A global pandemic, digital transformations with the rise of AI, employee turnover, economic uncertainty, climate change, war even. And that’s just the last few years.

Leaders face unprecedented challenge

Leaders today face more challenge, more complexity and more volatility than ever before. Leaders operate under some of the most difficult economic, social and political pressures ever seen. They must be everything from bold visionaries, effective strategists to inspirational team leaders whilst also delivering business results month on month, quarter on quarter. And they face high expectations from a whole range of stakeholders – whether that’s delivering results to shareholders, providing competitive products and services for customers, operating sustainably and in service of the community and, last but certainly not least, delivering stable, meaningful work for employees.

It’s in this context that employees’ expectations on leaders are also changing. We are now in a world where the boundaries between personal and professional lives have blurred even further as the blessing and the curse of hybrid working has become the norm. And where employees are less reluctant to settle for anything less that contributing to meaningful, important work. We’re in a world where employees expect their leaders to show up as people first, business managers second.

Evidence and research tells us the most effective leaders lead with heart

From our recent Meeting the Moment survey of 1,000 employees based in the US and UK across a range of industries, business sizes and employee roles. We asked questions about the threats and challenges their companies were facing, the changes they were going through, what employees felt their leaders were doing well, and the impact this has on employee satisfaction, engagement and business performance. We found:

Leaders may be measured on business performance, but they can’t succeed without an energised, engaged and empowered workforce committed to the company’s purpose and their role in delivering the strategic results. A workforce that feels listened to and cared for as humans and that feels trusted and safe to collaborate, innovate, and learn, often during times of change. Evidence shows that the best leaders, those with the most impact, are those who are not just high-performing, but those that lead with a big heart and humanity.

Leadership development needs a rethink

Traditional leadership development has equipped leaders with the skills to build strategies, set objectives, track and measure performance and solve problems. However, frameworks, models and theories that serve a purpose in the classroom quickly get dusty in the real-world where leaders rely on their instincts, the views of those around them and the data in front of them.

Leadership development needs to do a better job at supporting leaders to be more human. We need to do better at equipping leaders to understand what motivates and drives their people. We need to curate the experiences that will push leaders to shift their thinking and see their role in a new way. And most of all, we must provide leaders with the skills and tools that allow them to focus on the people who deliver for their businesses, over the task, in the moments that matter most.

Nurturing high-performing leaders with heart

So how do we do it? At United Minds, we support leaders to first understand the psychology of their own habits and behaviours. What drives and motivates them, what holds them back, what’s behind their behaviours? By understanding how mindset affects behaviours – for both themselves and then for others – leaders can determine the actions that are right for them as individuals to show up authentically and that can be adopted straight away to shift outcomes.

The reason this approach is powerful is that it nurtures the essence of being a leader. It nurtures those core leadership skills that can be applied regardless of the environment. Whether it’s financial pressure, organisational restructure, the introduction of technology, leadership transition, organisational culture and employee retention issues, or outside-in economic, societal or environmental forces. By focusing on a leaders’ psychological awareness and behaviours, we are nurturing the leaders our businesses need today regardless of the challenge they face.

That’s why, we believe that more human leaders are better able to take on the challenges they face in the real-world. When we upskill leaders to understand their psychology and to lead with both heart and compassion, we’re equipping them to navigate and perform effectively, regardless of the challenge they face. And when we get it right, we get leaders who can drive business performance and a great employee experience.

Our three-step model to developing high-performing leaders with heart

Via our collaboration with Professor Thomas Roulet, Professor of Organisational Sociology & Leadership at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School, and based on his research and thought leadership, we apply a three-step model to the development of high-performing leaders with heart.

We start with the individual – the first critical step for any leader wanting to be effective and impactful in leading teams and organisations.

