- In today’s CEO Daily: Diane Brady talks to Accenture CEO Julie Sweet and Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian.
- The big story: The US and China have begun trade talks—but there is a long way to go.
- The markets: Very happy.
- Analyst notes from Wedbush on Elon Musk, Macquarie on the dollar, and Goldman Sachs on equities.
- Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune.
Good morning. I remember asking a man in Helsinki why his country is often ranked as the happiest on earth, at which point he leaned in and said, “it depends on how you define ‘happy.’” Good point. What makes for a happy employee at a hedge fund may be different than what motivates workers at a hospital or a hotel company. There are standard good practices like respect, fair pay, interesting work, and a sense of community, of course. But I long ago concluded that the most important factor in fostering happiness on the job is leadership. Inspiring leaders create inspiring places to work, as we’ve seen in the annual Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list.
I had a chance to speak earlier this week with two leaders whose companies repeatedly appear on our list: Accenture Chair and CEO Julie Sweet and Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian. They joined me for a webinar alongside Great Place to Work CEO Michael C. Bush, our partner in putting together the ranking, which is culled from 1.3 million employee responses.
Our conversation focused on how they are leading and managing change in these volatile times. “I was joking with a colleague that I redefined what R and R is to be resilience and results, because that’s what I feel like I’m focusing on,” said Sweet, whose transparency about dealing with cancer has personally inspired me. “We can only control what we can control.” Among other things, she is now using her daily walks as a time to connect with people in her life. She’s also doubling down on the learning culture she’s fostered at the top, from reading Hope, an autobiography by the late Pope Francis, to regular check-ins with Accenture’s AI-enabled database on tariffs. “Being able to invest in being fast really matters to your employees as they’re going through these difficult times.”
Bastian, meanwhile, is drawing lessons from the pandemic. “Rather than R and R. I’ve called it D and D: differentiated and durable.” What that means in practice is focusing first on employees, most of whom just got a 4% raise despite the economic uncertainty ahead. “The most important people to listen to are your own, to understand what they need to be able to take care of the hundreds of millions of people that we serve,” he said, adding that “At times like this is when we need leadership to stand up like never before.” (If you haven’t read Shawn Tully’s cover profile of Bastian in our current issue, you should.)
Bush agreed, arguing that there “is more fear and uncertainty in the workplace than any time since we’ve been in business at Great Place to Work.” One bright spot: The leaders he talks to are investing more in their communities, not just their companies. “The same people who want to have a great place to work want a great place to live.” Click here to see a video of our conversation and thanks to all of you who joined us.
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Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
