LEADERSHIP

Now it’s 2021, and we are starting to see a bit of glimmer at the end of the tunnel. But we still need to ensure our families, communities and employees are in a safe and healthy environment.

— Romaine Seguin

Leadership

GUIDING OUR TEAMS THIS YEAR WITH CARE

What a topic to discuss from a leadership perspective for the theme of this month’s magazine: health. It’s a topic we all dealt with throughout 2020, when we started battling the COVID-19 pandemic while still leading families and employees. We helped children with schoolwork, took on new projects at home and kept businesses going.

Going into 2020, I had really thought it was going to be a roaring year for prosperity — very similar to the Roaring ’20s in the 1900s. Who would have thought the world would come to a halt and we’d still be coping with the COVID-19 virus almost a year later.

Now it’s 2021, and we are starting to see a bit of glimmer at the end of the tunnel. But we still need to ensure our families, communities and employees are in a safe and healthy environment.

Yes, the vaccine has arrived in the U.S. But it will take time for enough of us to get the vaccine to be able to develop a “herd immunity” in our society so we can feel comfortable going back to our normal lives.

Now more than ever, we have to lead our families, communities and employees with care and knowledge. We cannot deviate from the best practices and communications that have gotten us this far in battling COVID-19.

1. CONTINUE TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE.

There is no rush to bring employees together in person. Continue to work remotely unless you have to be with the general public to do your job. There are many front-line workers who still have to report to workplaces, including medical professionals, grocery store employees and delivery drivers. They have to follow mask requirements and other safety measures. They are all protecting us while they’re serving us.

If your employees are working remotely, stay in touch with them from all aspects, personally and professionally. As a leader, you must be known as the one who constantly follows the protocols of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In my opinion, this will be tougher than what we went through in 2020. That means we all need to be on our A game. I have some recommendations to help us get through this as leaders:

2. EDUCATE YOURSELF, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE VACCINE.

I am not saying we should all become medical experts, but we should know basic information about each pharmaceutical company that is supplying a vaccine so we can help our employees understand what’s happening.

Each company’s product will vary in the way it has to be stored and administered. The days required between administration of the first and second doses of the vaccine are slightly different, according to the websites of suppliers Pfizer and Moderna. My sister is a health care professional, and she has received the vaccine. Her hospital is following strict guidelines, and everyone there knows the rules for the followup second vaccine.

There is concern about people who are receiving the first dose of the vaccine. Will there be strict adherence to the required follow-up shots? It is up to us as leaders to advocate the guidelines and encourage our employees to follow through with treatment. Personally, this concerns me because some of us might fall a little ill after taking the first dose, just as some people do after they receive a flu shot. However, most who have received the first dose say they experienced little more than slight discomfort from the needle insertion itself.

Here is the big ask for all of you: Please, in a positive way, encourage the second dose with family members, community individuals and employees. This is critical. I am thanking you in advance for your leadership.

3. COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE AND COMMUNICATE.

You can never remind your kids enough to wash their hands often and for 20 seconds. In the same way, you can keep a positive future top of mind by making your employees aware of success stories about people who have received the vaccine.

My sister the health care professional received the vaccine on Dec. 12, and I invited her to be on a global call days later with all the folks who have been moving the vaccine for my company. She explained the process and thanked the team. You will be able to find your own real stories to support your work and your employees over the next few months.

I still envision a Roaring ’20s ahead of us with the rest of the 2020 decade. The tough part will be getting through this year. But we’re finally seeing a glimmer of light, and we have to be sure to not let our guard down. As leaders, we have to stay healthy and keep others safe.

We can do this together — and together we can create stronger families, communities and workplaces.

Romaine Seguin is president of UPS Global Freight Forwarding, where she oversees air, ocean and rail freight forwarding, as well as brokerage and supplier management, for the 220 countries and territories UPS serves around the world. She can be reached at rseguin@ups.com.