{"id":32977,"date":"2021-08-25T12:02:43","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T16:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/?p=32977"},"modified":"2021-12-16T10:19:25","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T15:19:25","slug":"how-we-work-has-forever-changed-its-time-for-leadership-skills-to-catch-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/blog\/how-we-work-has-forever-changed-its-time-for-leadership-skills-to-catch-up\/","title":{"rendered":"How We Work Has Forever Changed: It\u2019s Time for Leadership Skills to Catch Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this segment of \u201cOffice Optional with Larry English<\/a>,\u201d Larry talks about the importance of updating your leadership skills for a hybrid workplace.<\/h2>\n
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The teams of the future will be distributed all over the world. They\u2019ll be fluid, quickly spinning up to tackle new challenges and often including gig workers, which are projected to make up as much as half of the U.S. workforce<\/a> in the next decade. The rise of virtual work will bring widespread demand for work-life balance, and it will also lead to a more inclusive world with opportunities open to talent no matter where they call home.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a lot of change to take in, but one thing is certain: The old-school model of corporate leadership will no longer work. Leaders who insist on an outdated, hierarchical, in-person style of management will not be able to compete in the war on talent. Recent global surveys show that most employees want a hybrid workplace<\/a> and many are looking for new opportunities with organizations that offer flexibility.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As leaders are putting together their hybrid workplace strategies<\/a>, they should also work on cultivating the following skills.<\/p>\n

Get Personal to Build Trust<\/h2>\n

Although it can be tempting to try to keep tabs on virtual employees the same way you could if everyone were in an office, this violates the No. 1 rule for effective virtual leadership: Trust. You need to hire good people, and trust that they\u2019ll get their work done. Evaluate them based on what they achieve, not how many hours they\u2019re staring at their computer.<\/p>\n

Employees who feel trusted feel more engaged<\/a>, more energized and less stressed, which in turn leads directly to better business results. Instead of tracking every movement of your virtual employees, put metrics in place to measure their output and schedule regular check-ins to evaluate their work product.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Of course, building trust takes more than avoiding the temptation to track remote employees\u2019 work. It also requires leaders to be vulnerable and human at work, sharing their personalities, passions, mistakes, uncertainties and more. When you can model vulnerability<\/a> not only will you build trust quickly, but your employees will also follow suit, resulting in deeper relationships and more trusting bonds across the board. Learning to be vulnerable and quickly establish trust is especially important if your teams include gig workers.<\/p>\n

In other words, bid farewell to the business playbook that says leaders must present an unwavering strong, stoic, face to the world. The new world of work is much more personal and real than the old.<\/p>\n

Foster Connectedness, Inclusion and Belonging<\/h2>\n

When you\u2019re in the office, you automatically build relationships with those around you through bump-ins on the way to the conference room or in the lunchroom. That doesn\u2019t happen when you\u2019re virtual. As a leader, it\u2019s your job to bridge this gap and change how you operate to encourage connection and prevent remote workers from feeling lonely and disconnected. For example:<\/strong><\/p>\n