In my Executive Coaching practice I particularly enjoy working with leaders who have a growth mindset and a thirst for learning and who are striving to be ever better in their roles. The topic of leading effectively in a hybrid world comes up regularly because it is something which we are all learning through experience and reflecting on those experiences can be fruitful. Here are 3 insights from my leadership clients which I have found particularly compelling – challenges experienced together with potential solutions.

Reduced face-to-face contact adversely affecting levels of intra-team trust, both between leader and team members and amongst team members themselves. Between leader and team this can be as simple as “how do I know if you’re capable if I cannot see what you’re doing day-to-day?” which can result in a temptation to micro-manage. Between team members it can manifest as “I don’t really know you, so can I ask you for help without you judging me as incompetent?” leaving individuals reluctant to ask for help or feedback.

Leaders intentionally creating opportunities to build intra-team trust is key to solving this challenge. This might be in the form of ‘anchor days’ within the week where all team members are required to be in the office together. If so, it is critical that these days are used for connecting and collaborating; do not ‘waste’ these days on work which can readily be done when working apart. If weekly anchor days are not practicable (eg the team is widely spread geographically) then getting the whole team together for 3-4 days twice a year builds connectivity and the benefits last surprisingly long. Scheduling time within virtual meetings to get to know each other as individuals has benefits: one firm with which I work introduced a slot into their team meetings where a member of staff presents for 10 minutes on whatever they want – learning about colleagues’ charity work, sporting passion or favourite bands helps build connections and thereby trust.

Less rich communication leading to greater levels of misunderstanding. For most people face-to-face communication is rich in cues to help us understand each other, not just the words spoken but the tone and pace of delivery and multiple non-verbal messages including facial expression and body language. When this is replaced by virtual communication methods – Teams or Zoom calls, telephone, Slack, emails, SMS – these cues reduce or disappear altogether. As the cues reduce so the potential for misunderstanding rises, particularly when combined with the lack of trust explained above. Simply put, what you think you have said/ written and what your colleague has heard/ read can end up being two very different things. I’ve even heard the sad example of “great work” being interpreted as sarcasm – the positive intent of quick praise being undermined by unacknowledged tensions in the remote working relationship.

Leaders have explored with me a range of options to tackle this challenge, implemented in tandem with the trust-building efforts mentioned above. Most importantly, they actively consider what is the best method of communication for a message; ‘best’ does not mean easiest or quickest for them to deliver, but rather most effective in achieving the desired understanding and emotional response of the recipient. For example, communicating last month’s results is well-suited to email – detailed and factual, can be read and re-read by the recipient to ensure understanding. A phone call is great for positive news or feedback – the recipient can hear the energy in your voice and, in turn, you can hear that the message has landed well. As an aside, even positive feedback should always be as specific as possible: rather than “great work” be sure to praise what you liked about the work and the impact it had eg “your presentation was clear and well-paced; everyone came away with a much better understanding of the opportunity you pitched.” Difficult conversations are best held face-to-face if possible: they allow rich two-way communication to develop which helps ensure mutual understanding and careful handling of emotions.

Challenges particularly impact new or young employees. Leaders are finding that knowledge and skills take longer to be acquired because of three simple factors:

  • The new/ young employees do not know who to ask for advice;
  • They are reluctant to approach unfamiliar colleagues for help because of the fear of appearing incompetent.
  • It can be difficult to set up time with the right person, and any delay affects their productivity while they are ‘stuck’, exacerbating their fears of being thought incompetent.

All effective leaders want to set up new or young employees for success from the outset. Carefully-crafted onboarding is key, encompassing the big picture (the organisation’s purpose, values and culture), the more immediate (the team’s purpose, structure and deliverables), and the specifics for the individual (the position’s role in the team, its priorities, key contacts and stakeholders, the individual’s development plan). A formally-appointed ‘buddy’ in these early days can be impactful, with a thoughtful pairing providing the support to tackle all three factors raised above.

The most effective leaders, to my mind at least, recognise that it is incumbent on them to reflect upon the challenges which hybrid working poses for their team and to tackle those challenges by role-modelling open and regular two-way communication, building a culture of mutual support and trust, where colleagues feel comfortable asking for and offering advice, guidance and feedback.

These particular challenges and suggested solutions build upon my initial thoughts on leading in a hybrid world – The 5 ‘C’s – link here for ease of reference: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/irenegrant_leadership-executivecoach-leadershipdevelopment-activity-6813414100811476992-pOz5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

P.S. The photo is a slight ‘cheat’: I was not working but I was certainly remote, travelling around the north of Scotland in a campervan – Happy Days!

Posted in Thoughts about leadership