Author: katliendgens

Re-learning things after the pandemic

After working remotely for 15 months, we recently returned to the office, albeit for only two days per week for most team members. While it has been wonderful to work together in the same room again, I could definitely sense that it will take some adjustment. I used to not work remotely at all before the pandemic, and after being back in the office for three days in a row, I felt a tad bit fatigued. In addition to more drastic changes, such as having to make your way through traffic or arranging pet sitters, there are little things that we have to get used to again. Here are a few examples.

Watching your body language

If you’re not in the same physical space with your co-workers, all you have to do is watch your facial expression when you’re in a Zoom meeting. It’s a different ballgame when you’re in the office. If you want to exemplify your company values, your body language plays a very important role. If you’re slouching, frowning, making faces, or even making a snide comment under your breath, chances are that your team members will notice. Self-awareness levels will need to be raised in a post pandemic world. 

Reading non verbal communication

Similarly, since you’re exposed to much more non-verbal communication than when you were when confined to a few video calls, you may not be used to observing and interpreting non verbal communication as much anymore. Since it’s a vital part of teamwork and emotional intelligence, it is worth the investment in retraining yourself. 

Less typing, more talking

One of the most challenging things during COVID was the often unrealistic expectation that we could all communicate in an asynchronous way. To be frank, while this may sound appealing, it is simply not the ideal way to deliver the best service to your fellow team members, and, as a result, to your customers. There’s no denying the fact that typing a message takes longer than talking to someone directly. A lot of folks may have gotten into the mode of preferring written communication, and in some cases, they may even get annoyed or startled if you walk up to them to ask a question, so be sure to talk about this challenge and hit the reset button when it comes to communication.

Less multi-tasking

Certainly, you’ve experienced this before: you’re in a video meeting, and it is obvious that someone is working on something else and not paying full attention. Or you may have been guilty of multi-tasking yourself. You can make a case that this has been one of the biggest downsides of the remote work arrangement during the pandemic. It may help to openly talk about this challenge and to promise to call each other out when this type of unproductive multi-tasking happens. 

More impromptu communication

In my experience, the lack of impromptu communication has been the single biggest downside of remote work. All too often, people confuse working remotely with being “heads down” and not needing to communicate in real time. While this may work for some departments within some companies, it’s the exception. Our company thrives on sharing information and responding to customer requests and requests from other team members in real time. Be sure to talk to those team members who may have gotten used to and maybe too comfortable with asynchronous communication. 

Longer work blocks

Working remotely has afforded us many luxuries, including the flexibility to fit personal agenda items into our work day. Some team members may have been able to plan their work around errands, chores, or personal appointments, so it will take a bit of a shift to plan those things around working in the office. We will have to get used to a new (the old) way of structuring our days, which will likely manifest itself in larger, more concentrated blocks of work. 

Contributing to the office environment

While working remotely, all you had to worry about is your own office. Heck, in some cases, you may not even have had a dedicated office and had to fight for a little space in your house to get things done. So obviously, being back in a shared environment will be much different. You will be playing an integral part in re-establishing a comfortable and supportive work environment, which may include little things like making coffee, watering plants, getting the snail mail, or doing a content audit of the fridge. A change, for sure!

Professional appearance

You’ve seen the memes of people wearing button down shirts and jackets for a video call while sporting shorts and bare feet that nobody could see. Some of us may have gotten overly comfortable with regard to our appearance. And thankfully, we’ve been cutting each other some slack, as we did not feel comfortable going to the hair salon or barber shop or in some cases, to even continue our daily upkeep during the heights of COVID-19. Re-establishing the routines that afforded us a reasonable level of professional appearance may not happen in an instant, but it doesn’t mean that we should lower our standards indefinitely. 

It only takes 28 days to form or to break a habit, so after almost a year and a half of doing things differently and mostly in isolation, we simply can’t expect things to go back to normal immediately. We need to recognize our challenges and take one step at a time to find our footing in a post pandemic world. 

What about you? What are you having to re-learn?

A few more thoughts on returning to the office

A few months ago, I outlined some of the main reasons why we were going to return to the office once it’s safe to do so, including more impactful communication, increased empathy, inspiration, better integration of new team members, and ensuring focus on what’s best for the team as a whole. Starting next week, we will be back in the office twice a week. Sure, after 15 months of working from home, it will require some adjustments, and I am certain that not everyone will be completely thrilled. Fair enough. For most people, it is much more convenient to work from home. Many employees report being more productive when they’re not in the office. So when making a decision for your business, try to determine what is best for the team as a whole.

