Author: Formium
-
How does an ant kill a buffalo? Leadership lessons on the future of work
Chain reactions are a big problem for managers wanting to thrive in the future of work. Leaders, teams and organisations can learn an important lesson about workforce flexibility from recent research
-
A new approach for future-planning: look out for aggressive polar bears
Forecasters and future-planners have used the analogies of black swans and grey rhinos for some years now. I suggest we need to introduce the ‘aggressive polar bear’ to reflect the complexity of upcoming change. The start of the year sees a multitude of posts and papers which set out “2024’s expected workplace trends”. And after…
-
Hybrid working: three gurus tell us how to thrive.
The shift to hybrid working raises a wide variety of challenges and opportunities. Read on for some great ideas from business leaders that you can apply, and some questions for you to reflect on. “Working from home makes it much harder to delineate work time from personal time. I encourage all of our employees to…
-
“Being a leader is not about you.” How leaders can achieve performance success
You’re a leader with a great organisational business strategy, operational plan and team objectives. So now the big question is – how do you get your team to perform and deliver success? One approach I encounter is focused on command and control. Some industries, companies, leaders and team members seem to favour a directive model…
-
5 proven tools for leaders to break through the barriers of hybrid working
I’m going to show you how leaders can start to break barriers between teams with proactive methods. To be successful, we need our teams to work across our organisation: collaborating for innovation, communicating for efficiency and understanding different perspectives and roles. Problems had been identified well before the pandemic hit; I was regularly asked by…
-
Get it right first time: setting up for success, not debriefing disappointment
I think the traditional approach to setting objectives for team members is back to front. Most managers set out the what when of the task. They monitor progress and provide feedback at the end. But this doesn’t mean that the job will be done right, let alone right first time. So, rather than waiting to…
-
How to overcome the three key challenges of hybrid working
Of the many leaders I’ve worked with who are adopting remote/hybrid working, the vast majority wanted to explore the same things. Logistics, space and technology Delivery and performance management Communication challenges Now these are of course central points which do need to be addressed. But working without being together every day has much wider implications…
-
Use your doubt productively: a new approach
Conventional wisdom says we want our leaders to be decisive, confident and certain. Whether politician or business leader, we’re reassured by their communication of a clear vision and how it will be achieved. But our desire for certainty has drawbacks. “We mistake charisma and confidence for competence” says Tomas Chamorro-Premuzi in Why Do So Many…
-
Successfully manage hybrid team performance with 3 proven strategies
It’s the big problem that everyone is talking about, according to surveys, research and my own conversations with managers. How do you ensure your team is performing now you no longer see them daily in the office? A common mistake is building over-complex top-down monitoring systems. The more you check on people, the less trusted…
-
You can’t turn back the clock – you need to adapt to hybrid working
I am still hearing managers talking about when or how they will return to pre-pandemic ways of working. “We need to get everyone back into the office – we need to manage performance.” “There’s no point investing in our hybrid working approaches, it’s just a short-term blip” “We are more creative when we all work…
-
The missing keystone of hybrid working?
When people talk about hybrid working, you usually hear the positives – better work/life balance, greater freedom. And if they do talk about the challenges, you’d be forgiven for thinking the main concerns are logistics: IT systems, satellite offices. Challenges around productivity are disputed as signs of an old-fashioned, controlling mindset. But what about the…
-
Reinventing the workforce – 6 themes from the Future of Work conference
The recent Future of Work conference, Reinventing the Workforce, hosted by Management Today, featured great speakers and engaging ideas. I’ve pulled out some of the most interesting and important themes and ideas from the presentations that can help you with implementing hybrid working and creating workplaces and workforces that meet the demands of the future.…