三和一善 | 我從未見過我的大部分新員工。這就是我比辦公室同事更了解他們的方法

 

I have never met most of my new hires. This is how I know them better than my office colleagues

UnitedLex's chief commercial officer says his approach to cultivating culture has helped him build a better 2022. Here are three more ideas to help you build real relationships between your employees in a virtual world.

In my past life, I have measured my success as a leader and business owner by one simple metric: retaining my top talent. This year, the number of resignations irked me because it had so many leaders.

 

The distant world rewrites the rules and expectations of employees. If leaders don’t move faster, experiment, and take action to better serve and engage with their employees, their ability to hire and retain talent plummets.

 

Like many, I didn't like remote work when COVID hit, nor did I foresee it becoming a new way of working. I thrive on energy, the exchange of ideas, and the hustle and bustle of the office. Some of the most innovative ideas, meaningful relationships, and influential networks begin with real-world coffee talk.

 

I realized I needed to put in a little more effort to create this contingency in my team because it doesn't happen naturally anymore. At first, I took a small step. For example, I spend the first 5 to 1o minutes of a virtual meeting making jokes like "What's your latest guilt?" or "What's your biggest silver lining from the pandemic?"

 

This small talk seems counterproductive. However, getting off the script and having real conversations is critical to building a relationship. In fact, one study found that one of the main reasons people are satisfied with their jobs has to do with how well they get along with their colleagues. Building connections is a win-win for your company's culture and its bottom line. Another report found that companies with high employee engagement were 21% more profitable.

三和一善

Making remote work meaningful requires awareness. You have to purposefully elevate your culture and make connections. This approach to cultivating culture has helped me build a better 2022. Here are three more ideas to help you build real relationships between your employees in a virtual world.

 

Enhance appreciation through digital heart-to-heart

People already feel more isolated due to the current situation. When people are not face-to-face, digital heart-to-heart appreciation for their contributions doesn’t come naturally or frequently.

 

 

The digital world can actually help you increase your gratitude. A simple activity is to start by asking this question to your immediate leadership team: "Think about how lucky we were to make decisions that impact others in this meeting. Look back over the past few days. Are there any people who have positively influenced you?" ?"

 

Ask two or three people to name the person and what they did. Finally, ask everyone to open their email and send those people a quick thank you email. Then wait a moment and let the group read aloud the answers they got. If you really want to amplify it, ask your team to do this exercise with their own team.

 

Pass the torch and watch others shine

There's nothing worse than a leader making a fuss at a real-world meeting. But as an executive, this is more difficult to measure in a digital environment. You may not even know you are closing your audience due to limited field of vision and inability to feel the energy in the room.

 

To facilitate wider participation, please pass the mic. Designate a new MC, preferably more junior talent, for each team meeting to manage the agenda, goals, and cadence. Another benefit is that your young team members can gain confidence when speaking in front of colleagues. Not only is it inspiring for me to let go of the reins in driving team meetings, but I believe it will empower the leaders of tomorrow. I've changed my mindset to be more of a coach than a boss (thank you, Ted Lasso). Switching from hosting a meeting to being a coach will immediately impact engagement.

 

Start with a personal "Pechakucha"

One of my favorite and fun exercises to get newbies on a team up and running is to ask them for a personal pechakucha (“small talk” in Japanese). It's a form of storytelling that inspires people to talk less and show more. The rules for pechakucha presentations are simple: the presentation must consist of 20 slides, each displayed for 20 seconds, making the total presentation time 6 minutes and 40 seconds. This approach works great when done virtually because it allows the entire team to quickly get to know their new teammates and their motivations. If you want to learn more about this exercise, please document them and provide a video for all to enjoy and learn from.

 

After this volatile year, you may be looking to up your leadership game and explore new ways of working and building a culture. Now is the time to implement some strategies, try new ways to elevate your team, nurture your talents, and show them they've chosen the right place to work.

 

Through the pandemic, I hired a lot of people to join my team. I haven't met most of them in person - just over video conferences and phone calls. Ironically, but I feel like I know them better than my former colleagues I've seen every day in the office for years. That's the power of a purposeful digital approach. And the power to plan accidental events.