In this month’s episode, Jill taps into the wisdom of her longtime friend Steve Baird, president and CEO of Baird & Warner, the oldest residential real estate brokerage in the United States.

In this first in an ongoing series, Jill connects with her friend McKeel Hagerty, a fellow CEO and former YPO International Chairman, for a discussion on lessons learned during COVID-19, maintaining work-life balance, reasons for optimism in 2021 and beyond, and much more.

We’ve learned a lot of lessons in 2020. The best leaders tell us that focusing on Organizational Health of the company is more important than ever. Organizational Health gives you the competitive edge you need and will help you weather whatever turmoil lies ahead.

What is Organizational Health? It’s the way a company aligns around a common vision and strategy, executes with excellence, and engages with its employees. According to a recent McKinsey study, healthy organizations are outperforming their competition at every level and delivering 3x total return to their shareholders.

As we head into the last month of Q3, many economists and business forecasters remain optimistic about the recovery post COVID-19. Most expect a slow uptick in Q3 and Q4 with a more visible rebound in 2021.

Yet every note of optimism comes with a flashing red-light disclaimer: No one really knows how long the world will be wrestling with the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. For business leaders, this uncertainty creates a conundrum: How do we strike the right balance between optimism and reality? How do we avoid over- or under-reacting?

There’s no doubt: These past four months have taken a toll on us all. This has been especially true for CEOs who have been putting on brave faces for their teams in the wake of unprecedented economic turmoil and ongoing uncertainty. As Greg Brenneman said, “the job of leaders is to absorb fear and exude hope.” But this is exhausting.

You’ve been carrying the weight of your company around, fighting for short-term survival and looking for long-term opportunities to secure the future of the company. It has required a brand-new executive tool kit — more effective communications with your team and customers, a new level of empathy, rethinking the customer experience and so much more. You may be feeling anxious, depressed, frustrated or just simply worn out. Someone recently compared it to PTSD.