  1. Leading self
    Leaders must first and foremost get absolutely clear on their own purpose and vision. Through self-awareness and reflection, leaders can understand the psychology of their own habits and behaviours. Then they create actions that can be adopted straight away to shift those behaviours, showing up in the organisation with a conscious and authentic leadership style.
  2. Leading others
    An effective leader aligns a team around their vision, provides focus and empowers their people to take ownership and make the decisions that will deliver high-performance. Through behaving with heart, compassion and great communication, leaders can support their teams through change and transformation, as well as create trusted relationships and safe environments that facilitate collaboration, creativity, innovation and productivity.
  3. Leading organisation
    With these foundations in place, organisational performance follows with a leader strategically positioned to drive results, nurture and drive an enabling culture through leadership role modelling, as well as clear, purposeful, strategic communications, and create the energy that will continue to drive a business forward as it continues to change, transform and evolve.

At United Minds, we are a group of HR practitioners, psychologists, coaches, business consultants, communicators, and change managers. It’s our purpose to make business more human and we believe that starts at the top.

That’s why we love partnering with our clients on leadership alignment and development programmes that nurture high-performing leaders with heart. For us, that’s leadership impact.

If you’re interested in learning more about what we do, get in touch.

Business leaders recognise that the pace of change is constantly increasing. Organisations are now expected to play a pivotal role in driving and sustaining long-lasting change in society. That’s hard to do without an authentic purpose that is lived and breathed by the whole organisation.  

In a recent study of 1000 CEOs, 89% of their organisations had a purpose, but the CEOs’ biggest challenge was making it actionable and relevant. Connecting people to purpose requires everyone to be accountable for that purpose, and feel empowered to make decisions in pursuit of it. It can’t be left only to the leaders at the top. 

However, change fatigue for employees is real. They need to be re-energised to build their creativity. How can we unlock the passion and joy people find in their work? How can we reignite the pride and purpose in our people without it feeling like yet another change initiative?  

Empowering your team starts with you 

The answer lies in empowering employees through clear accountability and devolved leadership. In a recent United Minds study of 1000 US and UK-based employees, 77% believe leaders could drive more accountability. Similarly, 75% believe leaders could empower employees more. For organisations to harness the opportunities within today’s rapidly changing business climate, it is critical for all employees to be accountable for the organisation’s success – and most importantly, to feel empowered to do so. 

United Minds has developed a simple visual framework to help you explore, define and activate the critical factors needed to drive greater accountability and empowerment of your people. The ultimate benefit is creating the conditions for everyone to actively contribute towards strengthening your business.  

The questions below will help you take a closer look at each of these critical factors.

Click here to review the full framework

The Why: Purpose, Vision and Strategy

You can only hit the target if you know what you are aiming at. People need to have a North Star to guide them when they are making decisions. Understanding the purpose, vision and strategy ensures their actions are aligned with the organisation’s priorities and its strategic intent for creating value. 

Questions to help you explore The Why: 

Think about these questions from the point of view of the employee. As a leader, you will have a much closer connection to the business strategy and to the purpose and vision, and be clear on your role. Can you confidently – and measurably – say the same for your team? 

The Way: Culture

Culture guides the “way things are done” in an organisation. Having a culture that is built on genuine vulnerability-based trust; that values feedback to enable honest conversations; and fosters a sense of agency to make decisions and take accountability without fear, ensures growth for individuals and better outcomes for the organisation.

Questions to help you explore The Way:

Are people in your organisation empowered to proactively step up to drive organisational goals?
– Ways to identify if you’re empowering your people include checking whether managers measure outcomes, not just inputs, and recognize the right behaviours in their teams.
– What stories are people sharing? Do they reinforce proactivity?

The How: Processes and Systems 

Policies, processes and systems go some way to activating these critical factors and making the behaviour change more sustainable. These should be designed to promote and reward individual ownership, with defined responsibilities that create clarity and accountability without limiting initiative. Underpinning these should be measures on how improved empowerment and accountability tangibly impact business and purpose KPIs. 

