Remote leadership is the buzz of the web right now. How to manage it, what to think of, good ideas and challenges is spread in newspapers, podcasts and social media articles. Although I guess many of you are still having a hard time coping in the new setting covid-19 has given I want to give a heads-up on what may be coming your way. Strategy is thinking ahead and creating those steady habits that will take you through turmoil and on towards your goal. Now is the time to start sketching that strategy for work location past corona.
If you are one of the managers now coping with remote leadership, you probably have some of your employees currently working from home just wishing for the day regathering at the office is a good idea. When vaccines has done the job and social distancing is no longer a main thing. Just think of getting together at the planning whiteboard or getting the team together in the same room. Having colleagues around you again. Maybe you yourself is one of the ones who are longing.
At the same time you probably have another type of co-worker who may very well be quiet right now. Happily working in solitude, feeling this working from home thing to be the best that happened to them for along time. Maybe because the calmness of controlling the space, sound and heat around you gives peace of mind and increased focus, maybe because working from home makes work-life balance so much easier, cutting commute time, enabling lunches together with family, being able to take the dog for a walk at breaks.
Here a topic for your next coaching session: How do you combine these two groups in your post corona work-place planning?
Will you be giving the option to choose where to work? Or getting everyone back in again? Maybe you are considering letting go of your expensive office locations now that remote work is becoming your new team habit? So far where and how we work has been more or less regulated by lock down, restrictions and/or personal responsibility to flatten the curve of covid cases. But what about when the choice is fully yours again? What kind of workplace do you want to have? Where is it ok to be at work? How do you build co-operation in diversity, or will you choose one way? What effects does that decision have on your current staff? Who will be happy, who will not? Meeting employee expectations is always key to position yourself as an attractive employer.
What is it that you need to do now to ensure good human relations combined with your company goals post corona. Yes, it seems far away but that time will come and a wise manager builds strategy pro-active rather than reactive. Covid caught us with surprise. Now is the time to ensure moving on from it is a prepared journey on your behalf.