In her recent LinkedIn post, Rachelle Kuebler-Weber does a great job anticipating some of the pushback with regard to going back to the office, and pointing out some of the tangible and intangible benefits of working together in the same space. She mentions different behavior patterns, synergy of proximity, and the separation of work and home, for instance. It got me thinking about misconceptions that some of your team members may have when they’re being asked to come back to the office, even in a limited way, and how to establish clarification.

Of course, remote employees contribute value!

One of the questions that you might receive when discussing the positives of working in the same physical space is “Don’t you think that remote employees contribute value?”. Of course I do! And we have to think of ways in which they don’t just contribute tangible deliverables that are a result of being “heads down”, but also ways in which they help with cross-departmental support, collaboration, and innovation. But is it reasonable to expect that someone who works remotely and in a different time zone will sense that a new team member is having a bad day and take them for a cup of coffee to provide some pointers? Or that a junior BDR will be enabled to learn by osmosis by listening to seasoned reps when they make calls or discuss next steps with each other or with prospects, or when they’re not in the same space? There are some ways to mitigate those challenges, but it’s fair to say that the expectations of someone who works remotely and someone who is in the office at least part of the time differ. That doesn’t mean at all that remote employees don’t contribute value. It’s simply different. And in our case, we need the value, energy and synergy that comes with being in the office, too, which is why we have both local and remote team members.

It’s not all about individual productivity

Productivity is one of the most frequently used arguments for remote work. And yes, I am aware that there are stats that show that a good number of people work longer hours when they work from home (which isn’t always a good thing, though) and also lots of team members who are more productive remotely. I think I fall into this category myself. But individual productivity is not everything. It’s also about building a supportive environment in which people can get help by having in person ad hoc conversations rather than waiting for hours for a response on Slack, taking time to type large paragraphs rather than just talking in person, or having to put a Zoom meeting on the calendar. It’s also about listening to conversations that are going on in the office and with customers, inspiring others to do great work, reducing video call fatigue, listening to someone vent, and making offhanded comments instead of having to type out every single thought. 

Productivity is not necessarily the same thing as success

“But we have so many people who are super productive when they work remotely”. Yes, I am certain that that’s the case. But is productivity the only criteria of success? It really depends on what your business goals are. I’ll take more compassion and communication over a single focus on productivity any day. If maximum productivity in our company automatically means greater customer satisfaction, more thoughtful internal (!) and external communication, better products, better onboarding, more meaningful work, and reaching your growth goals, great. But it may not be the case for other organizations. 

Someone’s “flexibility” is another one’s lack of structure

“Flexibility” is a term that most of us would equate with something positive, right? It means that you have the freedom to do what’s best for… you? The company? While it’s generally a good thing, especially in crazy times like these, to allow people to structure their days in ways that accommodate personal needs (for instance, how about being in the office from 11-3 so you can avoid traffic?), we should also recognize that one person’s flexibility is another one’s lack of structure. Be sure that you’re equipped to help each team member be their best. Sometimes, that involves providing more guidance, shorter deadlines and milestones, and more oversight, even when it’s not the way they prefer it. After all, flexibility should go both ways. 

What’s best for the individual is not always best for the team

As a manager, you want to make sure that every individual is empowered to contribute to their own success and the success of the company. But you can’t just look at individuals. You also have to do what’s best for the team as a whole. You have to consider the desired outcomes for your organization. Here’s an argument that you might encounter: “Why do you punish the A players by having to come into the office just because we have some B players who can’t be productive at home?” Another fair question. First off, identify why coming into the office is considered a “punishment”. Secondly, Michael Jordan probably would have gotten away with skipping practice a few times. However, his drive and his dedication to excellence made his teammates better. (Note that if you do have so-called B players on your team, you have another challenge to overcome, but that’s a topic for another day.) Good work inspires more good work. And putting personal preferences aside every now and then for the good of the team and a sense of community may not be an unreasonable ask. That’s why I have high hopes for the hybrid model of being in the office a couple of times a week. 

Stop silo thinking, and curb it in others

Different roles may be more conducive to “flexibility”, so if you can find a way to provide different set-ups for people in a fair manner, go for it. For instance, someone who is in a customer-facing role might not be able to do most of their work after hours. Be as “fair” as you can, and also make clear that we’re all connected. Just because someone is not in Sales doesn’t mean that they don’t have an impact on the way the Sales team does their job. If customer service is one of your competitive advantages, be sure that the level of dedication to the customer is lived and witnessed every day. Try to avoid  A “not my department, not my problem” mentality.

Think about ways to facilitate more collaboration

If collaboration is important to you, think of ways to facilitate it, whether that’s by rearranging the configuration in the office, implementing ShipIt Days or task forces, or by having cross-functional lunches. Just because you may not have been able to achieve the levels of collaboration in the past, it doesn’t mean you need to stop trying. And, find ways to include your remote workers, both digitally and in person. Consider having them join you in the office at least occasionally. 

