EP. 38 This Leadership Type Thrives in the Hybrid World

In today’s episode we interview Dr. Annemarie Spadafore where she shares the leadership type that has best thrived in the pandemic, and how these leaders are now approaching return-to-office conversations. Annemarie is the managing principal of Powerlab, executive coach and author of, There is Only I in Team, scheduled to be published in December of 2021.The type of leader that is thriving in the new dispersed work environment focuses on personal responsibility, takes the time to know themselves better, consistently assesses their boundaries, remains obsessively curious, and leads with a partnership approach. This Type of Leader Thrived Through the PandemicSuccessful Leaders leveraged the quietness of being at home to re-prioritize.  Leaders discovered their motivations by focusing on their strengths and how to utilize their strengths to best work alongside their employees.They Took the Time to Know ThemselvesAnnemarie explains that most leaders live under a “layer of dust,” covering them from their awesomeness. During the Covid separation, successful leaders spent time removing that dust and gaining awareness around their strengths and priorities. They Focused on Personal ResponsibilitySuccessful leaders began to focus more on personal responsibility and recognize that they can only fully control themselves. They realized that they can’t force others to do things ‘their way’ and instead began to create spaces where entire teams and individual team members could take their own responsibility for defining their future work.They Consistently Assessed BoundariesDue to the pandemic, there have been many boundary violations that typically wouldn’t have occurred.  With good intentions, leaders even put themselves into positions of giving personal advice. The most insightful leaders reviewed their boundaries and found a balance between being supportive, and allowing their employees to make their own personal decisions. They Were Obsessively CuriousUnfortunately, we have a much lower tolerance in the workplace for accepting people than we do in our personal situations. Traditional leaders tend to impose policies, procedures, and other structures to manage the behaviors of others. During the upheaval of the pandemic, most processes were abandoned as teams tried to just get the work done. The more effective leaders realized that the best approach was to step back, zoom out, and be curious. They Led With a Partnership ApproachIn Annemarie’s work over the past year, the most successful leadership style has been a partnership approach where leaders and their direct reports work in tandem. The partnership approach flattens the power curve and helps teams take real ownership for results. Identifying What Works Best for Your Return to Office PlanAs leaders brainstorm with their teams in creating their “return to work plan,” they should consider asking:What do I want to achieve? Where are my strengths? How do I play to my strengths? What am I capable of achieving in this new environment?In turn, leaders should encourage their team members to consider the same questions so everyone can bring their best selves to the future of work. Return to Office Conversations For Your TeamInside the planning phase of each company’s return-to-work plan, leaders have a real opportunity for holding coaching conversations with their employees. Leaders have a natural tendency to treat everyone the same for the sake of fairness. Yet, over the past 14 months, leaders have had to treat each employee's personal situation differently. This still needs to continue during this renewal period.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Team Anywhere’s mission is to uncover Leaders on the Front Lines that are building teams and cultures where the majority of the workers are dispersed throughout the city, state, country, or world. We explore how these remote leaders foster engagement through trust, authenticity, and a sense of community. Ultimately, we are uncovering the new skills and practices that leaders must take on to connect, inspire, and transform their teams to compete in the new dispersed global economy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.