FEATURE
To battle the disconnect between business executives and their employees , we spoke to three experts about the qualities a CEO needs to engage their workers and lead a business . . . .
Alok Kulkarni , CEO , Cyara
Alok Kulkarni , CEO , Cyara
The role of a CEO is multi-faceted as it requires an individual to not only oversee operational and financial aspects of the organisation but also to nurture relationships and manage expectations . Having empathy is key in this role . Listening to shareholders and stakeholders , such as employees and partners , and showing understanding will ultimately help to unite the team . It provides a sense of belonging in the organisation and can greatly contribute to the success of the company .
Sat Sanghera , CEO , IPI
The responsibility also lies with this person to set the tone for how a company behaves . More often than not , the brand of the CEO directly reflects and impacts the reputation of the company . Qualities including humility , compassion and trust are hugely important . When the CEO has a team that he or she can lean on and entrust day-to-day decision making as it allows time to focus on the bigger picture . However , this trust must go both ways for a company to truly thrive .
The pandemic has thrown a few curveballs at many organisations . CEOs that have been able to navigate this successfully have remained resilient , adaptable and dynamic . This includes quickly making changes where needed , regularly consulting with stakeholders and being willing to give and take where required .
Through the catalyst of COVID-19 , customer experience ( CX ) has become the lifeblood of any business . Organisations can succeed or fail based on their CX and it ’ s clear to me how critical the employee experience ( EX ) has become in delivering a great service to customers . As such , I ’ ve found it so important to build a strong and inclusive company culture . This has been one of the pillars of our success , stretching across everything we do both internally and externally . CEOs that prioritise and invest in delivering positive experiences will be the ones to reap the rewards .
Advancements in technology and the need to keep staff safe will see hybrid work continue as the model of choice for many organisations . Its productivity and efficiency have been proven and is something that many employees benefit from in their personal lives . I ’ m a big believer in empowering the team to strike a good balance
between work , rest and play and the hybrid work model is suited to do just that . Supporting employees and ensuring they have a work environment that keeps them engaged leads to a cohesive and happy team that gives it their all .
Sat Sanghera , CEO , IPI
I believe that holding strong principles and values , both in and out of work , is vital to success . At IPI , I follow five key guiding principles : people , clients , propositions , fiscal and operational brilliance . Every decision is made with these in mind , a strategy that has enabled us at IPI to broaden the scope of our work and develop our consulting practice .
The ‘ people ’ principle is especially important to me , as I firmly believe that to deliver the best customer experience to clients , you have to have a team that is purpose-led and willing to work for the same core values as you are . As such , I focus on leading the IPI family with a sense of purpose and I encourage our people to keep four values in mind : we own it , we aim high , we succeed together and we are always evolving .
For me , an organisation ’ s people are what makes a leader – and their business – successful , and after the challenges of the past few years , business leaders have realised this more than ever before . They have come to recognise the importance of empowering their people and investing in them to ensure their workplace experience – whether remote , in-person or hybrid – is a positive one and
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