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The Leadership Must-Haves To Successfully Lead In A Hybrid Workplace

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Leaders everywhere are scrambling to figure out how to navigate the fast-changing rules of a hybrid workplace. Too many are grasping at straws to figure out how to communicate, coach, give direction and feedback, deepen connections, and remain credible across technological, geographical, and organizational boundaries. By now, many have figured out that what used to work – appearing confident and having the answers, giving one-way direction, avoiding hard feedback, being overly accommodating or overly inflexible, and remaining clueless about your impact on others – have long left the building. We have a global pandemic to thank for accelerating the eviction of long outmoded leadership behaviors. 

But what do we replace them with? New vocabulary like empathy, compassion, curiosity, self-awareness, and purpose are fast making their way onto the leadership playing field as talent continues to exit the workplace. And as last year’s bonuses are about to get paid out as the new year begins, many fear the exodus will only intensify.

I spoke with Jeffrey Hull, Executive Coach and CEO at Leadershift, Director of Global Development at Harvard’s Institute of Coaching, and author of Flex: The Art and Science of Leadership in a Changing World for insights on what leaders need to do right now to adapt to these turbulent shifts, and help stem the tide of exiting talent.  Says Hull, “The hybridization of the workplace has definitely forced the hybridization of leadership. The great news is that the changes to both are very aligned. Inflexible workplaces and work design – working 9-6, Monday-Friday, fixed vacation schedules, stoic meetings, cubicle farms, narrow definitions of collaboration and teaming, all accommodated rigid, command and control leadership behavior. But when and where work happens are off the table now. Collaboration is happening synchronously and asynchronously at the same time. The traditional workplace -the bustle, the serendipitous meetings, the rhythms – could absorb many leader’s flaws, and interactions were very superficial. But that environment is no longer available. The value of the leader’s presence has shifted from controlling outcomes to facilitating the success of others. Many leaders aren’t prepared. But they can learn.”

To succeed in, and beyond, the hybrid world and learn to lead from anywhere, Hull says we simply need to dig deeper in three areas: deeper self-knowledge, deeper knowledge of those we lead, and fostering deeper connections.

Deepen Self-Knowledge. General self-awareness tended to suffice in the traditional workplace. As long as you weren’t a complete jerk, a few quirky flaws were dismissed as somewhat tolerable. But that tolerance has drained and employees expectations have significantly escalated as they’ve awakened to just how much bad behavior they’re no longer willing to tolerate.  Hull says, “Leaders really have to know their strengths, their preferences, and their default orientations for leading. Are you generally controlling? Are you more democratic and consensus seeking? When are you at your best, and when aren’t you? You no longer have the luxury of ordering your world around a narrow set of preferences. You need to widen your repertoire of approaches to leading others to adapt to the many preferences and needs of a team that may be scattered around the globe, working at different times of the day, and who collaborate and innovate differently than you do.”  

Hull shared the story of an executive he coached whose team had started having innovation meetings without him. One of the executive’s new team members, an innovation lead, purchased an espresso machine and was making cappuccinos for the team who came by to participate in brainstorming and product development meetings. For those working from home, he sent coffee gift cards for them to get their own beverages so they could join and feel included. He came into the office late and worked through the night. Innovation was moving along well but Hull’s client grew increasingly uncomfortable. He said to Hull, “I can’t just have people gathering to have coffee at any given time of the day. What will people think?”  Hull helped his client realize that the problem wasn’t the way his team member was delivering on his innovation goals. The problem was his discomfort with having to adapt his leadership to that approach. He would now have to learn how to add value, participate, get

updates, and offer feedback in new ways. 

Deepen your knowledge of others. Says Hull, “You need to become a 24/7 student of those you lead. You have to shift from general knowledge to deep understanding. Do you know their strengths? Their passions? What gives them a core sense of purpose and meaning? If you don’t know these things, your ability to earn their trust and lead them credibly will be muted.” According to Hull, there are three intersections leaders must connect to form an accurate assessment of an employee. First, you have to know what drives them. You have to learn – directly from them – what aspects of work they love, what they believe they are great at, and when they feel they are thriving. You may have one employee who is a great presenter, so you lean on her to do the heavy lifting for major pitches and presentations. But if you aren’t aware that she really doesn’t enjoy presenting, you won’t know that she’s harboring a growing resentment toward you. Second, you can’t rely on just your data. Says Hull, “You need to provide rich and reliable sources of feedback for those you lead. You need highly qualified sources – peers, other stakeholders, mentors, people they lead, etc. Having reliable data helps people center on how others see them, what their reputation is, and where they may have blind spots.” Finally, you need to match their strengths and passions to the organization’s strategic priorities. Their most important work must clearly ladder up to what’s important to the organization so they never wonder where their contribution fits in. Hull reflects, “Someone may want to deepen their social media skills but if there’s no strategic imperative for that, you leave them demoralized and feeling irrelevant.”

Deepen connections. Attributes like authenticity aren’t new, but in a hybrid workplace, certainly take on much greater importance. The hybrid workplace has stripped away the veneers of the surface-level interactions we’ve become accustomed to.  Says Hull, “You may have been sincere when you asked your team member about their weekend while passing in the coffee area, but the interaction wasn’t very deep.” Obligatory social exchanges are being replaced by new forms of social capital that demand more genuine and human connection. The hybrid workplace puts us in each other’s homes in full view of dirty laundry, kids running around, bedrooms and kitchens, and all the stresses of a full life. The personal lives of those we lead have now become relevant to our work life in ways we’ve never seen.  Hull suggests that leaders must now become much better listeners and inquirers. The need to be comfortable with “real conversations” characterized by mutual vulnerability, sincere care, and intentionality. He says, “To be visible, accessible, a better coach and feedback provider, a co-learner from successes and mistakes, across so many channels of leadership today are the table stakes for building meaningful relationships.” 

It’s likely these are all much easier said than done. And most leaders assume they are already doing some form of them. It may be hard to hear that to successfully thrive in a hybridized world, your leadership must evolve even more than you thought. But if you want to gain the greatest levels of innovation and performance from those you lead, that’s where the bar has now been set. 

Hull writes in his book, “My fundamental belief is that everyone…has the potential to be fierce enough to lead…in the operating room or…on the factory floor. Today’s innovators need to transcend silos, break through boundaries, and coach themselves to be multifaceted—a fully realized leader, engaged partner, willing follower. As you look to continuously push against the edge of your own limitations, your goal must be to break down any wall that blocks you from knowing yourself. Don’t worry about climbing ladders that no longer exist. Instead, seek to defy the laws of gravity by elevating yourself and all of those around you with your passion, creativity, and enthusiasm. As simple as it sounds, you can be an inspiring leader, live out your deepest dreams, and change the world—from wherever you sit. And you can start right now.”

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