Jeffrey Hayzlett is a global business celebrity, the CEO of The Hayzlett Group and the founder of The C Suite Network. He is a primetime television and podcast show host, author, and a keynote speaker. As a leading business expert, Jeffrey has shared his insight and expertise through various television networks and around the world via his travels. Tom Fox welcomes him to this week’s episode as they discuss the C-Suite Network, diversity, and the effects of COVID-19 on executives.

Pivoting in The Pandemic

The pandemic made Jeffrey and his team consider what they could do differently about their network conferences. “It really got down to the fundamental piece . . . we really don't have to be together, meaning face-to-face to do the work that we need to do,” Jeffrey tells Tom. Tom remarks that this approach transformed the C-Suite Network as its membership grew exponentially. The key element, Jeffrey stresses, is that everyone wants to come together to do something together, and to learn and share each other’s expertise. 

Having the Hard Conversations

As executives, we need to have the difficult discussions surrounding diversity no matter how uncomfortable they may make us. “I think we all think we know what we know, and we all think we know what other people go through; and we don't,” Jeffrey says. We need to have frank and open discussions around diversity, and stop trying to coach our language, and just address these topics and issues. We should approach these conversations with the understanding that we don’t intend to hurt anyone.

The New Normal

Jeffrey tells Tom that the way we usually conduct our errands and our business will change post-pandemic. “I don't think you're going to have certain things go back to the way what people would say is normal, we're going to have whatever normal is.” Business events will also be smaller in capacity, Jeffrey states. “There's gonna be a real hybrid,” he comments: events will be partly face-to-face and partly online.

Resources

Jeffrey Hayzlett | LinkedIn | Twitter        

The Hayzlett Group

The C-Suite Network