PPB May 2021

caring, trusting teams. While many factors play into good collaboration, an “otherness” focus is at the center. Otherness is both a mindset and a behavior. Leaders first need to overcome their own tendency to seek confirmation for what they believe. This means acknowledging that they need others to help them see solutions. They also need to behave in ways that show they respect the human dignity of others, and make sure all team members do the same. 7 Seek feedback continuously. Leaders need to seek feedback and embrace it graciously and gratefully, not oppose it. That takes humility. If you assume you know it all, you won’t be open to the ideas of others. Humility requires mastering the ego. While this may not be easy, it’s certainly possible to have a quiet ego once you get intentional about it. Mindfulness meditation is one method. Another good option is to practice gratitude by saying thank youmore often, writing thank-you notes to employees and acknowledging often that you did not reach your leadership position all on your own. You had lots of help along the way. 8 Create a place where people really want to be. As economic recovery takes hold and more opportunities begin to open up, we’ll see a mass exodus of people from companies where they were poorly treated during tough times. Be ready to capture them, if you want to, by taking steps to “humanize” your workplace culture. Essentially this means: • Be an idea meritocracy. This means the best data- driven idea or judgment wins, irrespective of rank, compensation or power. • Cultivate workplace positivity. Positive emotions enable cognitive processing, innovative thinking, learning and creativity. Negative emotions like fear and anxiety squelch them. • Respect human dignity. Respect every employee as a unique human being worthy of the opportunity to grow and develop their skills and to be financially rewarded in a manner that validates their human dignity and gives them the opportunity to live a meaningful life. • Operationalize “psychological safety” throughout your business. That requires you to build trust throughout your organization so people are enabled to do the “hard stuff” like give constructive feedback, challenge the status quo and find the courage to take risks. • Meet people’s self- determination needs. In part, this means people must have input on how they do their jobs and feel a sense of competence in their work. 9 Adopt a new humanistic way of working. Leaders must focus on training and developing people so they can be their best selves. Without a whole company of people working at top capacity, it will be tough for any business to survive in a super-competitive marketplace. Every company will be in the human development business in addition to its core business. The quality of your human performance will ultimately be your strategic differentiator. COVID has been a workplace disruptor. It has required human adaptation and embracing new ways of working. As we move over time into a post-COVID era, leaders must embrace the reality that the business world will not go back to operating as it did in early 2020. It is time to continue to move forward; the rewards may be exponential. Don’t let a good recovery go to waste. Edward D. Hess is professor of business administration, a Batten Fellow and Batten Executive-in-Residence at the Darden School of Business, and the author of Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change. He spent 20 years in the business world as a senior executive and has spent the past 18 years in academia. He is the author of 13 books, over 140 articles and 60 Darden case studies. His work has appeared in more than 400 global media outlets including Fortune, European Business Review, HBR, SHRM, Fast Company, WIRED, Forbes, Inc., Huffington Post, Washington Post, Business Week, Financial Times, CNBC Squawk Box, Fox Business News with Maria Bartiroma, Big Think, WSJ Radio, Bloomberg Radio with Kathleen Hays, Dow Jones Radio, MSNBC Radio, Business Insider and Wharton Radio. As we move over time into a post-COVID era, leaders must embrace the reality that the business world will not go back to operating as it did in early 2020. 26 | MAY 2021 | INNOVATE