The FQ at Cannes 2021: Leadership in the Post-Pandemic World

Several strategies for reaching that goal came from participating panelists in one of the virtual Cannes 2021 panels Tuesday presented by The Female Quotient MediaVillage this week is live streaming all The FQ39s Cannes panels beginning each day at 9 amPhilip McKenzie executive director of AdvancingDiversityorg was on the panel along with Christina Cassotis chief executive of Allegheny County Airport Authority operators of Pittsburgh International Airport and Erica Keswin bestselling author and consultant whose nonfiction overviews of contemporary business practices include Bring Your Human to WorkFemale Quotient partnerships director Jill Wesley moderated the sessionWhatever operational strategies are implemented postpandemic they must quotbreak from the old ways and go into new waysquot McKenzie declared Those new ways include leadership built on a foundation of trust among employees listening to and acting on their suggestions for improvement and demonstrating compassion for how they are dealing with continued uncertaintyquotShift the values offered into matters of trustquot McKenzie continued quotAre we building institutions that deeply care about people internally and externally There was inequality with the pandemic impacting women and people of color The more we can open up to show the impact of what happens the better People are being more accountable than ever beforequotTrust listening and compassion must be key elements of generating a strong workplace environment going forward Cassotis added Company management must bring those elements to the table over and over again starting with management of their own lives at and away from the office quotIt39s everythingquot she said quotIt39s the culture If you39re not living your values at the top what39s the performance How are you taking care of the community The only way employees can trust each other is that the values start at the tippy tippy topquotAccording to Keswin another key strategy is the development of repeatable practices or what she calls rituals quotTransforming everyday routines can give us order out of chaosquot she asserted quotIt39s a tool that39s so highly accessible They don39t have to cost anybody anything You just have to be intentionalquotOne way to have rituals work is through frequent communication among all levels of management with employees communications that emphasize safety and empowerment The more transparent the communication becomes and the more willing top company management is to be frank about what39s not working or how management failed to resolve issues the more engaged employees will be in collaborating with management to flourish amid uncertainty Keswin explainedquotPeople get to see their leaders as people who share their own strugglesquot she addedDeploying new technology can be a positive force to weather uncertain tides to a point McKenzie noted When technology gets used too often efficiency and effectiveness plunge quotWe can39t allow technology to make us less effective than what we need to bequot he warnedOrganizations must take what they learned from the pandemic and keep that front of mind Cassotis said In her experience giving employees more problemsolving latitude and an ongoing communications pipeline to management is crucialquotIn a crisis your culture will be exposed It39s moral turpentinequot Cassotis warned quotHow will you show up What we do matters Our people are assets on the balance sheet That39s how we should look at the worldquotquotBe in the human capital spacequot added Keswin quotPlay in that space Be real and build trust That impacts the bottom linequotOverall employers must be authentic about how uncertain these times are and how their employees can work in and through these new challenges McKenzie concluded To begin match a diverse workforce with a diverse group of sustainable strategies quotOrganizations have to dig deep in a way they haven39t done beforequot he advised quotWe have to move away from the Wall Street quarterbyquarter results mentality The pandemic stripped many of the old stories we told ourselves Let39s shift resources and pay people what they are worth Institutions must deeply care about all people We have an opportunity to build things betterquotWatch the entire Equality Loungeamp174 Cannes Lions OnDemandClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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The FQ at Cannes 2021: Leadership in the Post-Pandemic World

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Simon Applebaum

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The FQ at Cannes 2021: Leadership in the Post-Pandemic World

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