FT Series

Leading in a crisis

As the coronavirus pandemic presents the ultimate leadership test for chief executives, the FT provides insights into their successes and setbacks

Covid uncertainty means permanent change for managers

Shifting power dynamics between leaders and staff highlight the need to accept that nothing is fixed

Mark Gifford: ‘I knew it was never going to be an easy situation’

The former chair of the British department store chain Debenhams on the struggle to save the company

It’s time to extinguish the ‘burning platform’ for good

Fear may prompt staff to take urgent action but it is a dangerous way to encourage long-term change

AIB’s Colin Hunt: Sticking with long-term focus through the crisis

The boss of the Irish lender has embraced hybrid working and a digital banking app, but there is plenty more on his to-do list

No smooth ride in the journey to launch Bolt

Markus Villig co-founded his taxi-hailing app on a tiny budget and still advocates careful spending

PageGroup’s Steve Ingham: ‘Get fit, get out, and get on with life again’

The boss of the global recruiter continued to work while recovering from a life-changing accident

More from this Series

Dublin Airport’s Dalton Philips: ‘You really can’t communicate too much in a crisis’

Despite having to make difficult cuts, the aviation boss protected jobs by slashing costs and changing work practices

Airbnb’s Brian Chesky: ‘The trick is to be optimistic’

Chief executive and co-founder of accommodation platform says he stayed calm even as bookings plummeted

Ethiopia’s human rights chief: ‘It’s not an easy ride for us. We get a lot of heat ’

Lawyer and activist Daniel Bekele has led investigations of atrocities while navigating a complex political situation

A mutual support network pays dividends in times of crisis

During Mark Hoplamazian’s 15 years as head of Hyatt Hotels the group has focused on a sense of purpose and care

Delta’s Ed Bastian: building staff loyalty to survive a crisis

The airline chief focused on protecting the company’s workforce and liquidity in the face of aviation’s worst downturn

The Hong Kong hotelier reinventing hospitality

Wharf Hotels’ president has drawn on her experience of Sars and Thai protests to weather one of the territory’s most tumultuous years

BHP’s Mike Henry: core values are the leadership bedrock for mining boss

The Australian group’s chief says understanding what ‘goes on at the coal face’ helped him navigate the pandemic

Management: what business learnt in the time of coronavirus

Most chief executives are preparing for the volatility of 2020 to continue even if the global economy starts to recover

Crisis managing the travel industry through its most difficult year

The chief of the World Travel and Tourism Council fosters a co-ordinated response to the sector’s coronavirus fallout

Priority overload: how to avoid it and how to relieve it

Collaboration at work is full of pitfalls which can lead to team dysfunction and burnout

How family businesses have survived a brutal year

A sense of solidarity has helped many in the sector weather the crisis

Radicalism vs risk in the battle against corporate bureaucracy

Is the Covid-19 crisis an opportunity for big organisations to devolve decision-making power?

Voice of British science fights for future of UK research

Nobel Prize winner Venki Ramakrishnan was focused on Brexit’s impact on the sector, and then Covid-19 hit

Lockdown 2: a remote work how-to guide for leaders

We need four Cs: clarity, connection, collaboration, compassion

Henkel’s chief on guarding family spirit in a global group

As the pandemic struck, CEO Carsten Knobel was planning for the long term and reassured employees their jobs were safe

A leader’s fight to save lives — and her fundraising

Facing a £160m income drop during 2020, Cancer Research UK’s Michelle Mitchell made tough choices

Sergio Ermotti: ‘My best decision was not to follow consensus’

The UBS chief executive reflects on nine challenging years heading the Swiss bank

Sara Nelson: the union boss fighting to ‘put workers first’

The Association of Flight Attendants president on protecting members as thousands of airline lay-offs loom

Beware leaders who think they can flout their own rules

When violations slide by without consequences, staff respect can quickly break down

Why ‘hybrid’ working spells trouble for companies

The looming split between home and office will be tough to pull off

How remote staff will build a new corporate culture

Keeping workers aligned with a mission will become harder, but people have found new ways to connect

Future of work: how managers are harnessing employees’ hidden skills 

Some businesses are applying the lessons of lockdown to introduce new ways of organising and overseeing work

