I can’t remember a time when the simple question “How are you?” carried more resonance and dimension. This is the question now posed most often at the start of our virtual interactions and sadly, not while arriving at a restaurant, attending a sporting event or (more important) greeting our colleagues while walking through the office. For me, being deprived of face-to-face interaction with my friends and colleagues is like breathing less oxygenated air … my lungs expand but somehow it just doesn’t take me as far.
While a meager substitute for “the real thing” (face-to-face), we are fortunate to have amazing virtual tools for both business and social interaction. As evidence, one day this week began at 11:00 AM Geneva time (I leave it to you to do the math on that) in a videoconference with our global CEO, with follow-on chats with colleagues in China and Latin America. I just finished the latest in a now frequent series of videoconference calls with our US Senior Management (SEMA) team, where we were poking fun at one another for our attire (I’m wearing jeans, a pullover sweater and MCI socks) and choices to blur our backgrounds, which provides the effect of a disembodied head (Shawn and Erin agreed this was definitely not a good look for me). While the content of our call was deeply serious, it reinforced how much I already miss seeing my colleagues face-to-face. I realize face-to-face is not just our business, it’s my comfort.
However, like it or not, this is today’s reality, and my core priority is clear…the protection of our company and our talents’ health, safety and jobs.
With all the challenges before us, I pledge to share my philosophy and approach as tough decisions are confronted and made. I view coronavirus as an existential threat impacting our business in different sectors and service lines at different levels and times. As circumstances force consideration of additional measures to remediate this crisis, my objective will be to spread impact as much as possible so that difficult decisions touch all of us more lightly instead of more profoundly impacting smaller numbers.
I have and will continue to actively seek feedback and perspective, chiefly from our global leaders and our US SEMA team, who are not at all shy about expressing themselves. At the end of the day, I’ll explain our decisions in a forthright, transparent way.
So, how are you? I hope that, like me, you’re confident, focused and resolute. I hope that despite the ambiguity and uncertainty of this time that you, like me, are using good judgement while being guided by empathy and a keen sense of fairness.
This is our time to shine, to show our unity and toughness. Soon enough we will celebrate face-to-face, having successfully managed an existential threat to our health and profession.
I’m sure glad you’re my colleague!
