The CEO of Plus One Shantha de Silva asserted that “regenerative leadership is one of the top trends of 2020/21.” In his view, a company that asks what it can give back to its employees and society – rather than looking at what it can get from them – is akin to permaculture in farming.

He added: “The time for regenerative leadership is now because our businesses have been disrupted, and there’s a need for us to reestablish our priorities and the way we work.” He believes companies need to establish a blueprint that can help them achieve a sustainable future for all.

When his views on pandemic fatigue experienced by employees were probed, de Silva drew attention to a recent survey that rated employees’ mental health as three times poorer than before.

“It’s the companies’ responsibility to put employees’ social, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing at the centre of their agendas,” he emphasised.

He asserted that this approach does not have to be a huge initiative but is about creating the appropriate culture – and he emphasised the urgency to walk the talk and set an example. When leaders take time off work and encourage employees also to follow that, it’s one small step in the right direction, de Silva added.

“We all like to be busy but imagine the stress and strain it creates on employees, and how it impacts their mental and emotional wellbeing,” he cautioned.

De Silva elaborated on shifting the narrative and why it is important to prepare people by helping them accept the current realities and showing them the means by which they can be overcome rather than simply reiterating that “things are going to get better.”

In this regard, he mentioned that “the worse thing we can do for employees’ emotional wellbeing is to not share messages,” and added that constant communication is necessary.

On a similar note, he shared his thoughts on the perennial debate on emotional quotient (EQ) and IQ. “I think both have merits; and for me, it’s the right thing in the right place at the right time,” said de Silva in contending that organisations cannot take a generic approach and should strike a balance between these two qualities.

At the same time, he discussed the most applicable leadership lessons in today’s business landscape: “The Stockdale Paradox says you need to retain absolute faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the current realities and difficulties. At the same time, confront the most brutal facts of your current realities.” This notion emanates from the book Good to Great by Jim Collins.

Moving on to the arena of personal development for past and future business leaders, de Silva asserted that constant practice is vital to hone their craft.

“Personal development is not only about following courses, reading books or earning degrees – it has to be practical as well,” he explained, adding: “When you’re results-focussed, it takes a lot out of you – and you need to keep doing it to get the same results. But when you become people-focussed, you develop and motivate them to generate those results.”

Furthermore, de Silva highlighted the importance of workplace diversity and inclusion. “This has to become a culture and not remain a policy,” he stated. He also remarked that in Sri Lanka, this approach must begin at every level of the organisation and be introduced even at the board of directors or senior management levels.

De Silva summed his thoughts up by addressing generational change in the context of corporate culture. “Generation Z accepts diversity and inclusion as a part of their culture,” he noted, adding that they are digital natives – having been born in the digital era, they’re much more comfortable with digital initiatives.

He affirmed that this generation is mature and financially minded, and aware of how to maintain emotional wellbeing: “They’re much more conscious than the previous generations and companies must embrace the values of gen Z to attract them.”