Opinion

Samsung’s Hayley Walton was four months into the job when Covid hit. It’s taught her success isn’t defined exclusively by achieving business objectives but also human connection. And that her younger colleagues won’t get the credit they deserve for making her a better leader.

When everyone was chained to a computer at home in 2020, ADMA was busy making their courses remote and accessible, Andrea Martens says. But the regulatory wheels were moving quickly, and education should be an important part of the 2021 recovery. 

Covid wore down many ardent critics of everyday e-commerce, Peter Barry says. And if you’re looking for an upside, 18 of the 30 companies currently in the Dow Jones Industrial Index were started in downturns. Read on.

Within 48 hours in March 2020, Peter Horgan went from a Hunter Valley fundraiser to discussing an impending Covid economic collapse. He says the disruption has meant more exco meetings, more strategic planning and projects, and greater focus on getting people back to the office 

We are yet to quantify the productivity impacts of hybrid work, says Emma Scales.  For it to remain sustainable, staff must be enabled to disconnect from their work, so they can reconnect with their families. Imbalances around gender, share of voice, and ability to contribute also demands new operating mindsets from leaders.

There is no such thing as one cohesive office culture, Liana Dubois says, but many sub and micro-cultures. She learned a lot in 2020, including that experience is worth paying for and growth comes through partnership with trusted brands. She also shares her three biggest lessons.

The past year fractured the experiences of Brent Scrimshaw’s global teams and how they managed Covid into distinct groups. But outside of Covid’s immediate challenges to people and wellbeing, there’s privacy, personalisation and trust. It can’t be reduced to a scoresheet of metrics, he says.  

Working from home is all too seductive for younger employees, but Covid taught Matt Rowley leaders need to plan longer term. He says the connections made early in our careers are fantastically formative, and a diet of virtual office culture will never be enough for developing talent.

We chased shiny things, jumped at shadows and made frenzied, reactionary decisions, Lesley Edwards says. Writing this piece in Brisbane during the latest lockdown, she says the time to review and move towards more consistent, measured decision making is something industry badly needs.