HR and Leadership in 2021: The impact of Technology and COVID-19

We're delighted to welcome back Carla Harris, the vice-chairman, managing director, and senior client advisor at Morgan Stanley, to get her perspective on how technology and COVID-19 are impacting leadership, and the world of work.

A seasoned Wall Street veteran, Harris is known for her eight pearls of intentional leadership and is passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion.

Harris believes that COVID-19 has highlighted the need for leaders to be agile as they seek to manage teams during an incredibly challenging time where chaos, uncertainty, and pivots are the norm.

More importantly, Harris is a firm believer that leaders will have to get used to offering constant feedback and operating in a transparent manner.

Harris also touched on the importance of business culture, focusing on why leaders and HR professionals must create a collegial atmosphere.

It's also vital, she said, that leaders are constantly thinking about how they can create a culture, what sustains it, and what drives it — all of which will put them in good stead to continue leading distributed teams.

HR and The future of work

Harris envisions the future of work through a lens of empowerment where individuals are given the necessary freedom to make decisions and where managers stand shoulder to shoulder with those they are managing.

People want to be led, they don't want to be managed. They want to be inspired.People want to be led, they don't want to be managed. They want to be inspired.

As a result, Harris believes that technology will be leveraged to maximize collaboration in a remote working environment. Tech, she added, will also change how businesses engage with customers and what those interactions look like.