Questions to help you explore The How: 

Don’t do it alone 

Now that you have explored the why, the way and the how behind enabling greater accountability and empowering your team to drive purpose-led change, it’s time to put it into action. Role model empowering your team by identifying people to develop a plan and put it into action. United Minds partners with organisations to design tailored solutions, starting with assessing where your culture currently is, and how you want it to evolve to get you closer to your Why. We support you in bringing your team along the journey through our people-centered approach – resulting in genuine empowerment and sustainable change, with a clear business impact in mind.  

Click here to speak to us about how we can help. 

Communications has never been so essential to business performance. But communicators are still not trusted at the same level as other C-suite leaders. It’s time that changes.  

For several decades, the communications function has been maturing. Where once was a more straightforward playbook for connecting to key audiences – place an ad to reach customers, draft a press release to signal investors, write a memo to update employees, the 24-hour news cycle, information overload and a near-constant state of crisis has resulted in the need for a more strategic and nuanced approach. 

And communications executives have been rising to the challenge. A poll conducted by The Weber Shandwick Collective in August of 2021 – roughly a year and a half into the global pandemic – revealed that at companies where communications were prioritized, employees felt significantly more loyal to their organization than those at companies who were not prioritizing communications (87% vs. 50%). Similarly, 80% of consumers preferred to make purchases from companies who were actively communicating policies that promoted employee health and safety.  

Despite this track record of success, a lack of trust in the very leaders best equipped to manage company reputation has been stubbornly persistent. Additional research from United Minds and KRC Research shows While 77% of C-suite leaders consider communications and public relations as an area of focus for the company, behind only attracting and retaining talent (93%), managing the adoption of new technologies (90%) and addressing the impacts of inflation (91%), only 24% believe their company can deliver well in this area.  

This lack of trust is creating serious business risk. 

Communication leaders are generally very aligned to stakeholder expectations, according to insights gathered in partnership with USC Annenberg. This is especially true when it comes to perceptions of societal issues – an area where their C-suite peers are currently underestimating the importance to employees, customers and investors (even more so the Gen Z and Millennial members of these groups). What’s more, these leaders are not comfortable engaging around the issues that stakeholders believe are important. And only 27% feel comfortable addressing even one of the following topics: social inequities, climate change, geopolitical or domestic social issues.  

A misalignment that is possibly leading to missteps. 

Importance of ESG standards to stakeholder perceptions of a company 

Companies who are discounting the expert guidance of communications’ leaders to engage – thoughtfully – around some more difficult topics are not realizing the benefits of doing so. According to findings from TWSC’s most recent public perceptions poll, employee satisfaction is much higher at companies where leadership speaks up: 72% vs. 39%. And consumers are making purchasing decisions based on company positions: 36% have chosen to “buycott,” intentionally buying products or services to show support. 

This doesn’t mean that communications leaders believe that every issue should be taken on publicly and bullishly. To the contrary, these leaders recognize that over the next five years, their job will become increasingly balanced between building reputation and protecting it. 

Time spent protecting versus building reputation in the next five years 

The stakes are high.  

TWSC’s recent public perceptions poll also showed that even though 71% of U.S. adults believe companies should take action to address social issues, 45% see categorizing a company as “woke” as criticism. And 27% of employees who work at companies that have been called “woke” are fearful that their company will become the target of aggression and harassment.  

This makes it even more important to trust the experts when it comes to preserving reputation while navigating complex, multi-stakeholder issues – or increasingly, the state of business.  

So, how do communications leaders prove their value to C-suite peers and drive business success? Here are four ways: 

  1. Shared intelligence: Every business must make trade-offs when it comes to prioritizing stakeholders, but in a model where responsibility for stakeholder engagement is divided across different teams, these decisions are often made in a vacuum. An integrated communication function offers a 360-degree view of stakeholders and a single point of responsibility in coordinating engagement versus piecing together competing priorities from across the organization. 
  1. Shared narratives: A clear articulation of the business strategy, tied to company values, is critical to how a company is perceived by its stakeholders – and it requires nuances for each community. Communicators’ advanced understanding of stakeholder dynamics is critical to tailoring a narrative effectively and avoiding inconsistencies can lead to misunderstandings and frustration.  
  1. Coordinated execution: Most business priorities require support from different communities at different times. Strategic communications leaders should be empowered to pull the right lever at the right time in a coordinated fashion across shared platforms to drive advocacy at scale. 
  1. Shared accountability: Accountability shouldn’t be for the metrics of the individual function like reputation, employee engagement or policy wins. It’s for the business. Strategic alignment within communications functions means sharing the same goals while also maintaining discrete responsibility for the areas of impact necessary to achieve them. 