If you have your eye on the prize of a popularity contest, it’s probably easier to let everyone choose their own work environment and schedule at all times. But remember, only by doing what’s best for the company are you holding up your end of the bargain, and, at the end of the day, providing meaningful work and professional opportunities for your team members for years to come. And what’s best for one type or size of company may not be best for another. In addition, finding the right balance between individual preferences and team outcomes, and heads-down/remote time and in person collaboration might take a few months, so as always, be prepared to adjust as needed.  

When you do return, exercise compassion. The past 15 months have certainly put our resilience to the test and gotten us into new habits that might be hard to break. It will be a big change to get in the car again, to arrange for pet sitting and child care, and to get used to working around other people again. Let’s cut each other some slack and give each other the benefit of the doubt. 

What about you? What are your thoughts on returning to the office a couple of days a week?

Before you hire

There’s something deeply gratifying about offering someone a job. Even posting a new position feels good, because it often means that your company is growing and/or that you have an opportunity to make your team stronger. But before you hire, be brutally honest when thinking about the questions below. 

Are you hiring for the right reasons? 

Clearly state the desired outcomes of adding a new team member, such as meeting an increased influx of projects, decreasing development time of new features, or breaking into new verticals. I would advise against hiring just for the sake of demonstrating growth, as it often is not fair to the new employees and it can make it challenging to ensure that all team members buy into the mission and vision and pull in the same direction with a sense of purpose. 

Is your current team optimized? 

If you’re not getting the best work out of your team now, throwing another resource at it won’t fix the problem. “If we only had an extra person to do X…” should result in a thorough analysis of how the existing team is spending their time, so that you can identify bottlenecks and opportunities for internal improvement. Here are some additional tips on how to assess staffing needs. 

Is the manager equipped to coach a new person? 

No matter how great your new hire might be, if their manager is not willing or able to not just provide a stellar onboarding experience, but to continue to coach them effectively and consistently, you’re neither doing your company nor the new employee a favor. If there’s a good case for making the hire, but you don’t trust that the manager will be able to handle it, you need to solve the latter challenge first. 

Is your interview process robust enough to ensure that you hire the right person?

In order to avoid some of the most common hiring mistakes, such as not being rigorous enough in your process, be sure that you’ve established a system to ensure that you will find the right person for the job. For us, the process typically consists of at least three rounds of interviews with multiple team members, including one round that is solely focused on determining culture fit. In addition, we always ask for deliverables that are pertinent to the role, such as a technical assessment or a research project. Finally, if you’re not willing to commit to only making an offer if you can’t picture yourself without the candidate, perhaps it’s time to reconsider if you are indeed ready to hire. 

Adding any employee requires a major investment, so be sure that you are prepared to get a maximum return for the company and for your new team member. 

What about you? What else should you think about prior to hiring?

Five behaviors of people who you want on your team

As a leader, you are the steward of your company culture, not just by setting a good example, but by fostering the desired behaviors, eliminating factors that challenge your culture, and by hiring people who are great fits. Of course, you want to make sure that a new hire brings the right skill set to the table, but even the most competent employee can negatively impact the company if they are not a cultural fit. In fact, a high performer who is not aligned can harm the company even more than a low performer. Generally, you can teach someone how to do things, but you can’t teach them how to be. Here are some behaviors that people who you want on your team, regardless of their position, display on a consistent basis.

They only make one assumption

Other than assuming good intent when communicating with a team member, you want to keep assumptions to a minimum, as they are rarely productive. People who you want on your team focus on what they know to be true instead of making assumptions. Compare those two statements: 

A: “Jackie really doesn’t like me, and she always tries to make me look bad.” 

B: “Jackie pointed out these three shortcomings of my presentation.”

Who would you rather work with?

They squash drama

No-drama people are a gem, especially when they not only refrain from causing drama themselves, but they actively help you curb it by redirecting other’s mindsets. Cy Wakeman’s approach of reality based leadership is an excellent guide on how to do that. If you have someone on your team who people generally gravitate to in order to air grievances or gossip, you need to step in. The “meeting after the meeting” is rarely a good thing. If you can count on someone to ask pointed questions, such as “What do you know for sure?”, “What are you going to do about it?”, you have someone you can work with.

They focus on what they can control

The locus of control is one of the most underrated characteristics in a great team member. They focus on what they can control, such as their work ethic and their attitude. They fully realize that there’s no use in worrying about other factors, such as the economy or the competition. They don’t see themselves as victims of circumstance, but firmly believe that what they can control will be enough, and they act accordingly. 

