Gearing Up for the Opportunities Ahead
"When written in Chinese, the word 'crisis' is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity." ~ President John F. Kennedy
As we continue to work our way out of the dangers of COVID-19, it's time to start focusing on the opportunities that lie ahead.
Now that vaccines are more readily available to people of all ages more employees are feeling it’s a little safer to re-engage with others including co-workers in an in-office environment. Now is the time for company leaders to take a clear-eyed approach and to rethink the importance of where work is done. Pre-pandemic, it was status quo to believein-office work was the only path to productivity and working remotely (telecommuting) was a perk. Smart, savvy leaders now realize that they have a huge opportunity to re-shape what working remotely means for the future of work.
One of the biggest opportunities in front of us is the ability to incorporate more flexibility into work schedules. The key to making flexibility work is to ensure that it is a win-win-win. The flexibility must benefit the employee, the manager, and the company.
So how do leaders take the struggles and dangers we all faced during the past year and find the nuggets of opportunity that are left behind? Here are few ideas to get you started:
Recognize that not all jobs can be successfully performed fully remote. Take the time to really listen and engage with your employees to evaluate the pro’s and con’s of working the job remotely. As you listen and embrace the feedback from those doing the job share your ideas to determine if a hybrid model might be an alternative to total in-office or total remote work.
Let employees feel empowered to control their schedules for maximum effectiveness. For most employees and managers, learning to be organized, productive, and on-schedule without constant hands-on supervision is now a way of life. Be willing to trust your employees to make the right choices and to continue using the valuable lessons they’ve learned throughout the pandemic.
Understand that returning to in-office work may have a variety of mixed reactions. For some employees, the crisis of working remotely became an opportunity to stretch into different roles and to exercise more autonomy. For others, remote work has become a disconnected cage where there is little opportunity to collaborate and interact colleagues. Leaders have a responsibility to assess each job and their employee to determine those who will continue to thrive as they are and those who may not.
While there are many more questions, curves, and bumps to navigate ahead as we all begin the journey from crisis to opportunity, there is one absolute constant…communication.
Leaders who know how to communicate effectively and how to authentically connect with their employees have a better than average chance of making the right “triple win”decisions.
To start your “opportunity celebration” Elizabeth and I are throwing our own Cinco de Mayo Celebration the Brilliant Leader way. We’ll be hosting a brief Brilliant Leader Program webinar featuring a "Quick Guide to Your Color Strengths." During this free, 30-minutes celebration you’ll learn to tap into your strengths and get a quick glimpse of how you can use your strengths to achieve more influence and connectivity with those who need you.
Save the date and don’t miss out on the fun!
Please Register TODAY
Wednesday, May 5th at 1:00pm/EST
(Margaritas, Nachos, and Party Hats are optional)