It’s ironic, right? Communicators – the best positioned protectors of reputation – are suffering from reputational issues. It’s time these business strategists get the full support from their executive peers. Because they’re equipped to do the job. 

Brand and reputation are now inextricably linked to overall performance. As stewards of these critical business metrics –once considered “nice-to-have” –communication leaders are more empowered than ever to provide strategic impact and value by managing relationships with and improving perceptions across key stakeholder groups.

Recent research by United Minds and its partners demonstrates the growing strategic value of the communications function, as well as areas of focus for its leaders to continue to positively impact business results. 

Our research shows…

  1.  As expectations of businesses and leaders grow, so too do opportunities for communicators. 
  2.  Communications leaders recognize the rapidly increasing importance of reputation to achieving business goals. 
  3.  Over the next five years, communications leaders believe reputation will become even more critical to business success. 
  4.  Communications leaders (generally) understand what stakeholders consider most important in next five years. 
  5.  When it comes to engaging around societal issues especially, communications leaders are more attuned to stakeholder expectations than other executives. 

The time is now to ensure this important function is central to future business strategy. Download the full report below.

The headline of Gallup’s recent State of the Global Workplace report states that “In today’s typical organisation, most employees are neither engaged nor actively disengaged.”  

This isn’t surprising given the rise of quiet quitting, extensive change fatigue and ever-changing expectations of work. Yet, it’s also critical we don’t take this at surface value. Just because our employees aren’t actively engaged or disengaged, doesn’t mean they’re not experiencing a myriad of emotions in the workplace. Emotions that could be telling us a lot more than we realise.  

According to Gallup’s study, nearly half of their respondents are stressed (and quite a few are angry). Anger is reported slightly higher in females (23%) than males (20%), and higher in South Asia (36%) and the Middle East (32%) than Europe (14%), Australia (15%) and Latin America (13%). US (18%) is fairly middling. Interestingly, intent to leave the business follows a similar pattern country by country showing serious financial implications if these emotions are not tackled and managed.  

What needs to change? 

For too long, the tendency has been to avoid, hide or even dismiss strong emotions in the workplace. Despite the shifts towards vulnerability in leadership, recognising and taking note of feelings, emotions and human reactions isn’t a widespread discipline. Even today, language around emotions is often seen as soft, unnecessary and completely disconnected from the business outcomes required.  

At United Minds, a consultancy focused on making business more human, we’re out to prove that this line of thinking needs an evolution. Now more than ever, employees are increasingly being bombarded with new programmes to get behind, messages to disseminate, and in many cases, fundamental shifts to how they work on a day-to-day basis.  

Without paying attention to the true emotions behind our workforce, how will we know if they’re truly supporting the changes that are coming down the track, how can we know how much change fatigue they’re really feeling and how can we possibly plan change management interventions that will actually work? By paying closer attention to these emotions, we can lead more effective change programmes, realise business results much faster and retain and engage more employees in the process.  

