Interview Corneliu Bodea for thediplomat.ro
“In my 30 years of experience in entrepreneurship I learned that being resilient is one of the most important skills that a business leader can develop,” Corneliu Bodea, CEO Adrem told The Diplomat-Bucharest.
“It’s a time for leaders to remember what sits at the core of their businesses, to add even more value to the products and services they offer, to focus on strengthening their collaboration and communication with their partners and employees. (…) Listening has never been a more powerful tool and I strongly believe now it’s the moment to pause, take a deep breath and do some soul-searching. Forget the desperate chaise for marginal profit, forget trying to see into the future what will happen and when, leave aside the uncertainties of strategy — should I aim towards growth or stability? Should I cut my losses or be hopeful that things will go back to a somewhat normal? — and just listen to the lessons we are being taught.”
What leadership skills do you find most useful in the current changing work environment?
In my 30 years of experience in entrepreneurship I learned that being resilient is one of the most important skills that a business leader can develop. In these very difficult times of uncertainty and lack of predictability, caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, we are also witnessing a shift in the culture of organizations – Romania, for example, prior to the sanitary crisis had a culture of face-to-face meetings, we had little experience with working from home and digitalization continues to be a need we must address across all sectors, including the energy industry. But we learn, we adapt, and we do better. It’s a time for leaders to remember what sits at the core of their businesses, to add even more value to the products and services they offer, to focus on strengthening their collaboration and communication with their partners and employees – in a nutshell, to shift the focus from competition to solidarity and trust and, last but not least, to develop a sense of genuine responsibility. Nature has unmasked our arrogance, our perpetual run for achieving more without much consideration for the environment, for the communities and what we leave as inheritance to future generations.
Which are the empowering mindsets for building the sense of meaning & purpose, both for employers and employees, to keep each other engaged in reaching the business objectives in 2020 and in the next year?
We must move forward no matter what – this is the only mindset that will keep us going and that will help us navigate through this turmoil. The sense of meaning and purpose are already there, they are embedded in values and the mission we gave our businesses, in the changes we strive to contribute to. This is, in my opinion the glue: employers and employees working together on common goals which rest on a shared vision of, what I hope it is, an advanced and sustainable way of life, with respect towards communities and the environment. Listening has never been a more powerful tool and I strongly believe now it’s the moment to pause, take a deep breath and do some soul-searching. Forget the desperate chaise for marginal profit, forget trying to see into the future what will happen and when, leave aside the uncertainties of strategy — should I aim towards growth or stability? Should I cut my losses or be hopeful that things will go back to a somewhat normal? — and just listen to the lessons we are being taught.
What should be a CEO’s and leader’s power message on business resilience conveyed to peers, partners, and employees for 2021, in order to enhance the trust and engagement?
Don’t give up and don’t give in! Don’t give up on the vision you had for your business, on your goals and the changes you hoped to bring in the world! Don’t give into the fear of uncertainty, nobody promised us continuous growth, nobody said it wouldn’t be hard! This pandemic has taught us to be humbler and more appreciative of what we have —family, nature, comfort — incorporate these lessons, exercise introspection, be and do better!
How can a CEO and leader of an organization capitalize on the current challenges to enhance ad promote the company’s competition advantages currently?
Romania and the businesses that operate here have a unique advantage in the current context. In the energy industry, for example, even before the sanitary crisis, Romania was behind its European counterparts in some major areas such as digitization, smart grids, building regional inter-connectivity, investment projects, renewable energy and so on. But the European Green Deal offers us a unique opportunity to align with the standards set by the European community and benefit from the financial support necessary to make this leap towards sustainable growth. I believe this is how we will be able to turn our greatest disadvantages into strengths.
Which are the current concerns of a CEO / leader in 2020? Which are the hopes for 2021?
As CEO of Adrem, a group of companies with 1.500 employees, both me and my colleagues in the management staff are focused primarily on the health and safety of everybody supporting our business — employees, partners, the people in the communities where we operate and our loved ones. This, in my opinion, should be every leader’s main concern, getting through this sanitary crisis as well as possible. My hope for 2021 is that we, as a society, will find the tools to move forward, the resources to recover and with solidarity and responsibility the businesses will have both continuity and the wisdom to navigate through the pandemic.
What kind of innovative measures and inclusive leadership initiatives have been applied within your organization this year, to better cope with the current context and bring the business forward in 2021?
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