Here is How Eric Yaverbaum Leading His Company He Has COVID-19. Eric Yaverbaum is in bed, but he can still offer three things to his team: transparency, optimism, and reality.

In late March, Eric Yaverbaum was out for a run when his body shut down. “It just hit me,” he says. “My breathing got very labored. I got a cough, extreme fatigue, body aches like I’d never felt in my life.” He went to the hospital, where a test confirmed his condition: He had COVID-19. Doctors sent him home to quarantine himself.

Yaverbaum is the chairman of Ericho Communications in New York City, and he now faced a challenging question: How does he lead his company while fighting a terrifying illness? It’s a question many entrepreneurs will likely face in the coming months, but Yaverbaum was more prepared than most. His expertise is in crisis communications.

In difficult moments like this, Yaverbaum believes that leaders need to step up with transparency, open communication, and a deep trust in their team. As he recovers from COVID-19, I spoke to him about how he’s managed his company during his illness, and the good that can come out of all this upheaval.

Where are you right now?

I’m in the same bed that I have been in for the last 11 days. I go from the bed to the bathroom, and it’s not that far from the bathroom. That’s what I do every day.

Well I have to say, you sound good.

Thanks. You don’t see the way I look.

What has the last 11 days been like for you?

I had a very difficult time breathing in the evenings. I literally gasped for air. That has gotten considerably better. I have extreme body aches. I have no sense of taste. I have no sense of smell.  It’s very, very bizarre. You can literally feel it moving around in your body. It goes from one body part to the other. Sometimes it’s in my lower body. Sometimes it’s my upper body. The aches—even if you’ve gotten the flu full-out, it makes those aches look like junior varsity. You can feel this when it’s in your lungs, which has been scary.

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