Business leaders across the globe are coming to an unexpected—and undesirable—realization: Their work cultures suck.

Of course, we can’t and shouldn’t label all company cultures as toxic. But the odds are good they’re not ideal and are less than inspiring. In many organizations, poor company culture is the root cause of low employee engagement, poor retention rates of key employees, low productivity, and many more undesirable outcomes.

Nearly 18 months in, many of us can say we have been changed by the pandemic in some way or another. Yes, we have adapted to different ways of working, learning and living, but we also may have emerged with a new perspective on life and a realignment of priorities. This is true of many leaders who share their stories in David Grossman’s new book, Heart First: Lasting Leader Lessons from a Year that Changed Everything. Just as individuals and leaders have had to adjust as a result of the pandemic, businesses of all sizes have flexed, adapted and changed like never before, and many are grappling now with what reforms they will adopt moving forward.

It’s 2021, and we’ve made it through Black History Month, but we’re still joyriding the wave of #BlackExcellence, while persevering through miserably predictable adversity and trauma. I’d say, hallowed by some ancestral forces who continue to restore fortitude and resilience.

In February 2020, I accepted an assignment as the Interim CEO of a leading scientific professional society. The Board President and President-elect were looking to me to keep the 130-member staff engaged and calm until the new CEO came on board, ensuring that valued society programs continued to operate effectively.

I knew there would be some challenges in leading the team. Transitions are always unsettling. This one had a number of elements that were raising stress levels – an effective and popular CEO was retiring, and the team was worried about changes I might make as well as changes the new CEO might institute. In addition, the Board was ready to adopt a visionary strategic plan, and employees wondered what their role would be in the society’s future.

I recently attended a virtual panel focused on the topic of race and inclusion in the workplace. “Reflecting on Race: Moving Forward for Inclusion Success” was hosted by COLOR Magazine & WMFDP | FDP Global and featured leaders in the Diversity, Inclusion and Equity field from Applied Materials, Novant Health, Sandia National Laboratories among other organizations.

I learned so much and appreciated hearing the perspectives from the experts and questions on the minds of other leaders and communicators who joined the session.

With the sudden, dramatic and necessary changes brought on by the pandemic, business leaders and communicators are doing what everyone does in a crisis – narrow our focus to what’s important. Every day, we hear a new example of how businesses changed to meet the unprecedented global challenge. From the beginning, leaders dropped anything that wasn’t critical and reprioritized for the needs of people and the business. They ensured the safety of people first, and then enlisted their partnership and engagement to maintain business continuity.

For all the parents out there, this back-to-school season comes with an added dose of end-of-summer blues wrought with emotion. The pandemic rages on and there’s so much uncertainty about what’s to come as schools, parents and children navigate unchartered territory and new ways of learning.

When There are More Questions Than Answers

Many of you have likely not attended a business event – or any event, for that matter – in a few months with the sweep of event cancellations due to coronavirus concerns. Even as some states open up “nonessential” businesses and lift stay-at-home orders, large events remain off the table for safety. However, human interaction isn’t any less important than it was before the crisis. In fact, it’s a lifeline for people in isolation dealing with stress and anxiety. The only difference between then and now is how we interact, not why. 

We were all a child once and now perhaps it is time to act like a child again.

That sage advice is not an exclusive thought. It originates from Mr. Fred Rogers, the same television personality who once advised us to look for the helpers in times of crisis. When you look for the helpers, you find hope. When you think, and act like a child, you find healing.

How do development programs, such as the skills of influence, significantly impact participants and business long term, for the benefit of attendees and their organizations? Changed human behavior is hard to measure but people recognize when their own changes have positive results. Many participants, who went on to be senior leaders, have shared the lessons they learned, from courses I had the opportunity to facilitate earlier in their careers. Not only did they value their own personal results, but as leaders, the new approaches they used cascaded down through their organizations for better culture and business results.