Four ways to unlock emotions to drive change 

  1. Create opportunities to share emotions – In a client workshop recently, we asked leaders to share where they were in the energy and state matrix. This useful tool acknowledges that no employee is going to be constantly in performance mode, that recovery time is needed, and that survival mode can only be sustained for so long before burnout becomes a reality. By creating a safe environment we identified that over 25% of the group were in survival or burnout mode; insight that allowed the senior leadership team to plan their transformation efforts and expectations they put on leaders more effectively.  
  1. Use emotional insights to inform change management approaches – the best change management teams in the world don’t just blindly follow change management toolkits and theories. By taking a human approach to change, they create mechanisms and forums to capture and uncover emotional reactions in real time from the outset. Approaches like applying the SCARF model or listening activities to uncover real emotional responses. Then use this insight to create change management tactics that genuinely tackle these emotions.  
  1. Train line managers and people leaders to identify and address emotional reactions – EQ remains a core skill of any business leader today. Organisations that take this seriously are hiring and training managers to be able to take this to the next level, specifically focusing on how to manage these reactions in a fast-changing environment. Approaches like displaying empathy, asking open questions and playing back what’s been heard to ensure people feel listened to then drawing on tools and techniques to manage the responses i.e. introducing frameworks like the energy matrix above. We’ve seen increases in requests for these kind of training programmes over the past year, with those participating reporting the importance and impact of investing in this area.  
  1. Build self-awareness and resilience as core competencies – When people in the organisation are aware of their feelings and recognise them at work, it is more likely that they will be able to work with them in a way that will not be harmful for their mental health and disruptive in the workplace. This personal resilience can enable employees to find better ways to address stressful situations, be more focussed and productive in times of constant change and grow as individuals and professionals. 

Try these strategies out and let us know how it goes. It may be uncomfortable at first, but we believe it’ll be worth it. For more information [email protected].   

While the concept of stakeholder capitalism has become highly politicized – synonymous with woke corporations and the culture wars gripping pre-election America – the idea that a business need concern itself with more than just profits is as old as business itself.

Long before the Business Roundtable defined the purpose of a corporation as delivering long-term value to all stakeholders, that’s how business got done. The growth of the technology industry kicked off a war for talent that empowered employees wanting to make a ‘dent in the universe,’ to quote the late Steve Jobs. Purpose statements were written, employee value propositions were drafted and employers found themselves taking a stand on issues far outside their area of expertise and comfort; all in the interests of securing and retaining talent.

Customers, investors, employees, policymakers and activist groups share the same technology platforms. The ease of information dissemination creates an information fluency between communities that exposes every action corporations make to stakeholders who engage, purchase, invest and retaliate accordingly.  A complex cacophony of competing, conflicting and often equally fact-based points of view is driving the social narrative and corporations are caught in the crossfire. Share prices have been hit and CEOs have lost their jobs, but after twenty years of competing for increasingly leveraged workforces, companies can’t back down.

At a Fortune town hall event last year, CEOs of leading global brands dismissed the backlash on corporate wokeness and ESG on the basis that it’s just good business. If the circular economy means their companies can appeal to workers and customers, reduce operating costs, AND benefit the planet, then not investing would be an act of self-sabotage. Unfortunately, different constituents have different opinions – multi-generational workforces disagree on what the company should stand for; some investors want long-term ESG growth and others want short-term profits. Inclusion is a challenging concept when a broad base of customers buy your products and those who don’t like your position are ready to activate in opposition.

All of this is the context for the rise of the corporate affairs function.

Corporate Affairs, like stakeholder capitalism is nothing new. At its base, it is the structural alignment of a company’s stakeholder engagement capabilities (comms, government relations, investor relatons, brand, etc.) into a single organization. Not, all things to all people, but dedicated specialists working side by side, aligned to the same priorities and reporting to the same leader.

Corporate Affairs has been common in heavily scrutinized industries like pharmaceuticals, aerospace and energy for years. Those industries can’t afford a misstep in government relations or communications that might put their broader business at risk. As those risks have spread to other industries, so has the practice. Many leading technology companies use a similar structure to manage rising government intervention in their affairs.

Risk mitigation is one motivating factor, but some companies are being proactive. They want to coordinate their policy agenda, investment thesis, ESG strategy and employee value proposition for impact amplification around critical business priorities.

A corporate affairs operating model can help. If all stakeholder engagement resources are organized on the basis of a shared framework of priorities, narrative and strategy then multiple levers can be pulled simultaneously to advance business goals.