The challenges of moving a business out of crisis mode

Julie Sweet is impatient to take Accenture back to ‘normality’ and emerge stronger from the pandemic

Bringing crisis management ideas to the oldest US business school

Wharton School’s first female, and first African-American dean on her plans for its future

The challenge of turning a crisis into an advantage

Andi Owen overcame opposition to her Covid-19 response and is now redefining the office furnishings group

How the zombie apocalypse can help prepare us for real crises

Fictional doomsday scenarios can offer guidance on how to handle a second wave of coronavirus

Driving the industry effort to fight Covid-19

Veteran engineer Dick Elsy led the consortium that delivered 13,000 ventilators in a tight timeframe

Transforming a small pathology lab into a $1bn business

Ameera Shah was about to take a break from running her company when coronavirus struck

Ayala wins over Duterte with rapid response to Covid-19

Philippines conglomerate’s actions applauded by one of south-east Asia’s toughest and most feared politicians

Why crisis marks end of the road for longstanding business lines

The pandemic should sever executives’ emotional ties to underperforming projects and products

Wimbledon 2020 is cancelled but the All England Club is not defeated

Chairman Ian Hewitt is determined to see the Grand Slam back next year as he grapples with a potential loss of £250m in revenue

Reviving an old-fashioned brand during a crisis

Angela Cretu has helped Avon harness social media as part of its digital transition

‘The Last Dance’ and lessons in leadership

Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson managed misfits and monster egos. Could he handle our current crisis?

Why this crisis is a ‘disguised blessing’

Lixil’s chief executive has made rapid changes that were previously unthinkable in Japan

An open letter of advice to CEOs

If you are serious about building a truly diverse company, this is what to do now

What Covid-19 teaches company boards for future crises

The pandemic has placed a premium on ‘busy directors’ and a display of humanity

We need casual talk at work to help our ideas flow

The ‘water cooler’ conversation among teams and colleagues is impossible to replicate online

Beware bad habits and mad ideas rushed through under pressure

Some ill-advised practices and structures will linger post-Covid turning the ad hoc into ‘bad hoc’

Transforming telemedicine to combat a health crisis

Amwell’s founders had to rapidly expand the company to meet a surge in demand for virtual doctors

Why some companies will survive this crisis and others will die

It is not a given that all the oldest or largest companies will outlive this crisis — adaptability is key

How to carry your business through the pandemic

CEOs and corporate leaders on the lessons they have already learnt — and what happens next

Six stories from small British businesses battling coronavirus

Limited financial resources and low margins put smallest operators at increased risk

Gambling boss drives merger to completion in uncertain times

As Covid-19 spread, Flutter chief Peter Jackson ensured operations would continue while negotiating the biggest deal of his career

Is it safe? How to handle risks you cannot easily calculate

A previously simple decision of whether to reopen an office is now freighted with mortal peril

The retail boss devising a strategy to survive lockdown

James Timpson has been planning how to operate his stores post-pandemic

Wartime CEOs are not the ideal leaders in this crisis

Experienced and adaptable bosses are more effective than rigid commanders

Live Q&A: How are you managing your business in the crisis?

Andrew Hill will be answering questions on Monday at 12pm and 5pm

Harnessing the power of teamwork to tackle coronavirus

Strong local management helped Mark Bartlett remodel his Chinese plants to combat the crisis

Covid-19 lays bare managers’ efficiency obsession

The pandemic will prompt new rules insisting on better margins for error and will embed more safety-first habits

Lessons from a CEO on New York’s coronavirus frontline

The New York-Presbyterian boss has moved swiftly to respond to the pandemic

How to make planning by committee a success

Start with clear goals, prune failures and build on what has worked in the past

CEOs must turn their pay gestures into real reform

When the crisis is over, remuneration will be a lightning rod for public and political discontent

Middle managers: the unsung heroes of this crisis

Managers need to communicate and connect with staff, and convey they are all in the same boat

Strong leadership for uncertain times

Business leaders’ insights on the unprecedented challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic

Nissan CEO on navigating through a global crisis

Shortly after taking over the scandal-hit group, the new boss was dealing with the coronavirus outbreak

The ultimate test of whether leaders can do the right thing

In years to come, businesses will be asked what action they took during the coronavirus pandemic