Getting Hybrid Right Takes Curiosity, Openness, Thoughtful Deliberation and...
“My advice for senior leaders who are moving to a hybrid model: Don’t do it in a vacuum. These are decisions that can’t be unilaterally decided in an executive boardroom. Once you’ve made your...
View ArticleTips for Cultivating a Culture of Trust Across Hybrid Remote Teams
“Why do we have to commute to the office three days a week when we’re doing the same work we were doing from home? I get the feeling our manager doesn’t trust us.” “My employees seem much more...
View ArticleIf you want employees to be more productive, let them choose where to work
This article is part of a series of Field Spotlight Communiques where I share tips and observations from company leaders who are fully immersed in the transformation to hybrid, including a wide range...
View ArticleExpanding and diversifying the talent pool, cultivating connections in a...
This is one of a series of Field Spotlight Communiques where company leaders who are fully immersed in the transformation to hybrid share tips and observations. For this issue, we interviewed two...
View ArticleIf you really want to be inclusive, here’s how to walk the talk
“Employees tell us that we’re not doing a great job when it comes to creating an inclusive workplace. Is this something you can help us with?” (Chief Human Resources Officer) “What does inclusive mean...
View ArticleFlexible, Productive and Collaborative: A Model Hybrid Workplace
This is part of our ongoing series of Field Spotlight Communiques with senior leaders who share successes, challenges, tips and observations for making a successful transition to a hybrid remote...
View ArticleRethinking “culture” in a hybrid remote workplace
How many times have we heard employers claim that their organization’s “culture” may be irretrievably lost if people continue to work remotely? We don’t buy it, and we’ll explain why here. But first,...
View ArticleHow a Growing Pharma Blends Asynch, Real-time Communications to Boost...
This is one of a series of Field Spotlights where I share experiences, tips and observations from company leaders who are fully immersed in the transformation to hybrid. “In the last few years, we’ve...
View ArticleHow shared principles finally got a leadership team unstuck
Senior leaders from a family-run Boston-area insurance company were frustrated that their 90+ corporate employees were refusing to return to the office full time. “We want to get back to being a...
View ArticleWhy advancement, growth and visibility shouldn’t depend on work location
“If you don’t work at the Mothership, you’ll never get ahead. That’s how I see it.” The “Mothership” in this case was the gleaming new HQ building outside of Boston where hundreds of corporate staff...
View ArticleReal-world Strategies for Winning the Hybrid Game in 2024
“Hybrid work is here to stay” “CEOs predict full return to the office within 12 months” “Return to office mandates not going as planned” Clickbait headlines like these can be really confusing and in...
View ArticleStop Letting Bad Behavior Derail Your Next Meeting
“Our meetings have gone off the rails. No one seems to know how to rein in the loudmouths or to get the quiet people talking. Pretty much everyone leaves our meetings feeling frustrated, mad and really...
View ArticleCreating, Restoring Lost Connections in a Hybrid World
The new employee roaming empty halls eager to find someone – anyone—to talk to The CEO who publicly boasts about inclusion before dismantling the DEI team The employee whose manager cancels their 1:1...
View Article6 Good Reasons to Take Games Seriously at Work
This was my first cross-cultural training workshop for this process control firm that had recently been acquired by two new parent companies, one German and one French. The language classes offered by...
View ArticleCan’t we all just get along (with Gen Z) in the workplace)?
Sarah slams down her tray and sighs as she settles herself across the table from Jerome, her fellow manager, to gulp down a 10-minute lunch, a rare luxury these days. “I am just so fed up with some of...
View ArticleTips for Conquering the Whiplash of Change
The dust had finally settled on the company’s latest Return to Office policy. Although it took a lot of cajoling, after a six-month grace period, most employees were back in the office the mandated...
View ArticleYou call that a team???
Great teamwork wasn’t all that easy to come by even when everyone worked together in one place. When the pandemic hit, with people scattering to work from wherever, it took a while for teams to regain...
View ArticleTips for Earning Trust During Times of Change
True story: Ted, a mid-level HR professional for a fast-growing biopharma in my area, assumed the worst when he was ushered into a conference room, the door closing softly behind him. “I’m being laid...
View ArticleConfronting Dysfunctional Behavior Without Completely Losing It
We were halfway through a two-day project kick-off meeting for a global IT team about to roll out a new mail and messaging system for the company’s 100K+ employees around the world. The execution had...
View ArticleCostly Missteps that Destroy Trust During Times of Change
If senior leaders decide that a change must be made, how important is it, really, that employees buy into it? If it’s mandatory, why pretend that employees have a say in it? If the change is truly...
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