By Kevin Eikenberry Which matters more, the results people are hired to do, or the people who must do that work? Some see it like the chicken and the egg riddle, while others clearly find themselves on one side of the other. We are living in a time where the tangible results of how leaders and organizations view that question will be on full display to anyone who cares to … [Read more...]
Thinking About Feedback Backwards
Offering feedback to people who aren’t located with you can be complicated. Should you send an email or get on the phone? Do you need to set up a zoom call, or will a quick shout-out on Slack get the job done? And why do they act like you’ve never told them something before when you said it just the other day? Maybe we need to think backwards when we consider offering feedback … [Read more...]
Will You Experience the Coming Exodus?
by Kevin Eikenberry Someday, the pandemic will end. Not everyone will declare it at the same time, or view it in exactly the same way, but that day is coming. Is your organization ready for it? According to the Pulse of the American Worker Survey from Prudential, 26% of respondents plan to look for a new job “when the threat of the pandemic decreases.” Take a … [Read more...]
Making Communication More than a Transaction
One of the phrases we use a lot around here is, “When working remotely, communication can become transactional.” Seriously, I was on our site and searched for “transactional,” and found over 20 references. And it's not just a catch phrase. This is a real phenomenon. What’s also true is that a significant number of people follow up with a reasonable question: “Huh? What does … [Read more...]
Where Does Mistrust Come From?
One of the great paradoxes of remote work is that it requires a lot of trust, yet that trust is hard to build at a distance and easily damaged. Most of us start out assuming positive intent, and that we trust in people until they show us they're more deserving of mistrust. At worst, we take a wait-and-see attitude. As we point out in both The Long-Distance Leader and … [Read more...]