Q. Another characteristic of new leadership is the significant shift toward the digital. What role should leaders take in the realm of social media? Is such a presence inevitable? A. No one quite agrees on the answer, in my experience. Personally, I present myself on social media as Chairman of CEOE, and I see it as just another method of raising our company’s profile and boosting transparency. My social media account also acts as a direct communications channel for community use, which is useful for questions and issues outside the purview of standard channels. I’m convinced that companies should maintain close relationships with the public, even if that often exposes them to criticism. Q. This pandemic has led to widespread working from home. Do you have any thoughts about that? Will this new normal impact leadership and management? A. Since the start of the pandemic, and all the more once CEOE adopted work from home, we have been saying that the best course is to develop a mixed model, one in which everyone can benefit from the advantages of remote work, such as greatly improved sustainability. At the same time, it would also be ideal to maintain the high level of connection that occurs in a physical workplace. This sense of community is essential. It enables teambuilding, develops company culture, and can even help stave off the “cabin fever” many remote workers feel after long periods of isolation. With all that in mind, I believe it’s perfectly possible to lead effectively while working remotely, but this method requires workers to hold a greater share of the responsibility. On the part of the leader, it necessitates greater trust in workers. However, I must emphasize that in the current moment, leaders will be more empathetic, inclusive, and emotional. The connections teams form from personal contact and practical matters (such as the ease of staying up-to-date on operational and worker needs) are irreplaceable. It is imperative that leaders committed to teleworking find ways to build and maintain those close personal relationships. Q. You have always defended enterprise, large and small alike. This pandemic and subsequent changes to consumption habits have doubtless had a significant impact on this sector. In your opinion, is this the time to be supporting more local businesses? A. Yes, absolutely. Local businesses have suffered during the pandemic, there’s no question about that. This is as true for local businesses as it is for the many other sectors CEOE has been working with in an attempt to alleviate problems through dialogue with the government and trade unions. However, as necessary as this work is, there is much to do from other angles as well. We must adhere to health and safety measures, conduct large-scale testing, and promote track-and-trace systems so the safety of these businesses can be ensured. There should also be efforts to ensure that incoming European funding be used to best effect, such as for promoting SME digitalization. 39 MAGAZINE