Miles Smiles Apart Navigating Remote Workers with Empathy

imagine

if you didn’t have to apologize for your

dog barking in the background

of your virtual office imagine if you

had

work-life balance that allowed for more

walking meetings

instead of sitting at a computer all day

imagine if you had flexible hours and

you could take your kids to and from the

bus stop

imagine if you had a green screen

that didn’t exist because you could get

your work done from anywhere

imagine if your boss understood you

why does this have to be a figment of

our imagination

it’s time for us to make this a reality

as i reflect on my journey i’m

embarrassed to say i was never a big fan

of the water cooler chat

i didn’t used to care about what my

co-workers did

on the weekends or maybe a funny cat

story

all i cared about was the work

were we on track were we gonna meet that

deadline

were all the logistics ironed out

go or no go but about a decade ago

a powerful boss stopped me in my tracks

and said laura

you’ll never climb the ladder by

stepping on others

this struck me this resonated with me

why was i being so rigid

so business why was i willing to

sacrifice the human connection

for the work this was my aha moment

and this is when i changed my thinking

all around

supported teams are successful teams

we have to get to know one another we

have to ask

questions we need to be silly

and open and honest with each other we

need to bring out the best

in one another

when i think about this what did my team

do

we actually cared for one another and

this changed how we showed up this was

trust we had each other’s backs

and we got work done and we had fun

doing it

supported teams are successful teams

so let’s ask each other those questions

now at first this felt fake it felt a

little inauthentic

to ask questions personal questions

and stay in the moment it was a lot of

work

learning how to listen

but this strengthened bonds and it got

easier with time and certainly more

natural

as leaders we have the power to serve

and put our people first

as you advance in your career a common

misconception

is that others work for you but in

reality

you work for them we have to

create a sense of belonging we have to

create a trusting

environment when was the last time that

you asked

your staff how are they doing and really

asked

and really listened maybe even

when you get the canned response of how

when you ask how they’re doing

and they say i’m good are they

maybe follow up and ask is there

anything i could do differently to

support you

do you need help

create that space and if they lean in

and share

thank them for being vulnerable and

sharing

you’ve just strengthened that

relationship

when was the last time you asked them

what’s working well what should we keep

doing

how about what needs to change

when i asked my department these

questions i was shocked at

some of the results and answers that

said

let’s have less aggressive meetings

let’s have more cross-team collaboration

let’s have more meaningful performance

reviews

wow people want to know how they can do

better

and this should not be reserved for a

once a year thing

we need to use feedback as a tool for

improvement

we need to create feedback loops

so that we can constantly hear each

other’s ideas

one of my mentors framed it best it’s

not feedback it’s feed forward

what are you going to do with this gift

how are you going to take this change or

suggestion

and move it forward

feedback is a very powerful tool

and it shouldn’t be uncomfortable we

should create a culture of safety

so these types of conversations happen

all the time

and as leaders we could do that by

promoting rounding

checking in with our staff while

checking our own egos at the door

how about asking what are we missing

what did we not consider

creating that space for our teams

to bring forward other ideas is

instrumental

at making sure we catch everything

and just when you think things are

buttoned up pause and ask

what did we miss anything we should

consider

we need to experiment and have an

openness with others ideas

chances are it’s probably been a little

while if at all

since you’ve asked your staff these

types of questions

of do they feel valued what should we

change

do they feel supported

what should we keep doing send out a

survey

and ask your staff these questions and

then get comfortable

with the uncomfortable when you read

answers that you don’t want to hear

share those results with your leadership

team

come up with a plan to proactively and

positively affect

change and commit to that change

because culture change starts with you

our teams are made up of people from all

walks of life

and they bring different perspectives

and this is the joy of

a team

we need to invite people in and raise

them up

so that they can do their best

everyone has unique strengths so let’s

tap into those strengths

when people find joy in their work

they’re more likely to produce better

outcomes

so we have to tap into people’s

strengths and let them rise up to the

occasion

to do their best on a project or a task

that aligns with their strengths

so how can we continue to be flexible

in this virtual world

think about how you show up as your best

what does that look like

we all have good days and bad days

on our good days we shine and people are

drawn to our positive energy

but on bad days we need to take action

too

we need to give ourselves space and

grace

it’s okay to move things around and

change our schedules to maybe work on

more independent things

on days that are tough it’s okay to ask

for help

it’s okay to take breaks and walk away

it’s okay to take a mental health day

it’s okay to do

your best and ask

others to help you

these okay statements are called the

unspoken rules

as leaders we need to set clear

expectations

and speak these unspoken rules

why should these types of statements be

kept in the dark

so think about how you show up and speak

the unspoken rules

we have to remember that during these

challenging times

high stress times we need to be there

for our people

and flex and bend to meet our workforce

at their needs everyone

is struggling with different things

whether it be a child who’s remote

learning at home

or taking care of a sick or loved one

or perhaps a financial hardship

or their own mental health challenge

we need to increase our support to our

workforce

we have to show up for them we have to

communicate

and over communicate and be transparent

as leaders

we need to tell them the why

and help invite them in for the

decision-making process

empathy at its core is strong

people management empathy

is hearing the unvoiced questions

empathy is anticipating needs

empathy is attributing positive intent

and increasing our level of

understanding to a whole new level

you never know how someone’s day

may have started

so let’s give that person

their own space and grace and listen

wholeheartedly

you never know what may be happening

behind that green screen

so let’s be kind culture change

starts with you thank you