What Leaders Can Do to Be Better in a New “Flexbred” Future

“There is no going back to business as usual. Expectations about work will never be the same again. People want something different.” Those are the declarations of leadership expert, best-selling author and co-founder of the Remote Leadership Institute, Kevin Eikenberry, who sums up the future of work by proclaiming “the future of work isn’t hybrid, the future of work is flexibility”or what I’ve come to term as “flexbred”. Eikenberry cautions that we are living in a moment that matters (think The Great Resignation and why men and women in the workforce are leaving in groves). This is an inflection point for organizations and leaders, and one he hopes can be “up and to the right and not the other direction.”

Flexbred is complex, and there is no single approach.

The big reality is that this new world of Flexbred is complex, and there is no single right way to make flexible and hybrid work. Leaders who think they will be successful in the future because they have been leading virtual for the past few years are not necessarily tuned in to this big, complex reality. There are still plenty of unknowns, except for one, and that is the undeniable truth that we can’t go back.

One solid approach for what leaders can do to be better in the future Flexbred world is to ground themselves to four foundational, tried-and-true leadership principles that remind us “leadership is first, and location second”!

• Among all the change of the past two years, the nature of the leader’s role has not changed. Leadership is still, and always will be, about reaching valuable outcomes with and through others. It can’t be done without others. What haschanged is how leaders balance between outcomes and others. Whereas in the past, the pendulum might have swung more toward achieving outcomes, going forward it is about better managing the tensions between the outcome a leader needs, and the needs of the people working toward achieving those outcomes.
• Clarity of expectations become even more important in the Flexbred future because anytime the work or context changes, expectations change. Going forward, leaders will need even more and clearer expectations about the what, why and how of the work. This will ensure an employee develops greater confidence and trust; create less conflict, rework and the need for micromanagement; and ultimately will allow for the achievement of better outcomes.
• Employee engagement has always been key to achieving better outcomes, yet the past two years of almost 100% virtual has made this quite challenging for many leaders and employees alike. Remember, ‘engagement’ is not job satisfaction – one can be satisfied without being engaged. Engagement is about emotional connection and employees caring about the work they do. How do leaders make someone care? Ultimately, being engaged is the choice of the employee but leaders can support engagement by keeping them involved in the big picture, creating meaning in their work, and being clear on many fronts so employees know what to expect.
• Finally, let’s not forget the power of role modeling as a leader in general, Flexbred future or not! Remember, all leaders are role models, watched from every angle and dimension, which could lead to good or not so good judgments about their effectiveness. All the more reason to recognize it’s not what you say, it’s what you do.In the Flexbred future, the way you behave among all the complexities, unknowns, and new needs, will be the model for the way others will.

If you need more information or some help from a trusted advisor, send me a message, and let’s connect.

All the Best,

Loretta Stagnitto