--- title: "COVID-19: A licence to be more human" description: "Over the past month, three themes have emerged from your feedback about your coronavirus response. We've summarised these as 1) Connection and the “network effect”, 2) Reputation risk ex-C19, and 3) From a work \"place\" to a space. We see leaders wise to these three themes using them in their own 'what's next\" planning." image: https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/hubfs/CRB%20COVID-19/CRB%20blog%20images/Coronavirus_34.png --- [![Bluechip_Logo](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/325503/Bluechip%20Assets/Images/Bluechip_Logo.svg "Bluechip_Logo")](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/) ![Search-9](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/hubfs/BlueChip%20website/Bluechip%20Assets/Images/Search-9.svg "Search-9") ![Close Icon (3)-1](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/hubfs/Bluechip%20Assets/Images/Close%20Icon%20(3)-1.svg "Close Icon (3)-1") This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ** ![Close Icon (3)](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/325503/Bluechip%20Assets/Images/Close%20Icon%20(3).svg "Close Icon (3)") ##### Knowledge Shared # Insights ##### All Articles ![](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/hubfs/BlueChip%20website/Bluechip%20Assets/Images/down-filled-triangular-arrow.png) - [Financial Services (168)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/financial-services) - [Public Relations (133)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/public-relations) - [Marketing (111)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/marketing) - [Social Media (101)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/social-media) - [Integrated Marketing (87)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/integrated-marketing) - [Reputation Management (79)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/reputation-management) - [Crisis Management (61)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/crisis-management) - [Growth (46)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/growth) - [Profile (41)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/profile) - [COVID-19 (40)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/covid-19) - [Protect (14)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/protect) - [BC Team (9)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/bc-team) - [Blog (7)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/blog) - [Leadership communication (6)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/leadership-communication) - [Cyber Security (3)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/cyber-security) - [Client In The News (2)](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/client-in-the-news) [Client In The News](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/client-in-the-news) ### [Melos Sulicich shares SME success tips on Money News’ “Let’s Talk Business”](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/melos-sulicich-shares-sme-success-tips-on-money-news-lets-talk-business) Melos Sulicich, CEO of Bank of Sydney was interviewed by 2GB’s Money News "Let's Talk Business" segment with Scott Haywood. He shared tips for family-run businesses to make sure ev... [Client In The News](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/client-in-the-news) ### [Target hostile countries, not us, drug giant CSL tells Trump](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/target-hostile-countries-not-us-drug-giant-csl-tells-trump) This is an extract from an article written by Michael Smith and Jessica Gardner in The Australian Financial Review. Published on the 10th July 2025. “It is weighing on the share pr... - ##### [COVID-19](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/covid-19) ## [COVID-19: A licence to be more human](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/a-licence-to-be-more-human) ###### By Carden Calder and Katy Lithgow ###### 06 Oct 2020 [Social Media](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/social-media) [Financial Services](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/financial-services) [Growth](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/growth) ##### [Reaching High Net Worth Individuals Through Social Media Marketing in 2025](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/how-target-high-net-worth-individuals-social-media) [Public Relations](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/public-relations) [Reputation Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/reputation-management) [Crisis Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/crisis-management) ##### [The Science of Crisis Communication: Proactive and Reactive Strategies](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/proactive-and-reactive-crisis-communication-strategies) [Profile](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/profile) ##### [Affluence. Effluence. Influence. Do you know the difference?](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/affluence-effluence-influence-do-you-know-the-difference/) [Public Relations](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/public-relations) [Reputation Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/reputation-management) [Crisis Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/crisis-management) ##### [Introduction to Crisis Communication](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/introduction-to-crisis-communication) ###### Insights [Back to all articles](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog) - Share - [![](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/hubfs/Bluechip%20Assets/Images/facebook.svg) ](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bluechipcommunication.com.au%2Fblog%2Fa-licence-to-be-more-human) - [![](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/hubfs/Bluechip%20Assets/Images/linked%20in.svg) ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/a-licence-to-be-more-human) - [![](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/hubfs/Bluechip%20Assets/Images/twitter-1.svg) ](https://www.twitter.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bluechipcommunication.com.au%2Fblog%2Fa-licence-to-be-more-human) Feedback from CEOs and leaders at recent peer-to-peer events hosted by BlueChip has focused on how COVID-19 has accelerated, not halted, expectations of leaders and brands, the market risk that comes with this. Leaders also spoke about how they see work evolving as we emerge from the "great social experiment" of mass WFH and the challenge of connecting with others when remote. These three themes inform our monthly COVID-19 response briefing, and our advice for CEOs dealing with such challenges.  ### 1. Market feedback *Intelligence about the impact of COVID-19 on specific financial services sectors, not published by media. * **A.  Managing ourselves and our connection to others.  **CEOs, business owners and senior professionals are really missing, and need to replicate, normal and business social connections.  You may have done this for your staff, but you haven’t yet figured out the best way to do this for yourselves. This is best summed up as “we didn’t know we needed it until it was gone.” And while structured, annual events (conferences, briefings, meetings, educational forums) have been replicated, few to none have recreated the coffee break conversations and the street corner catch ups. It turns out that these coincidental interactions are vital, and what's lost is more than casual conversation, it's also our sense of connection. Without the context of industry input, our ability to move confidently through decisions has been hampered.  