By Jim Donald, Co-Chairman of Albertsons Companies
There is a difference in leading through a crisis for a company that is either facing bankruptcy, becoming outdated at the speed of technology or becoming irrelevant in today’s marketplace compared to a company facing a national pandemic like we are with COVID-19….or is there?
Having served as the chief executive of several large multi-national companies over my nearly 50-year career, I have experienced a crisis or two at every company I’ve managed. While those crises were nothing compared to the scale of urgency we face today, the need to communicate to hundreds of thousands of people remains the same.
In our current crisis, communication is, without question, the main ingredient to leading your team(s) through COVID-19 and beyond. The art of communication during this time will enable your company to emerge from this crisis stronger than when you went in. Whether you’re a leader of a multinational company or the manager of a retail store, this is the time to really separate yourself from all the others.
To begin, you first have to think back to your ‘freshman’ year of anything. Below is a structure that I am currently using as I consult with CEOs globally during this pandemic.
Leadership Team Meetings
It is important to note that associates working from home need more structure than when in the office. Utilizing that measure of discipline means that the meetings need to be held more often, with uniform start and stop times, preferably on a one-on-one basis. Those meetings need to be brief – no longer than 15 minutes. Remember, having a remote ‘Zoom conference’ is much different than working in an office environment. However, when you’re remotely interfacing with your senior leadership, a longer conference is necessary – but no more than once or twice a week and no longer than 45 minutes. And for all your associates, don’t ‘stretch the day’ – it’s long enough as it is. That mean no emails before 8:00 a.m. and none after 5:00 p.m., except for emergencies. And don’t forget to remind people that their devices have mute buttons.
Working from home also involves becoming a better listener. When engaging with your associates, they should have the floor at least 60 percent of the time. And your approach should also be different from the standard office meeting. Start with a story – people retain stories – and inject some humor into the conversation. (But, be sure to keep the normally “funny” guys from the office under control as this can be unproductive.) Try not to talk about yourself and keep your problems to yourself; people need a break now more than ever and will appreciate the personal interaction with their boss.
I think it’s vital that I be the ‘keel in the heavy sailboat in a big storm’ and that part of my role is to keep things steady.
Leading Your Company At Every Level
The need to communicate at every level has never been more critical. My ‘go to’ approach has been to send a short video (about 45 seconds) each morning, in which I communicate an important daily – yes, daily – message to all the associates. For me, it’s been an effective way of being seen as someone who is interested in the entire team.
If you’re sending an email, don’t worry about typos; if you’re making a video, the quality of the production is not important – your employee base doesn’t care what you know – they want to know, though, how much you care.
The Language You Speak
Not literally but communicate to associates in a manner that they will understand. Try to find an area of mutual compatibility – if you can find that sweet spot, your message will be heard. And if you are even more effective, your language will go to their heart and that will create action.
A good boss is usually an empathetic boss. Try to understand your associates’ concerns and issues. Focus on simple things, such as asking whether their home workplace is adequate. If not, consider helping them with the cost to improve their work-from-home environment.
I prefer sending a short-handwritten note, and this can be done online, with the appropriate app. I also like to use some humor or add a personal touch when appropriate.
What Your Associates Need To Know
Research data has shown that compensation ranks fourth in associates’ ‘must haves’ when rating employee engagement priorities. First on the list is the ability to make decisions.
Because all of our lives have been tremendously disrupted, it is important to reinforce that associates are empowered to make decisions – give them more freedom to exercise their judgment. Why? Because they already know that their company’s reputation is at stake – show them confidence that you trust that they’ll make the right decision.
And if they do make a mistake, be lenient with your ‘get out of jail free’ cards. We all make errors – don’t be too harsh.
Celebrating Every Little Success
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed all of our lives. One of the realities that I’ve witnessed over the past few weeks is that people’s attention spans are shorter than ever. Being in a home environment, the impact of their kids, other family members, even pets is visceral. With that changed environment, it is vital that, as a leader, you highlight their personal or team successes. Little things can become big things by taking notice. One example: I’ve developed online awards as a fun thing that singles out individual associates. In a time of disruption, it’s imperative that you try to cultivate loyalty.
Don’t worry if your associates who are working at home are productive. It is far more important to focus on the small things. By paying attention to the small things that make a difference.When this crisis passes, and it will, you as a leader, and your company as a leader in its industry, will be remembered by how you emerge from this crisis. And how you emerge from this crisis will depend on how you led from home.
Jim Donald is currently co-chairman of Albertsons after having served as the large supermarket chain’s CEO. Donald began his career in his native Tampa, FL as a trainee for Publix. He then joined Albertsons in 1976, rising through the ranks to become VP-Operations in Arizona. In 1991, he was recruited personally by Sam Walton to join Walmart to lead the development of the mass merchant’s grocery business and SuperCenter development. Donald subsequently left for Safeway in 1994 to be the senior-VP and leader of the chain’s 130-store Eastern region, a position he held for two years. His first CEO role was at Pathmark Stores from 1996 through 2002, followed by probably his most well-known appointment as president and chief executive at Starbucks, where he led the company through an era of record growth, including five straight years of 20 percent plus annual earnings increases. After Starbucks, Donald served as CEO of two other companies – Haggen (a regional grocery retailer based in Portland, OR) and Extended Stay America (a national hotel chain based in Charlotte, NC). Named one of the ‘Top 25 CEOs in the World’ by The Best Practice Institute and one of Business Travel News’ ‘25 Most influential business travel executives’ in 2013 for his leadership of Extended Stay America where he also led its successful $565 million IPO, Donald rejoined Albertsons Companies in March 2018 as president and COO before being named chief executive offer of the large chain in September 2018. Most recently he was named to the board of directors of Nordstrom’s.