- Russia's invasion of Ukraine means CEOs must engage in crisis management, security consultants said.
- Leading during a crisis isn't easy. CEOs should avoid three common mistakes.
- These include failing to see how your company could help and not communicating enough.
As international politics intensify with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now is an incredibly important time for CEOs and business leaders to engage in crisis management, top experts told Insider.
News events such as George Floyd's murder and the pandemic have had an undeniable influence on the workforce. In a Gallup survey of workers across 100 countries, 43% of respondents said they were stressed for a significant portion of the prior day in 2020, up from 38% in 2019. And 13% of Americans in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey said they started or increased substance use in 2020 as a way of coping with stress or emotions related to COVID-19. In the beginning of this year, millions of workers exited the workforce altogether, with burnout and stress cited as the top factors.
Workers want CEOs to address their mental-health concerns, according to reports, and increasingly, they want CEOs to speak out on social issues, too. That means CEOs may get pressured to speak out about major news events, including Russia's assault on Ukraine.
"There's an elephant in the room that CEOs have to address," Juliette Kayyem, a Fortune 500 crisis-management consultant and Harvard professor, said. "If the world's on fire and leaders are saying, 'Let's just make our widgets,' you look a fool."
Kayyem and other experts shared guidance on how to best lead during difficult times — and what to avoid.
Don't just communicate at the start of the crisis
A common mistake some leaders make is that they'll reach out to employees at the start of a crisis but fail to keep lines of communication open during and afterward, according to Suzanne Bernier, the president of the crisis-management firm SB Crisis Consulting and author of "Disaster Heroes."
CEO memos during times of difficulty can ease employee worries and show industry leadership, as evidenced by several letters Insider analyzed in the days after Floyd's murder. Not communicating enough, on the other hand, can make leaders look aloof or unaffected, Bernier said.
"That's the biggest mistake I often hear after a crisis incident, that the CEO or execs didn't communicate enough to internal or external stakeholders," she said.
Kayyem agreed: "Have a battle rhythm, you should be present more than once. Consider open forums or Zoom meetings where you say 'Here's what's going on. Here's what we know. What questions do you have?'"
Don't overlook how your company can help
Multiple CEOs recently shared how they were using their company's resources to help Ukrainian refugees. For example, Airbnb announced it would house 100,000 refugees. Uber is providing free rides from the Poland-Ukraine border. Tesla expanded its Starlink satellite-internet services to Ukraine in an attempt to maintain communications for its people.
This is a prime example of crisis leadership, Kayyem, author of "The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters," said. CEOs showing their employees — and the world — how they're helping gives people hope, she added.
"It's about empowerment," the security consultant said. "It's about giving people agency."
If there are vetted relief efforts, CEOs can also share information and links for how workers can help as well, Kayyem said. For example, a CEO sharing information about a blood drive, charity fundraiser, or donation drop-off location empowers employees to take action.
Don't just focus on the facts; focus on people
While it might be tempting to focus only on data, like how a crisis is affecting a company's bottom line, it's important to remember that people want to get inspiration from their leaders, too.
"We saw this with COVID. People want numbers and hope. They want to know what's going on, and they want to know that tomorrow will be better," Kayyem said. "And that's why a CEO can never underestimate the importance of being accessible to employees."
Vanessa Burbano, a professor at Columbia Business School, agreed.
"It is increasingly important that leaders create a culture in which employees feel safe and supported at their workplace," she said. "CEOs should offer recognition that this may be a trying time for employees and offer a safe and nonjudgmental space for employees to talk about the issues that may be on their mind."