To lead others in the VUCA world, you need to understand the context and the consequences of your actions and inactions, anticipate potential issues and accept that some things are unknown or not under your control, prepare for alternative outcomes and watch out for yet unknown opportunities.
If you want to retain your employees, forget about office perks. Instead, hire leaders who care. Nothing can beat having fulfilling work where people are respected for who they are.
Hybrid work is challenging as it requires extra thought and effort to make sure everyone feels included and engaged regardless of their role or location. You need to be very intentional in the way you communicate. Frequent and transparent communication is more important than ever before.
Remote and hybrid work feels like nirvana, but since it is being enabled and often driven by technology it may easily lead to even less humanity in work. To design the hybrid workplace model focus on: place and time; tasks and productivity; culture and workflows; individual employee preferences; inclusion, fairness, and belonging.
Stay conversations, and career coaching should be part of the leader’s repertoire. The main goal is to help the employee be successful. Realizing what they need to do to enjoy their job and that they work for someone who cares are the best reasons to stay.
Go for the hybrid workplace model, but if the nature of the work allows it, leave the choice of when to show up in the office on the employees. Flexibility is the future.
When building a hybrid workplace, consider the various aspects of distance. It is not only the geographical distance that makes things tricky but also the temporal, perceived, and socio-cultural distance and the team’s configuration. A successful team is the one that can bridge these distances and allow everyone to feel they belong.
Running a hybrid organization is more demanding and requires a more thoughtful approach than when everyone is in the office. Things need to be better planned and better communicated. This additional effort is not wasted as it leads to better results. Give enough attention to everyone regardless of location so they feel they truly belong.
Hire those who want to be in the organization and who identify with its values and goals. Hire those who are driven and want to deliver results. Hire those who will put their ego aside for the good of the team.
The remote work is here to stay and it requires such a significant change in the way we manage work and lead people that very few companies can do it truly well. The hybrid model, though challenging in itself, is a good intermediate step that will allow companies, managers, and workers to adjust step by step.
The Geeky Leader 