People are our most critical assets, especially in the most uncertain of times
In these unprecedented times, one of the critical things we need to realize is that people are our most critical assets.
Many of the articles we read lately are about how to work remotely during this period. It’s a focus on the practical way of operating. An interview I recently read with Claudia Fan Munce is from a different order. She is on the boards of Bank of the West/BNP Paribas and Best Buy.
Claudia is a powerhouse of a woman, with a smart, human-centered business strategy. She clearly articulates how a Board Director should operate in a crisis like the one we’re enduring right now. While this is a humanitarian crisis that doesn’t mean we should stop strategizing, thinking about the long-term and finding ways to deal with the new set of realities we’re faced with.
One of my main take-aways is that Claudia strongly focuses on how Directors must care for all their stakeholders, paramount of which are company employees. Employees look to Board Directors for guidance and direction and expect them to know how to navigate in a crisis. Directors are expected to maintain a helicopter view, keeping the near and long-term strategy in sight, remaining level headed and navigating circumstances with available data.
Boards can help keep employees calm, focused and committed by helping them avoid panicking. To Claudia’s point, Directors can use troubled circumstances as opportunities for company growth and learning.