By José Ángel de la Paz

Recent studies indicate that 50% of CEOs experience feelings of isolation when performing their responsibilities.

It is likely that this situation has become worse with the home office and social distancing measures put in place globally due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given these circumstances, Fernando Eguluiz, BBVA's CEO in Peru, deemed it essential to strengthen the communication with the members of the organization.

“Humans are social beings. One of the basic principles is not to lose the connection with your collaborators; they have to see you, feel your presence and know that you are close to them, even if it is through a virtual environment”, he said.

In the webinar “People as a critical strength in the face of adversity”, Eguluiz acknowledged that while CEOs cannot delegate decision-making, it is essential that they discuss their ideas with their teams even in isolation.

“It is always good to check your point of view with someone else, maybe in another location, to help you see from another perspective the same problem you are facing,” he said.

In addition, Eguluiz suggested maintaining, as much as possible, a sense of normality within the organization.

“If we spend 50 % of our time just thinking about COVID-19 issues, the organization will not be successful in the medium term,” he said.

And he added that if the organization was in the process of transformation before the pandemic, it cannot lose its way.

“In my case, I've dealt with the 'isolation' of being the CEO by staying close to my teams and bouncing off ideas with them, and above all, by maintaining a good balance between my professional, social, personal, and spiritual life,” he said.

This webinar, part of the series “Rising to the challenge: Leadership in the face of COVID-19” by EGADE Business School, was moderated by Alejandro Olivera, Associate Dean of Continuing Education at the Undergraduate Business School at Tecnológico de Monterrey.

YOU CAN WATCH THE WEBINAR HERE