Experts on Covid-19 leadership communication

Taking you to the next level © CEO Positions AG 2020 11
10 Communication
Experts summarize
how leaders
should react
to Covid-19
Susanne Mueller Zantop
CEO Positions AG
www.ceo-positions.com

CONTENT
1. Groundrules
2. General assessment
3. Communication goals
4. Principles of dialogue
5. What is most relevant?
6. Who talks?
7. When not to speak out?
8. CEO Advice
9. Best Practice: The CEO of UPS
10. Further reading

1. GROUNDRULES
“A company should confidently and
continuously communicate the safety
measures they have put in place and
provide information and guidance that
helps both clients and staff to stay
calm. Panic never really helps.”
1. Communication
matters.
2. Words and optics
make a big
difference.
3. Broadcast
continuously.
“It makes no sense to overreact.
It is important to demystify the
situation (to explain what it is
about) and to have the
predefined process of crisis
management in place, in order to
bring order to chaos.”

2. GENERAL ASSESSMENT
▪ Between hysteria and
ruthlessness, the experts
recommend moderation.
▪ They suggest selecting a
scientific source and
quoting from it whenever
an assessment of the
situation is required.
“There are (mostly state
run) functions that are
in charge in situations
like this. Don't do their
job, do yours.”
“On the one hand, people need
to talk, share fears or concerns,
discuss issues that connect
them to others […]. On the
other hand, discussing the
wrong information, or
becoming emotional about
topics […] can be problematic,
at times dangerous.”

3. COMMUNICATION GOALS
1. Provide employees with all
information needed to protect
themselves, to calm them and
to keep the business going.
2. Tell customers and partners
about the status of supply
chains and agree on less
physical interaction.
3. Tell investors and analysts
about first, vague estimates if
negative business impact is
likely.
5
“… internal communication is essential and comes first, both
how employees shall behave, which options like e.g. home
office they are given, and what the company intends or is
already doing in order to protect them and their families
[…], esp. in international contexts.”

4. PRINCIPLES OF DIALOGUE
1. Be consistent, de-mystify, be
empathic, open, transparent,
accessible.
2. Show humility, honesty, that
you are rolling up your sleeves
and ensure the business is
running
3. Display strong leadership, CEO
is the communicator in chief.
“What I have seen and what we practice - open and
transparent communication. As this is a topic that calls for
strong leadership and guidance, the CEO, Managing director,
should speak. Definitely a one-voice-policy. FAQs and a
directory what to do regarding universal precautions, travel ...”

5. WHAT IS MOST RELEVANT?
1. Safety of employees
2. Customer assets
3. Infrastructure
4. Supply chains
5. Safe meetings
“Our communication informs on
the one hand, but also reassures.
Facts and tips. Since the head of
the task force is speaking here,
we show that we are serious –
but the rest is/needs to be
courant normal.”

6. WHO TALKS?
Action, practical advice
and controls:
Head of the task force or
Head of Communications,
Head of HR.
Publish and update FAQs
frequently. Let experts
drive the flow of
information, i.e. quote
the science PROs.
General guidance,
principles, leadership:
CEO, but not too often.
CEO talks to employees
and shareholders/
analysts, sometimes it
is the CFO.
Media inquiries:
Media team. In general
reactive. Accept media
inquiries. Communicate
proactive if company is
singled out to be a risk to
others.

7. WHEN NOT TO SPEAK OUT?
1. Externally: Keep quiet if there is
no news. Internally: keep
talking, silence provokes gossip.
2. When there is no reliable
information, do not speak out if
possible.
“We should neither react hysterically nor recklessly. We
should be aware that risks exist and manage them
responsibly. I am not sure whether such a message will
be heard in the current state of overexcitement in
Germany. Sorry to say, but this objectivity becomes a
provocation in a hysterical time.”

8. CEO ADVICE
▪ Understand that strong leadership starts right here
▪ Win by winning the trust of people
▪ Don’t underplay the situation (may backfire in the future)
▪ No off-the-cuff remarks on science, no personal judgement
▪ Only accurate and useful information, no prognosis, no platitudes
▪ Optics matter, optics reassure
▪ Emphasize the human side, don’t just talk about financial consequences
▪ Reassure that there is a plan in place, provide evidence that everything is done and that you
are the driving force
▪ Tell a story about what you see within your company
▪ Comment on financial consequences if needed, but focus on general effects, show optimism
▪ Promise transparency and tell people that ‘this crisis has an end’, that a rebound comes
“The public has a quixotic desire for a state of
emergency, but at the same time wants the
guarantee that there will be a happy ending.”

9. BEST-PRACTICE: CEO OF UPS (CGTN GLOBAL BUSINESS)
“To answer your question
…”

10. SUGGESTED READING
https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/articles/7-questions-to-ask-about-your-organizations-readiness-
for-the-Wuhan-Coronavirus-crisis/ (By IMD Business School, courtesy Lorange Network)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-is-different-almost-no-
company-is-safe-11583064000
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda
7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Offcial, live updates and exact statistics, visual graphs

WHAT IS THE USE CASE FOR STRONG REPUTATION?
ADVANTAGES TO UNVERSITIES WITH
STRONG REPUTATIONS
# 1 Attracting top talent (post grads)
# 2 Attracting top international professors
# 3 Strong business relationships/funding
# 4 Respected in local and global
communities
# 5 To be efficient at the service of a good
future for all
#6 To safeguard against risks like abuse of
power, data breaches, ivory-tower
symptoms, criticism of research
(Source, see last page)

Source: https://www.webershandwick.com/wp-content/uploads/
2020/01/The-State-of-Corporate-Reputation-in-2020_executive-summary_FINAL.pdf

Susanne Mueller Zantop
CEO Positions AG
Brandisstrasse 32, CH-8702 Zollikon
+41 43 499 78 23
All rights reserved. No part of this presentation may
be reproduced in any form or by any means
without permission in writing from CEO Positions
AG.

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