During the early days of the pandemic when nearly everything came to a screeching halt – except in healthcare – many of us experienced management remotely for the first time in our careers. At first it felt awkward, almost out of control. Then we developed new ways of communicating, of meeting, of monitoring what was going on.
Communication
We learned how to communicate without face-to-face interaction through virtual face-to-face conversations. We spent more time writing emails and newsletters and other forms of communication to stay in touch with our employees or students and to keep them informed. Some of the CEOs of our clients even wrote daily or twice daily emails to maintain those important connections and to show that they cared.
Meetings
In no time at all, we seemed to pivot from in-person meetings to virtual ones, whether large Town Halls or private one-on-ones. As people worked from home or went to school on line, we got glimpses into their personal lives. Did they have a dog? Were their children young? Were they a caregiver? Did they have a dedicated working/studying space? All things we might never have known if we hadn’t asked before we went to a virtual arrangement.
Monitoring
Many managers/teachers could not have imagined how they would track productivity if they were unable to physically lay eyes on their employees or students. In this new virtual reality, many felt anxious, not trusting their people to bring the same work ethic to a remote environment. We wound up having meaningful discussions about how we measure productivity with transactional work (number of actions taken per unit of time) or project work (milestones met on schedule and on budget).
How and Where We Work
In a recent white paper by McKinsey and Company, the authors suggest that the CEO’s newest role is Chief Resilience Officer.
https://mck.co/4oTvs2EThe current environment is one of constant disruptions. And the workplace or school models continue to evolve. Some organizations have returned to full-time in-person settings; some offer a hybrid model, while the minority have remained fully remote.
Whatever your organization has settled on, as leaders what can you do to leverage some of the practices you put into place during the pandemic? And now, more than ever, it’s time to survey your employees or your students to get their feedback on what is working – and what is not – in the current uncertain environment. If they believe that you truly care about them, they’ll be candid in offering insights that can make your organization more resilient.
