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Three Lessons From 2020 That Corporate America Should Never Forget

Forbes Human Resources Council

Chief Human Resources Officer at Benefitfocus, with over 20 years experience in Technology, Financial Services and Healthcare industries. 

Looking back, 2020 was a year for the record books. Its greatest hits included a global pandemic, shocking levels of social injustice, record-breaking natural disasters, unrivaled political turmoil, world economic declines and a sprinkling of murder hornets for good measure.

Yet during it all, we learned, we grew, we persevered and there were hard-won lessons, as individuals and organizations, that we should never forget. While perhaps not earth-shattering realizations, these three lessons below should shape corporate thinking well into the future.

1. Where There Is A Will, There Is A Way

For decades, eager employees with the next great idea or inspired strategy were taught that executive buy-in was the key to its success. There is a corporate graveyard full of great ideas that never got their sea legs because they lacked senior-level sponsorship.

Thankfully, this was not the case in 2020. It would be hard to find a better example of what is possible when that magic mix of a burning why + clear what + prioritized how takes shape. The voice and safety of employees became a clear priority in all the right ways.

Companies that had tried for years to become more flexible and remote were able to do it in just a matter of weeks and did it well. Resources were quickly diverted and masses of employees transitioned — largely seamlessly — to home offices. All the hand-wringing about remote cultures, technology enablement and cost to execute from years past went by the wayside. The will was strong and the way was clear. 

The Lesson: For any future initiative, apply a "Covid test." Is our will equivalently strong? Is our why equally clear? Will our resources be as clearly prioritized? If not, reconsider why not. Imagine the mountains that could be moved if every initiative had this level of will and clarity.

2. Be Real, Be Human

For the first time, company cultures that were previously steeped in formality and had a laser focus on business needs saw the real lives and needs of their employees take center stage. We saw all the corporate pretense and formal facades disappear; we were real people, with real challenges, in a very real and uncertain situation.

We were real with each other that our home lives are chaotic, there are moments we are not OK (and that is OK), and being comfortable and productive usually does not involve zippered pants and high-heel shoes. We were real that we need more flexibility in our lives, that being our true authentic selves should not be a luxury, that our LinkedIn photos often don't show the real us and that underneath our badge number, we are people. Behind every three-year strategic plan, every new product launch, every customer service call and every budget forecast, there are people. People with lives, with fears, with needs, with hopes and with dreams.

In a recent study by Google, psychological safety in an authentic environment was shown to be the primary driver of why some teams outperform others. Authenticity at work has a direct correlation to individual well-being, job performance and engagement. There is clear and direct evidence that when we are real with each other, we see real, tangible business results.

The Lesson: Fiercely protect this newly found "realness" in your culture. Don't let the rubber band snap back to the old ways of working, thinking and behaving with each other. Use this hard-won lesson to your advantage and, most importantly, to the advantage of your employees.

3. Dig Deeper On Inclusiveness

Last year taught us that when it comes to being truly inclusive in our corporate thinking, we have only scratched the surface. The opportunities are wide-ranging as just two examples below highlight.

Example No. 1: Conversations in 2020 were real, raw and emotional, but they were also filled with hope. Diverse voices, regardless of title, were given a platform to share their life stories, their struggles and their fears at a level previously unheard of. They were vulnerable and it triggered hope. Hope that the conversations would open our collective eyes and would never again close. Hope that they would trigger real change in our thinking, our processes and our policies. What will we do now armed with this new level of understanding? What norms will we challenge? What new questions will we ask ourselves? Are we asking ourselves if everyone truly feels included and that they belong? Are individual life experiences valued in the workplace? Are diverse thoughts solicited? Are all voices heard?

Example No. 2: At a tactical level, there are opportunities to think more deeply about the headquarters versus remote experience. For years, remote employees have, in a word, been "missed." All the missed hallway conversations, the missed meeting discussions because of poor conference room audio, the missed career opportunities due to being out of sight and out of mind — they all add up. Last year taught us new ways to even the remote playing field that we should be diligent about protecting.

The Lesson: Do an inclusiveness audit. Look up and down the employee experience to find the places where inclusiveness needs to shine brighter, where norms need to be challenged and where new mental models need to be created.

Winston Churchill is often credited for saying, "Never let a good crisis go to waste." What an opportunity we collectively have to make transformational shifts in our corporate "how" and positively impact the millions of people who are the heart and soul of every organization. While 2020 is a year we never want to repeat, here's to hoping that its lessons make us better humans and better organizations for the long haul.


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