Managing by being around, virtually

Managing by walking around is quite difficult these days. At least the way it has been done for the last few decades. Now that so many people are working remotely.

In general, managing the way it has been done for decades is something we now have to leave in the past, no matter how strongly some of you may want to hold on to that.

In new and changing times we need new and changed methods, in managing or leading our businesses, our teams, and ourselves.

What new methods am I talking about — or are they new, or just ideas that have been around for a while without being given full chance?

What has already changed and will maybe change even more?

There is no news in the fact that in the future we will work differently and use technology more, to be even more efficient in all we do.

Due to Covid-19, in a very short time, we all have learned that remote working can work. And it can work very well, and maybe even better than coming into the office every day. In some weird ways, it has also gotten us closer.

I also think we will have more variations in employment contracts and more variations in what we will find normal regarding work. How we work. Where we work. And when we work.

Remote working. Work-cations. Work part-time. Take on “gigs” or just take on assignments or projects we want, like, and feel we do best.

These kinds of ideas and employment contracts will be more accepted in the coming years.

Managing remote teams and individuals

How to lead successful businesses, teams, and individuals has also changed a lot this year. Mastering virtual leadership of teams is one of the things we must take time to think about.

Part of that could be making sure everybody knows what is expected of them and are clear on their goals and objectives. Help teams and individuals to break their jobs and projects into smaller segments, that can be put into Planner in Teams, Trello, or other similar programs. That makes regular check-ins more focused and feedback will be easier and more relevant and to the point.

And talking about those regular check-ins. Have them with your camera on, via Teams, Zoom, or other. This gives so much more value to the conversations. And make sure to sometimes also take check-ins that are not only about work and projects, but rather how people are feeling.

Many managers have in fact, when working remotely, been more accessible for their team-members than when in the office. Many managers have learned to trust more. Many managers have learned to put less emphasis on the number of hours their people clock in and more emphasis on the output of their work. Jobs are now more about projects and assignments than those typical 9–5 days.

Meetings, at last, we are getting better at meetings

Meetings are probably what most people want less of, or find is eating up too many hours of their work time.

I find and have heard from more colleagues, that in the last few weeks and months when most meetings have been taken remotely have been better or more efficient than before. They start on time. There is no time wasted in waiting for everybody to show up or get their coffee. Focus on the agenda has often become stronger. The meetings have also often become shorter than before.

I do not think we will want to take all meetings remotely in the future, but I hope we will not go back to the meetings-madness we had before.

We need face-to-face meetings to build stronger relationships and to bond in a way that is hard to do remotely.

But I hope and believe we will do less commuting and traveling for meetings. That demands too much time and is not good for our environment.

Self-leadership, more essential than ever

The Self-Leadership muscle of everybody has been trained well and upon that we can build a stronger and better future. I have written about and given presentations on Self-Leadership for some years now. Therefore I´m quite glad to see that most people have been forced to train that muscle now. Most people are capable of so much more than they allow themselves to believe.

If you are in a management position, I encourage you to talk about Self-leadership with your employees and help them practice strong self-leadership. Where they make decisions for themselves, their wellbeing, and for their work. I believe most employees can be trusted to do this in a good way. If not, you can always step in, to right the course.

One angle of this is people deciding themselves, if that fits with the job, when and how often they want to break the workday into sections, around projects. Rather than sitting in their seat from 9 to 5.

Talk with your employees about how output and value creation matter more than the actual hours they put it. And that it is quite fine to work on a project and then go for a walk, watch a funny video or something else before start working on the next project.

Researches have also shown that breaking the workday into sections, going for a walk, or do something else for a few minutes will help us become more efficient and creative when we get back to our seats.

Wellbeing and mental health

If you are in a management position, I encourage you to be a manager that emphasizes the importance of well-being and people taking good care of themselves, both physically and mentally.

Talk with your employees about sleep, nutrition, and exercise. And talk with them about mental health as well.

Understand, and help your employees understand, that mental health is not binary, but rather a spectrum. People are not either mentally well or mentally ill.

Social health is also something to think about. Do some of your employees live alone, and maybe without a good social network, of family or friends?

Some of these issues can be quite personal but I think it is time that we think of our employees not only as employees or human resources but as human beings.

Doing this well will make your job as a manager more rewarding. Sick days will go down. As well as employee turnover. More people will want to work for you.

My thoughts on the near future of work and workplaces

I believe that these last few months will change our reality in the future.

People are becoming better at Self-Leadership. Focusing more on well-being and what really matters. Focusing on the environment, sustainability, etc. And with that, we will change our future.

It will become more accepted to work to live, rather than live to work.

My hope is that more organizations will evaluate their bottom line and success on the 3 Ps, Profit, People, and Planet.

I am more excited about the new future I see now than the future I saw before this world epidemic we are now fighting. I hope you are too.

— -

Herdis Pala is an experienced HR Leader, Speaker, and Internationally Certified Coach.

Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.