Does that require structural alignment into one corporate affairs organization? No. The goal is strategic alignment. Structural integration is one way to get there – a ‘forced’ alignment that can reduce friction and waste between the units. Some organizations achieve the same objective by setting clear priorities that functions align around. It takes a firm hand from a leader actively engaged in stakeholder strategy, but it can be done with clear and effective governance.

However it’s structured, the most effective way to strategically align stakeholder functions is at four key points of intersection:

  1. Shared intelligence: every business makes trade offs between stakeholder communities, but without a single view of your multistakeholder environment, you’re hopping between those communities in a senseless balancing act. Executives report that this integrated, 360 degree view of stakeholders is one of the biggest benefits they receive from a corporate affairs leader on their Executive Committee. It means they don’t have to do the work of balancing competing priorities from across their organization and one person is accountable to coordinate the response.
  2. Shared narratives: narrative is a loaded term, but essentially it’s how you articulate your strategy and it requires nuances for each community. If its not 80 percent consistent, the inconsistencies can lead to misunderstandings and frustration, especially given the fluency of information between communities mentioned earlier.
  3. Coordinated execution: Most business priorities require support from different communities at different times. Pulling the right lever at the right time in an intentional and coordinated way is how sophisticated companies drive advocacy at scale.
  4. Shared accountability: It all starts and stops here. Accountability shouldn’t be for the metrics of the individual function like reputation, employee engagement or policy wins. It’s for the business. Strategic alignment means sharing the same goals and all being accountable for playing a part.

It’s possible over time that stakeholder dissonance will lessen. Workforce automation may reduce employee leverage and the consequent need to prioritize talent concerns against or over the concerns of shareholders or elected officials. Many companies will suffer before then. You don’t need to believe the role of a corporation is to serve employees or prioritize under-represented communities; you just need to know that in a multi-stakeholder economy, the path to profits is a minefield and everyone needs the same map.

United Minds is a Weber Shandwick consultancy dedicated to making business more human. To learn more, reach out to [email protected].

Women’s fight for equality dates back over a hundred years. While Sylvia Pankhurst might have rejoiced to know that women living with the menopause are the fastest-growing demographic in the workplace, her joy would be tempered by the slowness of that workplace to accept that equal rights aren’t the same thing as equal needs. 

Although many companies focus on employee wellbeing in general, when it comes to women’s health in the workplace, specific support is inconsistent at best. A few examples: In the UK, 48% of organizations have no official policy in place to support employees undergoing IVF – and 90% don’t provide any kind of menopause policy. And that’s for the obvious women-centric health conditions. Women also face unique mental health challenges, with research showing that women are almost twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with anxiety disorders and young women are almost three times as likely to experience a common mental health issue as compared to males. Women are also at higher risk of serious diabetes complications and more likely to experience serious side effects from cancer treatments. 

Add to that the business impact of women’s health-related absences, which is clear. A 2019 study found that 14 million workdays were lost to the UK each year due to menopausal symptoms and nearly 60% of women have taken time off to tend to health issues. Yet a quarter of these women reported that they were uncomfortable disclosing to their employer why they needed time off. When it comes to fertility-related absence, more than half of women don’t disclose their IVF treatment to their employers, in part due to fear of losing their jobs or having their commitment questioned. 

While evolution in legislative and organisational policy may be glacial, there is an opportunity for workplaces to take the lead in demonstrating a commitment to their employees’ health needs. Many are: Channel 4 has launched reproductive health and hormone testing for its employees, Co-op offers paid time off for fertility treatments and Bristol Myers Squibb1 was named Menopause Friendly Employer of the Year in 2022 for its holistic approach to menopause-friendly initiatives. 

