The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, based in Cambridge, Mass., hosted a virtual summit with Amrita Ahuja, CFO of Square; Michael Fleisher, CFO of Wayfair; and Tom Sweet, CFO of Dell.
Four key insights:
1. Embrace empathy as a leader
Mr. Fleisher said that working from home and communicating online has been a glimpse into his colleagues’ homes, a “tiny snapshot window view.”
“It’s opened up this need to probably expand that aperture a little bit and ask people more about what’s going on in their lives,” Mr. Fleisher told MIT Sloan. “I think our job as leaders is both sharing our own concerns and our own challenges, but also asking about everybody else’s.”
2. Rethink the workspace
Square intends to have communal workspaces where their staff can collaborate in person while allowing more flexibility to work from home.
3. Digital-first reentry
Mr. Sweet said Dell is already thinking about how they’re reallocating their resources to support digital transformation.
4. Give your customers a break
Ms. Ahuja said Square cut down on fees during the pandemic. It has short-term negative effects but builds a long-term customer relationship.
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