Linda Thomas Brooks, the new CEO of the Public Relations Society of America, has prided herself as a management-by-walking-around-type. “As an executive, you look at people’s desks: ‘Oh, you’re a dog person? You’re a cat person? That picture you have on your desk, where was that taken?’ You learn a lot about people from having those sorts of casual conversations.”
The past year, of course, has been tough on “casual.” Brooks, who started at PRSA in January, has been through a wholly virtual hiring and onboarding process. And though the association’s staff is slowly making its way to reconvening in person at its New York offices, Brooks’ situation will likely be common for some time. CEO candidates will have to ask: How does a leader navigate interviewing and orientation when the usual emotional-intelligence tools aren’t near at hand?
“Your ability to read the room and understand reactions from people has to be calibrated in a whole different way,” she said.
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