My first six months at HPE: Finishing and starting a job in lockdown.

[Dave_Strong]

Working from home has become an accepted normal over the last nine months, and many of us have embraced and adapted to new ways of working. We have also been forced to reflect upon our lifestyles and beliefs. Personally, I have found that I am now frequently asking questions of myself: ‘Am I doing enough for the family?’, ‘Could I do more for the older neighbours next door?’, ‘Have I been outside the house this week?’, ‘How are the team coping?’ and ‘How are my managers doing?’ to name a few. Transitioning into a new leadership role at HPE, I soon realised the importance of asking these questions and responding to mental health concerns, and I have placed emphasis on it ever since.

I left my last role at the end of March 2020 and started my new role in HPE at the end of April. 15^th March was the last time I was in London. Not that I realised it then, but it was also the last day I saw the colleagues who I had spent the last 10 year working side by side with.  The last few weeks were playing out as you would expect, handover sessions, planning a leaving do, and making sure everything was in place for my exit. However, in hindsight, I missed the opportunity to find real closure with the organisation that I spent a decade working at.

My first day at HPE was exciting but like no other. My laptop arrived in the post and, after a short interaction with IT support to get me set up for the foreseeable future, I was ready to work. It was seamless- a first indication of how organisations have been forced to adapt quickly to a new climate in a positive way. Luckily, I had already spoken to my direct team before I joined and had spent some time with my manager (coincidentally, this was also the last time I had ventured into London for a drink).

The rest was straightforward; HPE had embraced new ways of working early on and had given flexibility to a workforce who were able to connect and collaborate through virtual tools. However, to this day, I have only ever met five people from HPE face-to-face. As a person who thrives on these kinds of meetings, interactions and relationships, this is a concept that I am learning to grasp. My preferences aside, I have been amazed by the capacity of video calls to create meaningful and productive working relationships. However, this may be down to the good nature of my colleagues rather than the technology itself.

What really struck me as the months passed is how important my own mental health had become. Stuck indoors for weeks on end, the solitude had begun to take its toll on my personal and working life. For the first time in my life, I was forced to realise that I had to take personal control of my mental wellbeing. The previous life that we have had to let go of was fast-moving, ever-changing, and if you didn’t get a grip on it, chaotic. We relied on the comfort of our everyday routines and the people around us to bubble wrap our mental state (and we often still do). The issue was always there, it just simply wasn’t a priority for many including myself. As this lifestyle and routine fell apart and life slowed down, we have finally found the time to check up on ourselves on a regular basis.

However, I was also extremely lucky to have stepped into an organisation where people truly do matter and where actions are valued over words. This first became apparent to me when I was told that all employees are entitled to use the Headspace application on behalf of the company. A simple gesture that has the potential to go a long way. It has become a staple concern in my household, whether it is putting my youngest to bed, yoga for my wife, or that 20 minutes of mindfulness that I am able to do a few times a week.

I have also seen the way in which line managers have been accountable to ensure colleagues are being supported. Zoom coffees, 15-minute chats, team quizzes or simply being at the end of the phone when people need it most are all ways that leaders may have had to adapt their approach to work. What has also been clear is that organisations cannot be seen to be complacent. While ‘Zoom fatigue’ may not have been a prevalent issue a year ago, it is now a daily issue that organisations must step up to and offer solutions for. We now have a wellness hour during the day for ourselves, so that as we make our way through the winter we are able to find time outside in the daylight, whether it is a walk, run or simply to take in fresh air and reflect on what is happening around us. What is important is that we continue to value this time, leaders value this time, our colleagues value this time and we don’t encroach upon it with the work we may be able to see in the corner of our eye.

My role as a leader has also been fundamentally challenged during these months. At the beginning, global business was impacted hard and fast, and we had to rally around our teams to remain focused and diligent in driving business. Beyond that, as I have discussed, organisations have had to adapt quickly or risk watching the cultures they had carefully crafted over years fall apart within months. It is this challenge that has caused me to witness organisations drive transformation throughout their business more than they had done in the 18 months prior. With this comes a fresh set of challenges; the ability to execute at pace, understand what a customer really wants and to keep innovating to stay relevant. As part of an internal enablement initiative, I had the privilege of listening to our customers. One customer’s thoughts in particular provided a eureka moment for me:

“If you are going to contact me, don’t send a pre-written email with my name inserted. Anticipate what my problems are, what I need now, what I need tomorrow, and how that is different to what I have now.”

As we move to selling in different ways- more cold calling, leveraging digital channels to initiate contact and virtual customer sessions- we need to change our mindset as well. As the customer pointed out, we must focus on maintaining authentic communication, understanding their experiences and getting to the bottom of the big problems they are trying to fix.

Beyond this part of my role as a leader starting in a virtual world, I have been inclined to focus on what is truly important to my team and hone those skills. Personality traits that were previously easy to convey in a continuous, physical environment now require constant assessment, and responsibilities such as travel have taken a back seat, allowing others to come to the forefront. Here are 3 key leadership traits that I have found to be the most important to me as I navigate this new business world:

• Empathy- Never has it been so important to be empathic and truly understanding of what different people are going through. I am lucky; I have a really quiet office at home and am able to immerse myself into work with little disruption. Many people are not in this fortunate position, making working from home an everyday challenge. So, I take the time to actively listen to what people are telling me and responding with thoughts or solutions to help them. I also take the time to contact people, whether it is a 5-minute or 30-minute interaction, to make sure that every person in my organisation has a voice that is heard.

• Authenticity- People want leaders who are genuine. I am also fortunate to meet genuine leaders at HPE every day, which I believe offers a positive feedback effect across an organisation. While I may no longer have a door for colleagues to walk through, I maintain the sentiment that people can call me whenever they need to. The power of authenticity within an organisation is something I am never complacent about.

• Humility- I accept that as a leader I don’t get it right all the time. However, it is important that I learn from my mistakes and better myself in the process. People want their leaders to be humble, be open when something goes wrong, change quickly, and praise those who have the bold ideas that can make a difference.

To summarise my first six months at HPE would be a hard thing to do. However, the unique circumstances of my new job have ultimately changed my perception of how to lead in three ways:

• The world has the capacity to change quickly and we must adapt to that change as well. However, what is also important is maintaining this pace of change and innovation to keep making a positive impact.

• Culture is everything. A positive, people-focused culture will shine through in adversity as it has done at HPE.

• Good leadership is needed more than ever. I am surrounded by some fantastic leaders and peers who lead by example with humility and authenticity.

Dave Strong
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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