The 3 Imperatives for leading through the pandemic

Harvard Business School Professor Dr. Linda Hill and 22 executives shared insights at a recent roundtable on the challenges of being a leader during a time of unprecedented disruption.

The invitation-only event took place last week via Zoom with a select group of  leaders representing 16 industries. (You can get immediate access to our report from the event via the form on this page.)

Being the Agile Boss

Dr. Hill helped participants view their efforts to lead effectively in the midst of a global pandemic through the lens of her management classic, Being the Boss: The 3 Imperatives for Becoming a Great Leader.

She referred to 3 case studies that reveal how agility and managing relationships are critical survival skills for organizations, especially in this time of change and uncertainty.

Leadership is always about an emotional connection. It's a very important piece of the puzzle." - Dr. Linda Hill

Her research includes case studies at:

• Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, where COVID-19 hit early and hard;
• Pfizer Inc., where agility and innovation helped the organization rise to the challenge of vaccine development; and
• Nourishing Africa, a new platform built by one of her former students to establish food security that is also helping to usher in a digital transformation there.

Participants shared success stories, struggles, and other observations from the front lines of leadership in 3 smaller breakout sessions then regrouped to debrief and hear Dr. Hill's thoughts.

The discussion focused on The 3 Imperatives from her book: Managing Yourself, Managing Your Team, and Managing Your Network, and how they relate to issues in the workplace right now.

As the disruption of 2020 reverberates into 2021 and beyond, it's clear this Is more of a marathon than a sprint. Organizations need to focus on their higher purpose, their North Star, right now more than ever, Dr. Hill said:

It's not about selling. It's about serving and having a real human touch ... because that's what people need from us at this moment even if, in fact, we can't do face to face. We're doing it by Zoom."

The media-rich report includes audio highlights and is available as a downloadable PDF or interactive web page.

About the facilitators

Dr. Hill is the Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and chair of the Leadership Initiative. A popular keynote speaker and the author of another highly acclaimed book Collective Genius, she is regarded as one of the world's top experts on leadership and innovation.  Dr. Hill is also co-founder of Paradox Strategies, an Advantage Performance Group thought leader partner.

Co-facilitating the event was Richard Hodge, an early founder and strategic advisor for Advantage Performance Group. He is also a member of the 1st90 product and strategy team that has produced a mobile app and learning journey based on Being the Boss, and is co-founder of the Cultivating Leaders Center of Excellence, researching high-potential leadership best practices among top companies around the globe.