The Number One Thing CEOs Need From Their Leaders Right Now

It’s never been easy to hold the top job at a company, but let’s imagine what it must feel like for your average CEO leading through the pandemic right now. As if it isn’t enough to manage daily operations or hold onto customers through COVID, CEOs must also make incredibly difficult decisions that impact employee lives and the very futures of their companies. The pressure is enormous, and now more than ever, CEOs need to be surrounded by people who understand what’s at stake. Given that, what can senior leaders do to help their CEOs right now?

Demonstrate more empathy.  

A common theme I’ve been hearing over the past few weeks from CEO clients is related to the isolation and loneliness that comes with making tough or unpopular decisions. Consider one CEO, who was recently advised by his CFO to make deep cuts and lay off significant numbers of employees. “I understand where he’s coming from, and in some ways, it would be easier to take that step,” said the CEO, who ultimately rejected the CFO’s advice, citing layoffs as an absolute last resort. Moreover, the CEO felt frustrated that his team didn’t appreciate how much he felt personally responsible for the lives and livelihoods of his employees.   

Instead: Leaders can ask questions that address both head and heart.

• In hindsight, the team realized that before they provided recommendations to the CEO, they could have asked a few simple questions, like, “How do you really feel about this?” or “What is worrying you most about this idea?” to better understand where he’s truly coming from.  
• No matter how strong the recommendation or numbers look on paper, teams need to provide strategies to their CEOs that also reflect they get it and are attuned to the CEO’s thoughts and feelings. Without that, CEOs may feel that their key people may be missing the bigger picture, oversimplifying the answer, or are unable to navigate the deeper complexities and nuances of a given situation.

Another CEO recently raised a concern about her team: “Several of my leaders continue to advocate for themselves and their teams over the needs of the company.” Despite asking key leaders to take significant cost out of their respective parts of the business, the CEO found several dragging their feet and continuing to come up with reasons why the broad mandate couldn’t or shouldn’t apply to them. Not only did this significantly slow down the company’s efforts to hold on to cash, but it created friction between those on the team who had followed through with the CEO’s request and those who had not.

Instead: Leaders can apply 180 Thinking. 

• This dynamic between the CEO and her team highlighted a greater need for them to appreciate the factors behind the mandate. As she put it: “I need them to see the why behind the what and better demonstrate an understanding of what is really underneath my request.”
•  To do that, leaders can apply 180 thinking, a powerful concept that asks leaders to view a topic or situation as your audience does. Put differently: Rather than view a situation through your own lens, turn the entire thing around 180 degrees, and push yourself to see things as your audience would, so you’re better able to appreciate what they truly care about and what’s behind their thinking.

A simple definition of empathy is being able to step into another’s shoes. Leaders have wisdom and expertise that their CEOs and companies can greatly benefit from, but to do that, fact-only messages won’t get the job done. Now more than ever, leaders must go beyond the words of their CEOs, listen to what is unspoken, and demonstrate they get it. When messages speak to the head and heart, leaders can have even greater impact, because everyone – including the CEO – feels heard.