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Yesterday, two top CEOs that work hand in hand joined Jon Fortt for our @Work livestream to share some of what they are seeing work well, and not work, during these unprecedented times. Accenture CEO Julie Sweet and Talend's Christal Bemont run very different organizations, but both stressed the advantage of having deep experience in remote working cultures prior to the pandemic, allowing them to adapt to the 'new normal' quickly. Of course, that's not enough; finding ways to connect with employees despite being physically distant is paramount.
Both CEOs also pointed out the importance of data, and of making it accessible and digestible to more employees. Easier said than done, of course, but both Sweet and Bemont have some concrete ideas on how to make that happen.
You can watch the full interview with CEOs of Accenture and Talend at the link below, featured here. Here are a few of the biggest takeaways:
Accenture CEO Julie Sweet
Uniquely prepared pre-crisis with a remote workforce
More than 50% of Accenture's 500,000+ employees have been working remotely since the 1990s, so the transition at the start of the crisis was seamless. What was different was the inability to ever engage physically. CEOs are just now learning you can reduce your real estate footprint, but the problem strikes when companies swing too far. It will be key in the months and years ahead to continue a mixture of remote working with periodic sustained human engagement.
Smartest companies are focusing on these things
3 addressable elements: First, using collaboration tools not just as technology, but to simulate the feeling of being in a room and using it as a hub of collaboration to connect beyond audio and video to co-create. Secondly, working remotely extends the threat landscape so we have to think differently about our technology, and make security at the forefront of how we do business. Third, the move to the cloud isn't just a booster to productivity, it's now a necessity. We need to access and manipulate data and documents quickly. Digitization needs to be at the backbone of the company, and for that, you need the cloud.
Employee-centric organizations
We need to understand our people and tailor communication to the employee. With that, you need to focus on transparency, an enduring feature of great leadership. In times of crisis, it's ongoing. The use of clarity when it comes to where you are, acknowledging hard work and real stressors and saying 'you don't have the answer right now' gives people confidence that you're telling them both the good and the bad. Unique to this crisis is making sure that you're thinking about people as people. In the office, you don't think about a kid in the next room. The need to consider an individual's particular circumstance is much different working from home. This will be a good long-term (5-year) impact because we should always be more empathetic. We're talking about personal and professional success, but this requires new skills.
Talend CEO Christal Bemont
Getting back to business with community
I spent the last 15 years of my life working remote myself, so I have a deep understanding of what it's like to traverse that landscape and it does take a very intentional process and mindset to have good communication skills and navigate these situations. The community around us, from customers, partners and employees, all need to be factored in when intentionally thinking about how to move forward and drive to the right outcomes, making sure that we're staying connected through thoughtful conversation and making sure that we check in on people because these are unprecedented times. We need to fire on all cylinders and make sure people aren't being overworked, and find the way to strike the balance of remote work.
Digital transformation is evolution
Our customers are all at different stages of that digital transformation journey and we need to be mindful of that. How quickly can they instrument, transform and reinvent? A great example of a digital pioneer: Domino's, a company that you never thought would be on the frontlines of technological innovation, has become a technology company with its mobile device and tracking through gaming. Domino's was the first to use drones to deliver pizza. It was at that stage early and embraced it. Covid has thrown fuel to the fire of transformation and it's all about adapting and adjusting quickly. Domino's immediately looked at contactless delivery. People need to show up in a different way and we look to align ourselves with where our customers are and work through it.
Making sense of disparate data
It all starts with a data assessment, understanding what you have, what you need to move forward, knowing every part of how your organization functions - systems, processes, technology - and beyond. The gap is that most organizations don't know where pockets of information and data exist. Even further, most organizations question completeness of data and quality of governance of data. If you can't effectively leverage or trust your data, that's a problem. Data needs to be put in the hands of the right people at the right time and there's never been a time like now. Speed is imperative, but confidence in the decisions you're making based on the data you can trust will make or break an organization.
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Great Article! Thanks for sharing valuable Information.....
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