Want a great Hybrid workspace- Check your ECG!

Hybrid is here to stay. This truth cannot be denied the best way to move forward, therefore, is to check your ECG.

?

Ran a poll last week on Linkedin, to understand the future of workspaces, after listening to an ad on the radio for a co-working space. According to Financial Express ( dated Jul 10, '22), the pandemic disrupted working styles, flexible workspaces became a practical answer. "The current market share of flexible workspaces against the total office space market stands at 3 percent and this is expected to go up to 4.2 percent by 2023, as per a recent report by JLL. The report also estimates that the flexible space segment would grow at an average of 15-20 percent year on year. Owing to benefits such as shorter tenures, low capital investment, facility management, safety, wellness and security, and low maintenance, corporates are increasingly investing in co-working spaces.?"

Thank you for participating in the poll on the future of workspaces. Your verdict is Loud & clear. HYBRID is here to stay.

???An article today in "The Times Of India" has KPMG's Partner & head of people performance & culture Sunit Sinha who implored the leaders to be more like a football coach rather than a cricket team captain. Loved this analogy. We are no longer working in SILOS. Everyone needs to be aware of the bigger picture to understand their role. A team is successful when they have a healthy & balanced ECG (Emotion, Connection & Growth). Let's analyze:

EMOTION: It is so important that every team member should resonate with the idea of winning together, without a care for who gets the glory. All the more important now. In an office set up too, it's teams working together. Now with the hybrid setup, everyone cannot see everyone else work. The biggest glue, therefore, is the emotion of Trust & Respect. So it is up to the leader to help build it. Getting to know team members through conversations, observations, online sessions & informal feedback will give the leader a great idea of how the individual thinks & what are the vibes. If there is someone who is a natural with tech & tech devices, call them out for new challenges. Today's youngsters definitely are native to technology, giving them new challenges of explaining it to the team as a presentation. The time now is not only for mentoring but reverse mentoring too. Definitely takes effort but is well worth it! Each one thus gets showcased for the rest to see.

?CONNECTION: Like a sports coach instilling some rituals during team meetings helps build a bond. Each one has an innate style & a story. Try to listen to those. It is not only stories of victory, but stories of challenge, grit, resilience & disappointments. Creating a safe space to share those is very important. Saw this when I facilitated a session where the leader wanted to experiment to build connections with a virtual team. It was such a beautiful space that got created when the seniormost shared his disappointment, the juniormost his breakdown, which was his breakthrough moment too. The team has a renewed connection today. Mental health is no more in closets. It's OK not to be OK is the truth. creating a space for people to share can pull up a team. Vulnerability takes courage. When the leader is vulnerable the team automatically opens up.

GROWTH: The beauty of growth is that it is organic when every member has a role & is aware of it. A team is an amalgamation of all individual goals. the synergy is what the leader needs to bring in. Shifting from coach to mentor needs to be done appropriately as the role of a mentor too is a responsible one. A mentor many a time spots qualities that the individual fails to notice. A sense of commitment, genuine interest in the team's growth & checking on both personal & professional wellness is important. Celebrating, Acknowledging & giving unbiased feedback will be a beautiful space to thrive. Every one of us is unique & accepting each one for who he/she is prime. Failures & dejections are part of this journey. Learning lessons & moving onward are both important for overall growth & well-being.

A pic extract from the article, link to the whole article in the comments.

Ending with a quote from Richard Branson , "We like to give people the freedom to work where they want, safe in the knowledge that they have to perform excellently, whether they're at their desk or in their kitchen. Yours truly has never worked out of an office, and never will."

This is #MyWorkPrediction . Would love to know yours.