Why I’m declaring 2021 the Year of the Tribe
As we adjust to the new normal, it’s time to re-prioritise workplace culture
For me personally, 2020 was a big learning curve. Enforced remote working offered its perks, like 2 metre commutes, rocking tracksuit bottoms 24/7, midday workouts and avoiding the distractions which come with an office; but it also brought the challenge of having to manage a business through a turbulent period while keeping the team engaged.
Regardless of whether you’re a remote-working veteran or were forced into it over the last year, the challenge remains: how do you keep your team connected, engaged and motivated? What happens to workplace culture when you can no longer gather together in person? How do you maintain camaraderie when there are no more water cooler moments, no bants, no fun? How is it possible to share a sense of purpose and connection in our work when we’re all sitting alone at home tapping on a keyboard?
Late last year, we asked over 2,000 founders how they’ve been affected by COVID-19.
We found that during lockdowns, productivity skyrocketed. As one respondent put it, “We talk less and do more.” Unfortunately, that’s come at a cost. While productivity may be high, every startup we surveyed admitted wellbeing failed to improve - or directly suffered. One respondent said: “Mentally, it’s been hard.” Another described a more brittle work culture: “People are jumpy, sensitive, impatient. There is less harmony, more bickering and gossip.”
For the sake of our teams and our collective wellbeing, I believe 2021 needs to be the year of the tribe. A time to invest in our teams’ well being and sense of fun. A time to find new ways to build up amazing connections while continuing to work remotely.
It will take time and energy to rethink how we do that, and resources to build. But with strategy and willpower, it can be done.
It’s an investment that shouldn’t be underestimated. Our world needs startups to not just survive 2021, but to thrive. More than ever, we need startups who are more creative, more connected and more purposeful.
If we don’t go after this, we run the risk of becoming stale - a silent killer of startups and innovation teams. Staleness often goes unnoticed. The notion that “we're not dying, so everything must be okay.” The staleness disease first eats its way at the core culture by taking away fun, celebration and wellbeing before taking large chunks out of the creativity and energy of every team.
2021 offers an opportunity to rebuild workplace culture, in some instances from the ground up.
We need to move beyond the team. I believe we need tribes - supercharged tribes. Infused with a sense of purpose, making a difference. Groups of people coming together who believe in what they are doing, believe in what they are changing and are deeply connected to each other.
Author Seth Godin writes about tribes in his book of the same name. He says that tribes are built on relationships: “Leaders lead when they take positions, when they connect with their tribes, and when they help the tribe connect to itself.”
Teams are a coming together of individuals. Tribes are more deeply connected by a shared sense of purpose. A team lets its culture drift, a tribe takes hold of it and intentionally spends time nurturing and growing it.
So let’s invest in our tribes in 2021. Whatever it is we are working towards, let’s invest in fun, wellbeing and relationships. Because it is exactly those things that will sustain the very businesses we are trying to build.