like any employee whose job includes
significant travel?

2. Take a multi‐stakeholder view. It has been encouraging to see how many businesses
have responded quickly to customer needs in this crisis – from canceling rebooking fees,
to introducing new delivery options. Beyond the customer focused changes, it is
important that leaders make decisions through a multi-stakeholder lens – actions that are
beneficial to customers but at a heavy expense to employees or shareholders will, in the
long run, be unhelpful.

3. Maintain a bias towards centralized action, especially with respect to

communication. In times of high uncertainty, it is more important to have consistency in
communication than a perfectly tailored message for each constituent group. While a
decentralized model can be more effective in customizing and tailoring messages to the
needs of constituents, the emphasis on clarity and consistency is paramount now, and
requires a greater centralization.

4. Remember that partial answers are better than no answers. In a fast-moving

situation, it is hard to have all the answers. Rather than waiting to develop complete
plans, or for absolute truths to become known, leaders should communicate – early and
often – with the information they do have. Not providing direction is more harmful than
changing direction if the situation changes.

CRISIS CREATES AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR CHANGE
Effectively dealing with a crisis is not just about eliminating problems but also about seeking and
capitalizing on the opportunities presented. While the Coronavirus crisis has obviously created
significant challenges, it also creates some opportunities. Not least of these is a sense of a shared
purpose, of common experience, which can spill over into increased collaboration and
cooperation in other unrelated areas. As described above, there are two Channels in our mind-
body hardwiring – the second of these, the Thrive Channel is designed to look for opportunities,
trigger the release of chemicals that elicit positive emotions, and create broad, innovative
thinking about how to take advantage of these opportunities. In addition to calming the Survive
Channel, leaders should be looking to activate the Thrive Channel, understanding that this may
need to wait, as it is extremely difficult to activate Thrive if Survive is already overheated.

Helpful Examples of Change Opportunities

As with every crisis, there will be opportunities to change the way things are done. Some
examples could include:

1. Experiment with new ways of working: The measures to limit the spread of the virus
are forcing many companies to adopt virtual and work at home policies. If viewed as an
opportunity to truly experiment, businesses might discover that certain aspects of their
work are better done remotely or that they can achieve significant cost reduction,
increased employee satisfaction, or greater effectiveness by encouraging more people to
work from home – now and possibly into the future. Another example of this opportunity
is the way in which people within most organizations are pulling together to move
quickly and support each other – pitching in while a colleague determines childcare
options, breaking down silos between functions to get things done, etc. Without a
deliberate effort these new ways of working will revert back to the old once the crisis is
averted, but with a focus on understanding why and how these new behaviors and
actions are happening, leaders can positively influence the culture after the crisis abates.

2. An opportunity to reprioritize and focus on important, but not urgent

business. With the pace at which most businesses operate today, there are always
important but not urgent needs that get constantly displaced. Refocusing some energy
and resources to these initiatives could be one way to not only deploy underutilized
resources, but also set up the business for success in the future. The financial crisis forced
many businesses to rethink their priorities and those that did so proactively with an eye
on the future were able to recover and pivot to growth much more quickly and
successfully.

3. Ability to take actions that serve long term interest, but not short‐term market
needs. During a crisis such as this one, stock prices tend to move with the broader
market or with the direct impact of the crisis on a particular industry – think, travel in
this case. This can provide cover for leaders to take actions that may be in the best long-
term interest of their firm but that have been difficult to enact because of short term
market pressures.