As we push on into the 2020’s, we are currently amid a “crash diet” as companies trim down and focus on their core businesses. The smart leaders in this new environment will embrace pragmatism when it comes to doing more with fewer resources. A more long-term view on the definition of success is now the new normal.

Love or hate Uber, you have to admit that the car service got your attention with its on-demand kittens, Christmas trees, ­skywriting, mariachi bands, and Vegas road trips. You can thank Emil Michael for that. Though kittens have been by far the most popular ­gambit, receiving about 500,000 requests in three cities, Michael admits it wasn’t his first choice (he’s ­allergic).

“When a company is in a growth phase and was as ambitious as we are and were, you want to be able to do that without the quarterly heartbeat of, ‘is every Wall Street analyst and investor going to question every judgment you make’ because ... you are experimenting with new business models, in new regions.”

As a longtime business leader with extensive knowledge of tech and finance, I understand the struggles of hiring the right person for the job. The pandemic has changed the way the world functions, and business is no exception. To be a successful leader, it’s critical to adjust and adapt the hiring process, especially when seeking the right executives in a post-pandemic world.