The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious implications on businesses and economies around the world, as well as, more importantly, on families. In Belgium, as lockdown began, Salesforce Deputy Country leader, Carmina Coenen, organised a virtual roundtable with female leaders from across industries to understand how they are responding, and the unique challenges they are facing navigating the new normal.
In this blog, we will share their insights and the positive lessons they have learned during these challenging times.
What keywords were top of mind as Belgium entered lockdown?
During the roundtable of female leaders, Carmina asked, in one word, what was top of mind for the executives. Words like honesty, transparency, vulnerability, creating trust, open communication, empathy with care, and gratitude were shared. The female leaders expressed that the crisis was an opportunity for businesses to lean into their humanity and the leaders’ natural traits of empathy and a culture of support towards customers and employees. As one participant put it, “Vulnerability shows great talent”
What are the biggest challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic?
For the female leaders we spoke to at the roundtable, the most important thing was safeguarding employees and customers. This sentiment was echoed when we caught up with Elly Huysmans of Het Poetsbureau- as everybody transitioned to working remotely, it was important to ensure everybody had the proper equipment.
Initially, they were faced with financial challenges like how to manage cash flow and the impact to the business. Once the immediate crisis had stabilised, her team had to find ways to replace natural connections, or ‘coffee corner’ conversations, and embrace new ways of communicating with each other.
What are the unique challenges women are facing, and how are they thriving?
Across the conversations we have had with female leaders, managing a crisis while being at home with their families has been difficult. Although the world is changing to become more equal and empowering men to spend time with their families too, a lot of women at the roundtable expressed the dual pressure of remote working and motherhood.
There have also been some unique ways in which women are making a positive impact during the COVID-19 pandemic. Female leaders such as New Zealand’s Jacinda Arden, Germany’s Angela Merkel, and Norway’s Erna Solberg have been praised for leading with honesty, transparency, and compassion. The female leaders talked about how they can lead on mental health initiatives and providing support to their teams. This inspirational way of leading with values such as honesty will be valued as the country moves forward- the world demands balanced leadership.
How have the leaders personally been coping?
Carmina and the leaders shared personal tips and tricks for coping with the pandemic, such as mindfulness, reducing the pressure on family life (allowing a bit more video games than usual!), and the importance of taking time for yourself.
How each company will adapt in the future is different, but the common theme in the roundtable was putting their customers and employees first, and those that are ready to put their own values into action. After catching up with the women, we learnt that the companies that will emerge the strongest are those that lead with compassion.
How can we learn?
One thing is for sure: we don’t know what the future is going to bring. The world has been changed irreversibly by 2020, and it is important to try and find the positive change we want to last, like connectedness, empathy, and honesty. We should embrace the lessons of a changing world and embed positive change- whatever the future may hold.
To hear more about how leaders have been leading through change and making decisions in the new normal, register for our Leading Through Change on-demand episodes.