On the flipside, CEOs tell of the blessing of greater connection to loved ones. At the roundtable, participants spoke about being more present for children's milestones, meals together, and relationships - time that would otherwise have been sacrificed (often for work travel).  **B. An accelerator for ESG and innovation **CEOs at our recent event spoke about how companies are doing in months what would have previously taken years to complete. This speed of innovation has parallels to advances made following world war. However, some CEOs note that Australia is lagging on innovation compared to its global peers. ESG was another area where CEOs spoke of higher standards that need to be met, faster, particularly with a focus on the 'G' for governance in the wake of scandals such as AMP and QBE.  Our focus on climate change and social licence has also shifted inexorably. As a result, CEOs, like many Australians point to environmental concerns leading to lower consumption (for organisations and customers) and a broader transition to more sustainable industries.   ### 2. Management responses *This section outlines how CEOs and their leadership teams are responding* **A. A licence to be more human, and the evolution of work   **The COVID-19 shift to mass WFH was described by one CEO as a “great social experiment”, and many leaders now see it’s their job to preserve the positive changes (flexibility, more personableness) from this time. Flowing from this, they expect there will be a fundamental change to the spaces we work in, and are thinking quite differently about how they lead their people.  Indeed, COVID-19 has clarified that social interaction matters. All leaders we've spoken to as part of our roundtables and research talk about “us, not me”.  One CEO described their former work persona as being behind a mask. Now, said the CEO, things are more personable, and this transparency between teams is something that they want to keep.   **B. Revising your strategy story ** Many of you understand your purpose and values, in particular, are be held to a higher standard in this moment in history than they were before. What is a strategy story? It's a combination of a leadership narrative (internal) and a branded narrative (external). It’s likely these will be different. Because the context has changed, so has your narrative - you need to evolve both elements of it for the current environment. ### 3. CEO Guidance *This section provides our guidance on management and communication responses* **A. Seek to replicate social interactions you're missing ** you may be doing this for staff already - now do it for yourself.  If you’re not part of a member organisation, you can go out and create an informal peer network for yourself and your people. You’ll be surprised how open people are to the opportunity to network with fellow, like minded humans. **B. Think about how you're managing reputation risk  ** While we’ve now dealt with a lot of the operational issues that emerged with COVID-19, many haven’t thought through the ripple effect, which is how you’re managing your reputation. We are advising clients to run a reputation audit that will enable you to identify the risks that exist inside your own organisation, and your alignment to purpose and values vs your stakeholders’ views of this. The gap between what you believe you’re doing, and what stakeholders say you’re doing is your reputation risk. ### 4. Appendix: How to help us help you This briefing is collective intelligence gathered, anonymised and shared with you by my firm for the greater good. We’ve taken the view, based on client feedback, that the collective benefit to you all takes precedence over normal competitive pressures at a time like this. This is an excerpt from one of our client COVID-19 CEO response briefings. For more COVID-19 response resources and guidance, visit our [COVID-19 Response](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/covid-19-crisis-communication-resources) page.  ***If you’d like to discuss adjusting your communication strategy for the current times, please ****[call us ](tel:+61290188600)****or fill out our contact form ***[***here***](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/speak-to-us-about-marketing)[***.***](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/speak-to-us-about-marketing) [![how to drive your fame agenda](https://hubspot-no-cache-ap1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/537730/353fa2e0-53b3-407b-b7b3-d03aa771c86d.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-ap1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/537730/353fa2e0-53b3-407b-b7b3-d03aa771c86d) [![New call-to-action](https://hubspot-no-cache-ap1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/default/537730/b6d7db75-da4c-4d10-9e21-bd517dc50437.png)](https://hubspot-cta-redirect-ap1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/cta/redirect/537730/b6d7db75-da4c-4d10-9e21-bd517dc50437) ## Related Posts [Reputation Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/reputation-management) [Crisis Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/crisis-management) [COVID-19](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/covid-19) ###### 19 October 2021 #### [Do financial services leaders need to take lessons from Gladys?](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/do-financial-services-leaders-need-to-take-lessons-from-gladys) [Reputation Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/reputation-management) [Crisis Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/crisis-management) [COVID-19](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/covid-19) ###### 06 October 2021 #### [Pre-emption: How to avoid a PR crisis](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/pre-emption-how-to-avoid-a-pr-crisis) [Crisis Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/crisis-management) [COVID-19](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/covid-19) ###### 10 September 2021 #### [The most important phase of crisis management and why we don't see it](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/the-most-important-phase-of-crisis-management-and-why-we-dont-see-it) [Reputation Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/reputation-management) [Crisis Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/crisis-management) [COVID-19](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/covid-19) ###### 08 September 2021 #### [Hallmarks of an effective crisis simulation](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/hallmarks-of-an-effective-crisis-simulation) [Public Relations](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/public-relations) [Crisis Management](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/crisis-management) [Profile](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/profile) [COVID-19](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/covid-19) ###### 23 August 2021 #### [A new outbreak: confusion and negativity](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/a-new-outbreak-confusion-and-negativity) [Profile](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/profile) [COVID-19](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/topic/covid-19) ###### 30 July 2021 #### [Wondering how to profile and position your fund to attract investors, differentiate yourself from others in the same investment style box, and protect your reputation?](https://www.bluechipcommunication.com.au/blog/wondering-how-to-profile-and-position-your-fund-to-attract-investors-differentiate-yourself-from-others-in-the-same-investment-style-box-and-protect-your-reputation) ## Stay up to date ### Marketing insights you’ll want to read. 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