LEADERSHIP WORKPLACE

Leadership Workplace

As the workplace landscape evolves in a post-pandemic world, so does the need for leadership. With the workforce spread across working in the office, remotely, or in between, leaders need the right skills to lead successfully, regardless of their team’s workplace. Here’s how leadershipcan develop top talent with any workstyle.

For starters, it’s critical to understand how your company can structure its staff and your team.

Remote: This team works entirely out of the office and may be spread across the country or internationally. This work style has the most flexibility for your workforce and the most diverse pool of talent but lacks the small personal interactions that build camaraderie in a traditional workplace.

Hybrid: This team works a few days in the office regularly and the rest elsewhere and is primarily local. This way of working is a compromise between teams that like to work at home or elsewhere and teams that enjoy working in an office but have the challenge of lining up meetings and updates if the days in which the team comes in are varied and need more organization to synchronize remote project updates with in-person work.

In-Person: This team works entirely in the office and is the traditional way of working. By having everyone together in one place, It can be easier to foster connection among teammates, keep organized with everyone’s work, and develop work-life balance by location. However, this way of working limits worker flexibility and has the cost challenges for a permanent location and creating a viable physical environment for employees.

Transition (RTO): This team is moving from one workstyle to another, most likely from Remote to in-office in some capacity. There is some tension with this trend as employees tend to enjoy different ways of working to best suit their needs while employers are urging a return to office as a way to return to normal and potentially foster ideas that are best developed in person.

With these different workstyles, it can feel overwhelming to learn how to lead effectively in each situation. Fortunately, what makes a successful leader in one environment translates well to another. Great leaders can succeed by:

Individual Check-ins: Regardless of the environment, the more you can learn about your team 1-on-1, the better you can support them, and this can happen in person or on a Zoom call.

Focus on outcomes: No one likes micromanagement; everyone has a way of being productive that works for them. By focusing on a clear outcome, you are giving your team a clear goal to aim for while giving them the flexibility to get there how they see fit.

Combine work schedules: Set times where everyone will connect, virtually or in person, and leave some room for universal availability and work asynchronously outside that time window. By taking advantage of the times when everyone is working together, you can maintain flexible and independent work while capitalizing on team availability to be their most collaborative and productive.

Communicate openly with the right tools: When can connect with you either in person, through email, zoom, or Slack to get their questions answered or stay updated with the company and overall team goals regularly, then you are more likely to build trust and foster bonds to achieve goals.

Set clear expectations: The more transparent you are with work expectations, from projects to workstyles and teamwork activities the more your team can meet and exceed them without feeling discouraged or frustrated.

Meet your team where they are with patience: When working to lead a team to realize their fullest potential, always remember to start where your team is at. When you can assess your team’s current situation and what they need to succeed, it is easier to create a path for them to follow and achieve their goals. Also knowing where your team needs support can help you have more patience with them, as you can create strategies to help them gradually improve to become their best selves.

With the right leadership, everyone can succeed, regardless of their work style. The best leaders will thrive in any environment, as being a great leader transcends workplace location. Learn more about being a leader for top talent by following our page!