COVID-19: the great equaliser

As is true in life, so too in business: it’s a lonesome and difficult road without support from other people.

OneVue managing director Connie Mckeage has always counted on the support of her team and peers throughout her career and has strived to ensure she’s just as supportive in turn. That’s why she’s always believed that while the “numbers” in a business are incredibly important, “they never trump people.”

Of course, at the moment, maintaining those connections and supportive networks with people is more difficult than ever due to the current pandemic.

“Control over what’s going on is easiest when you have physical proximity to people you work with,” she notes, “and even small teams who are used to being very closely associated with one another are geographically separated, making it harder to communicate.”

“Even though it’s an extreme example right now,” she adds, “it’s a good lesson for us as leaders to know what’s important to monitor and keep on top of, and it also requires trust in your people – you need to know you’re working with people who can deliver without being micro managed. 

Perhaps even more importantly, though, Mckeage believes the pandemic has reinforced the need for support networks and collaboration. “Even though there’s some decision-making that has to happen at the top of an organisation like crisis management,” she says, “the social and psychological challenges of isolation are distributed equally.”

“We’re all dealing with this and challenged by this,” she continues, “so we all have to look after one another – whether you’re a CEO or someone who brings in the mail, we’re all the same in terms of physical and emotional welfare.

“In that way, COVID has been a great equaliser.”


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