TA L E NT SU MMI T
TALENT 2021 SPECIAL REPORT
LEADING TEAMS IN TRYING TIMES A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY, SOCIAL UNREST, POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY— with so many issues clamoring for attention right now, it’s easy to let people processes slip to the side—and a big mistake. As author and gold medal Olympian Jim Craig puts it: “Sometimes when you’re under a great deal of stress and facing something you haven’t experienced before, you forget to show appreciation to your team. But if you don’t show appreciation to those who deserve it, they will stop doing the things you appreciate.” In September, CEOs, authors and talent gurus gathered to share strategies and discuss experiences tackling the thorniest talent challenges at Chief Executive’s virtual CEO Talent Summit. Some takeaways. BY JENNIFER PELLET
THE ROLE OF TRUST IN DRIVING PERFORMANCE WHEN IT COMES TO HOW COMPANIES fare through times of crisis or great change—trust can make all the difference. Workers who have faith in a company’s leadership, and in one another, approach tasks with more energy and confidence, perform better, collaborate more effectively and are able to move “Trust is a learnable skill... more quickly. that leaders can learn, grow, “It changes everything,” establish, extend and even, says Stephen Covey, author in some cases, restore when of The Speed of Trust and it is lost.” cofounder of CoveyLink. “It will make you better at every —Stephen Covey, CoveyLink other competency—and, if you don’t have it, the opposite is true. When trust goes down, speed goes down and cost goes up.” This is playing out in real time in the way various companies are handling concerns like the move to remote working and embracing diversity and inclusion. Covey
points to Seimens’ mobile work policy, which emphasizes autonomy and flexibility, as evincing a level of trust that brings out the best in employees. “I’ve seen many situations where people are doing remote work and, rather than being trusted, are being micromanaged,” he says. The best part? Trust is a learnable skill, a competency that leaders can learn, grow, establish, extend and, in some cases, even restore when it is lost—and times of turbulence are the perfect time to build trust. Extending trust to remote workers, demonstrating empathy and concern for employees’ health and well-being and being candid and transparent are all ways that leaders can “behave their way” into building trust. “There is an enormous opportunity right now for us to demonstrate integrity and our intent, that we trust our people and care about every dimension of their well-being,” says Covey.
Thanks to The Indiana Economic Development Corporation, Society for Human Resource Management, Thayer and Everbridge for making this event possible.
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