Last Friday I listened in on an exciting live talk between mindset expert Vivienne Duebbert and Alan Ibbotson from WYDAF (Wisdom you didn’t ask for) about calling people back to the office, the new role of leadership and the great resignation.
The scene:
Lately, businesses have been calling their people back to the office, but lots of them only showed up to hand in their resignation.
In what is now known as the “great resignation” 47 million Americans to quit their job in 2021. Even though not quite as dramatically, Europe has also been affected by higher numbers of voluntary resignations as of late, and Germany is at the forefront of this trend.
The challenge:
Leaders have to change their strategies to keep their people in these challenging times. With skilled workers short on demand, people get to choose who they want to work for and under what conditions.
Here are my 6 key takeaways from the conversation:
1.Hybrid is here to stay and this workplace-revolution is only the beginning
One thing that became clear from this conversation was that leaders have to accept that their role has changed fundamentally as of late. In this new hybrid world, the old strategies are not going to work anymore.
This is, as Alan pointed out, where the disconnect starts. Leaders, afraid of losing grip on their people, are trying to reclaim control by calling them back to the office. Meanwhile, employees’ priorities have changed, after being through so much they now value their freedom over security, and they know that everyone is hiring…
To keep your people, Vivienne stressed, you have to treat employees like customers. As a leader, you need to know what they want and give it to them, or they will leave.
It’s time for leaders to reinvent themselves, out with the old and in with the new! Feeling frustration and even grief about this is allowed though, as Alan added.
2. We have to radically accept change as an opportunity
It’s never been clearer than now and Vivienne said it best: Change is our constant.
She also stressed that this is a chance for leaders to be part of a revolution and have a positive effect on their teams. To be the person that inspired them to embrace change, means being someone they will remember for the rest of their lives.
Vivienne also pointed out that it’s essential for leaders to have self-empathy in these trying times: “Dealing with change is not easy and emotions are normal, you need to accept that”. It’s more important than ever to understand what is changeable in your world and what isn’t.
3. EQ is more important than ever
The last two years have taken a toll on people, the numbers of burnout are on a record level, as Alan pointed out, and tolerance levels for distracting and annoying behavior in the office have dropped significantly (keyword: tuna-trigger).
We have to understand our negativity-bias, as Vivienne explained. Even the greatest day can be completely ruined by one negative comment. And there have been a lot of negative things on our minds lately, including a pandemic and kindling conflicts around the world. “Our brain is constantly scanning what could be a hazard to us. If we understand this, we can learn to “flip the switch”. (Vivienne)
That’s why focusing on our EQ, our emotional intelligence, our empathy, our self-awareness and self-control are more important than ever, according to Vivienne.
Leaders have to take into account that their people are exhausted and already stressed out when they are making demands of them like coming back to the office: “You have to empathize with your people and understand where their stress is coming from.” (Vivienne).
4. The office as a magnet: Meaningful collaboration is the way forward
Another interesting point that Alan brought up in this talk: We also have to rethink the role of the office. If we want people to feel like it's worth showing up, the office has to be a magnet. Not as a center of entertainment, but by offering a space for real human connection.
In a LinkedIn Poll, Alan asked his followers what companies should put more focus on going forward. The answer: Meaningful collaboration.
The emphasis on meaningful. Setting up mandatory regular meetings is more likely to create frustration than collaboration. Also, it is time to accept that meaningful collaboration will mean different things to different people
If we come together, Alan stressed, there has to be a good reason. The outcome has to be game-changing. People are reclaiming their time. They aren’t willing to spend 2 hours commuting every day if they don't see the benefit.
5. How to kill your ego: Leaders have to learn to push up and care down
The crux: Leaders will have to learn to put their ego aside and accept that their role has become a lot more service-oriented and caring.
They are going to have to stand up for their people, walking the line between corporate policy and what people actually need, to keep them around. As Alan put it: “Pushing up and caring down” is the new motto.
6. There is no quick fix here, fill your cup first
The challenging news: There is no quick fix for this situation. Therefore, as both Alan and Vivienne emphasized: It’s essential to look after yourself as a leader because you will need your energy to guide your people through this!
Watch the full conversation here.
#growthmindset #emotionalintelligence #newwork #modernleadership #agilemind #eq