They seek alignment and accountability

Employee engagement can be defined as the degree to which the employee’s goals and the company’s goals are aligned. Therefore, it is crucial for you as a manager to have your finger on the pulse of both. The team members who are on board with your vision will actively seek alignment and suggest ways in which they can optimally contribute are most certainly worth supporting. A fully engaged employee thrives on accountability, so be sure to work with them on measurable, ambitious goals and milestones. 

They do what’s necessary

Remember when companies used to look for “rockstars”? I never liked the term, because it implied that you were only looking for people who were commanding the spotlight. What you really want is people who understand and support with your vision and your mission, and who are willing to do what’s necessary to get there. It doesn’t mean that you’re expecting everyone to work 60+ hours a week. But, provided that you hold up your end of the bargain by giving your employees freedom and flexibility as long as the goals are met, you should be able to expect that they do what it takes to achieve the agreed-upon outcomes. And yes, this may include things that are not in their job descriptions. 

What about you? What are the behaviors that you look for in a team member?

What questions do you ask in your check-ins and performance reviews?

You probably have quarterly check-ins and annual performance reviews with the people who report to you, in addition to your own cadence of one on ones. All of those interactions are intended to help your team members in their professional development and to ensure that their goals and the company’s goals are aligned. Typically, the questions asked include accomplishments since the last meeting, goals for the upcoming review period, and areas of improvement. We also always ask for examples of how the employee exemplified the company values, as it is crucial for us to put our company culture top of mind at all times. This format has worked pretty well in the past, but since it’s advisable to revisit your practices from time to time in order to identify opportunities for improvement, I’ve been thinking about additional, more granular questions to add. Here are a few ideas.  

For the reviewee: 

Why did you/didn’t you reach your goals? 

This question refers to the tangible, measurable goals that were set. What you want to look for in the employee’s answer is their locus of control, which is absolutely vital to their success. If they haven’t achieved their goals, do they exclusively blame external factors (which, admittedly, can play a role) or do they take ownership of the things that they could have done differently? 

What lessons did you learn last week/last quarter?

An engaged employee always strives to become better. Even when things didn’t pan out as planned, they still ensure that they learn from the experience. 

What did you do last week/quarter to hone your craft?

Similarly, since you expect your team members to invest in their own professional development, you’ll want to include this question in your check-ins and reviews. Every person in your company has room to grow, and those who believe that they no longer have things to learn and improve on are probably not the ones who help your company grow and become the best place to work. 

What are you willing to be held accountable for? 

When setting goals for the next review period, you want to set a clear frame of accountability and responsibility. Goals have to be realistic but also ambitious. Similar to the “why did you/didn’t you reach your goals” question, the answer reveals how much of their achievements the team member perceives to be in their control. It’s also important to not just discuss top level goals, such as revenue generated, but also things like activity levels and pipeline, or development velocity and maximum number of fixes needed, depending on the role. 

What are you willing to do to reach your goals? 

You may augment the previous question with this one in order to understand what type of effort the employee is willing to make. For instance, if they’re not on track, are they open to coming in an hour earlier or stay an hour later to see if different times for sales calls render better results? Would they commit to taking a class in order to improve their skill set in a particular area? 

How are your professional goals and the company’s goals aligned? 

Employee engagement is a reflection of how the team member’s goals are in line with the company goals. Asking the question above helps you realize if the employee understands your organization’s goals and vision and if they perceive any misalignments with their own ambitions. 

For the manager:

A one on one, quarterly check-in, or annual performance review should result in an agreement between the team member and their manager. It should never solely focus on the employee’s goals and responsibilities, but include the manager’s role in the success of the employee as well. 

What am I willing to do to help my employee excel?

Since you’re asking the employee what they’re willing to do in order to be successful in their role, the manager should also be thinking about their level of commitment to the employee. Sharing with the team members what you’re willing to do to help them makes them feel supported and can reinforce their level of accountability. Can you commit to spending a certain amount of time every week helping them with their demos? Would you be willing to provide them a list of resources in order to improve a particular skill and then give feedback on their progress? Are you able to share some of the secrets of your own success or some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way? Contemplating the levels of your own commitment should be part of the conversation.

How are the employee’s professional goals and the company’s goals aligned? Where do you perceive a misalignment?

An honest discussion between the team member and the manager must include the topic of alignment. The manager should have a solid understanding of the direction of the company, goals, challenges, and opportunities. Should there be a perceived misalignment with regard to career trajectory or values, it’s best to have an open discussion in order to avoid assumptions, which are the killer of productive and positive relationships.

Check-ins in particular should always be a productive dialog between the manager and their team member, resulting in mutually agreed upon goals and action items and a commitment to hold up their respective ends of the bargain. 

What about you? What questions would you recommend including?