Can I please get my life back?!?!?

Tick-tock, tick-tock… It’s been six months already! And half a year ago, none of us would have believed that our lives were about to be turned upside down. That the transition into the “online mode” - both at work and in everyday life – was about to happen at such an astounding pace. And that sentences like “you are on mute….” and “can you hear me….” would become a part of our work meeting vocabulary. 

For six months now, our home has been the very center of existence for many of us. This is where we work, where we rest, where we do our shopping, adding everything from milk and clothes to office supplies into the virtual shopping basket… And – last but not least – this is also where we attempt to maintain the strained relations: with our family, friends, customers and colleagues. I have this feeling that back then, those six months ago, it might have all seemed difficult or even surreal, but now as most of us are facing a second wave of lockdowns, we have kind of grown used to the situation. So, what’s next…?

“Love it or hate it” kind of thing

As I'm writing this article, I need to make a small flashback, and I encourage you to do the same – try to remember the thoughts and emotions you had when your home was first transformed into an all-in-one office. The sudden collision with remote working (let us say it out loud: the pandemic lockdown was not something we chose to have, now did we?) could have been the godsend for some, while being sent down in flames for other. Basically, this was and still is a “love it or hate it” kind of thing.

In my case, the “happiness curve” had an initial – albeit a short – rise (wow, I can actually be home in Denmark for more than a few days in a row!), and then started plummeting quickly (my, oh my, I’m so tired of sitting in front of the computer all day and not being able to travel). Today, I can clearly hear both my body and the mind saying: time to get back to normal, richer for the experience…

So… what is it that I have learned about myself and my role as a leader?

Managing avatars on virtual background

It may sound basic, but first of all, I got reminded that as leaders we manage people within a team, and not the team itself! We must always remember that everyone reacts differently to the same external factors and situations, and therefore every team member requires a unique approach. During the last few months, I clearly needed to be much more empathetic, to listen in to the various needs and see behind “the online avatars on virtual backgrounds”. I feel that now more than ever, how well we know our team members, or at least how quickly we seek to get to know them, will determine whether we will succeed as a remote leader. 

Despite some initial concerns, we see that work from home is productive, and employees - contrary to what some old-fashioned leaders may have thought - clearly do not need to be controlled for eight hours a day straight - as long as goals, vision and code of conduct are clearly communicated, and obviously the right IT infrastructure provided. Many employers (like @DellTechnologies over a decade ago) are taking this experience even further, and now plan to introduce a permanent hybrid work model into their businesses, going towards reducing their office footprint and saving both the money and the environment. This is a great response to the employees’ needs, since we all know we have those days when remote work is simply a better choice for the day. It allows us to cope with the most focus-intense tasks more quickly, pick up a parcel, or even take care of the kids. And the sooner we get it set up, the better it is going to be in case of a similar situation happening in the future.

Zoom airline or the real thing?

From now on, we will be very selective about when we decide to actually meet in person and we’ll take full advantage of the occasion, remembering that sometimes a quick online check-in can save hours of cross country travels, looking for a free conference room, coffee brewing and even totally superfluous discussions.

On the other hand, we also learned what does not work at a distance –at least for most people.

In order for us to feel connected, to stimulate creativity, we not only need an inspiring surrounding, but – what is even more important – we need inspiring people. And not on the computer screen (the “Zoom fatigue” syndrome already having been diagnosed), but next to us, in flesh – we wish to exchange gestures and smiles, drink coffee and have lunches together, once again write down flipchart strategies in colorful markers. And, frankly, I do not know a better way to form a friendship than “chitchatting” – regardless whether this be over a glass of wine, or a microwaved lunch in the office kitchen.

It is clear to me that where we have “Relationship Capital” already in place, our distance communication works very well; we can easily draw from the credits of the relation. But where we barely just know each other, establishing the relationship and connection at a distance has been much harder. Something to consider in the “shall we do it offline or online?” discussion.

We were able to move onto an entirely new level of IT thinking and talking

The pandemic has shown us that technology became our rescue in trying to maintain business continuity and personal sanity. It is thanks to those trying times we were able to move onto an entirely new level of IT thinking and talking – and fast. More and more companies are now seeing IT as a strategic pillar for business functioning, and only such type of mindset can give birth to digital transformation! I am sorry, what was that? Well, you really thought digitalization was something we’ve been through now just because we are working from home, shopping online and doing a bit of telehealth? Couldn’t be more mistaken! It does begin here and now. And mark my words: the most interesting things are yet to come, but more on that another time.