A catalyst for organizational change 

In the same way that the global COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to re-think or create their approach to hybrid working, a closer focus on women’s health requirements makes the need for a changed approach obvious. Policy can’t drive culture by itself, but it can change behavior. It’s one of the variables which influences whether an organization is doing the right thing when it comes to women’s health, but it isn’t a panacea. Even without a policy framework, creating a culture of openness can help ensure that women feel safe to discuss their needs and collaborate with their teams and leaders to prioritize their health outcomes while minimizing business impact. This all starts with the relationship between employees and managers. Case in point: Almost two thirds of women said discussing IVF with managers or employers made their experience easier to deal with.  

Making business more human is the cornerstone to achieving empathetic dialogue on sensitive subjects. Empathetic leadership is linked to higher performance and there is a raft of research and training courses available to encourage this behaviour. But when it comes to women’s health, more specific coaching and guidance may be needed. In issues that touch an employee’s most personal concerns, managers may fear saying the wrong thing and choose to say nothing at all.  

As business leaders, try implementing these simple steps to begin cultivating a culture of open conversation and trust: 

With the continued increase in organisational focus on wellbeing, the time is right for a specific focus on women’s health. Maybe Sylvia Pankhurst would approve of the progress being made after all.  

United Minds, part of The Weber Shandwick Collective, is a consultancy dedicated to making business more human. We help organizations navigate the people side of change including restructures, mergers, acquisitions and other significant transformations.  

We are proud to be a lead member of The Weber Shandwick Collective: Women’s Health and to launch The Women’s Health Indicator. Developed by data analysts and behaviour experts, this proprietary product informs and identifies specific gaps in women’s health by analysing and assessing thousands of data points measured across society, media and policy. 

Our team’s blend of psychology expertise, change management experience, strategic thinking and creative communications capability, means we can help organizations navigate complexity, position the change and avoid the pitfalls.

To maintain reputation in a volatile market, you’ve got to neutralize the potential saboteur. New data reveals who that’s likeliest to be—and how to go about it.

Restructuring and layoffs are an unfortunate reality for organisations right now as global economic conditions remain uncertain.  The recent waves of layoffs we have seen in leading tech companies have provided powerful cases where leaders have acted with empathy and transparency. 

But there are also cases where leaders have acted too impulsively, eroding trust with both the employees leaving and staying, resulting in damaged reputation and performance.  Nobody wins from approaches like these, so what can other leaders learn from it? 

Companies need to properly think through and plan the people side of their transformation efforts. This needs to be done upfront and with careful consideration, not as an afterthought. The change must then be done in a way that is truly human, empathetic and supportive. “Firm but fair” is a phrase for a reason; you can still make hard calls in the right way. 

We’ve helped numerous organisations during times like this and the same advice stands true in almost every case. Whether it’s a restructure, down-sizing, divestment, separation, merger or acquisition, there is a simple principle to keep front of mind:  

It’s not just what you do, it’s how you do it that matters.

Based on experience, there are three questions we’re asked in almost every single programme we’ve run. 

How and when should we engage and communicate with people?  

How do we manage risks? 

 How do we remain adaptable?  

Want to talk through your upcoming change or further understand best practices? Send us a note ([email protected]). We’re happy to chat.  

United Minds is a consultancy dedicated to making business more human. We help organisations navigate the people side of change including restructures, mergers, acquisitions and other significant transformations. 

With our team’s blend of psychology expertise, change management experience, strategic thinking, and creative communications capability, we can help organisations navigate complexity, position the change, and avoid the pitfalls. 

The last three years have tested organizations in ways previously unthought of. In fact, it could be argued that the job description for C-Suite Leaders has been rewritten entirely; focusing on running a successful business today means being able to understand –and engage with –an ever-growing list of stakeholders on issues related not only to operations but broader impact. And employees have solidified their position at the top of this list.

In the fall of 2022, United Minds partnered with KRC Research to survey over 100 global executives on their 2023 priorities in order to understand how leaders are navigating these new expectations. Separately, KRC Research polled 500+ working adults across America on current events and on-going trends impacting the workplace, including perceptions of leader performance.

The results of these polls have significant implications for the mutual compact between employees and employers as they continue to navigate future uncertainty, and especially in the context of defining future ways of working.