Grace, Purpose and Apple Pies: Leading a Team During a Global Pandemic

Zeta Smith’s role at Sodexo started like most - with a period of onboarding, client introductions and immersion in the company culture.

Yet Zeta’s position as CEO of North America Seniors is no ordinary job and she was starting under extraordinary circumstances, just as the country’s response to COVID-19 was taking shape. When a pandemic hit our most vulnerable population, having a CEO who believes in servant leadership and empowering employees was vital.

Grace under pressure defines Zeta’s first few months with Sodexo. She drove new purpose into a mission she learned during her days as Starbucks’ Divisional Vice President, stating, “During pandemic and uncertainty, people want an empathetic leader. They want to feel heard and listened to.” 

For eight weeks straight, Zeta held daily calls to define strategy and keep her team informed. She engaged her team in productive problem-solving and soon discovered how fast things can move during a crisis. Zeta quickly grasped Sodexo’s safety culture and mobilized our company’s vast global supply chain network to secure essential personal protective equipment (PPE) and establish protocols. 

Expertise from Sodexo’s teams in Germany, China and Brazil was leveraged to apply lessons learned from counterparts across the world. Frequent meetings proved essential to “galvanizing the team around a common problem,” which was how to keep residents safe and reduce infection. 

Apple Pies and Margaritas, Preserving Community in Crisis

Lockdowns were in place all over the country, yet Sodexo’s Seniors teams found creative ways to support isolated residents. As container meals replaced the communal dining service, staff delivered personalized, home baked cookies door-to-door. Teams leveraged technology for video cooking demonstrations, teaching residents how to make apple pie. For some residents, Margarita Wednesdays provided a refreshing change of pace!

Zeta credits the special and caring Sodexo employees with helping everyone stay motivated during the pandemic, saying, “The level to which they will go to make sure seniors are cared for is remarkable. We are just getting started in what’s possible. Leading this fantastic team and imagining what we’re going to look like in two weeks, two months, two years is exciting.” 

Zeta’s plans for 2021 include “leveraging and empowering employees to do the right thing for our seniors and clients.”

Check out this video to learn more about Zeta’s remarkable journey during her first few weeks at Sodexo and which act of creativity performed by one Seniors Team gave Zeta goosebumps!