- Why We Gave Up a Star Employee to a Top Customer, and Why You Should, Too
For us, encouraging our former COO to take on a major role at a customer company has accomplished just that. “Close business relationships are more important than ever, and my moving from intive-FDV to DropCar has, if anything, made our relationship stronger,” said Leandro Larroulet, who is now that company’s CIO. “Because I still work with the same team in the same office at intive-FDV, we can all leverage our established relationships to easily communicate based on an underlying trust from years working together.”
Even if the employee who makes the move doesn’t stay in the same office, the two companies involved can still build a similar level of trust and provide exceptional customer experience. Though most of our clients are based in other countries, we continue to be able to cement relationships by making communication a matter of culture and habit. The same practices apply to the case of an employee leaving to work with a customer.
- Is Remote Work Taking a Psychological Toll on Your External Workers? Researchers Say Yes.
Concerns about remote work are why a country like France has passed a “right to disconnect” provision to keep work at work. And while a similar provision was recently introduced in New York, it may be a long time before other cities — let alone the nation — embrace this kind of thinking.
So, where does this leave employers in the United States? Companies can’t just tell their employees “We know what’s best for you,” and revoke remote work policies. That could upset employees by removing flexibility, while also decreasing productivity.
The best compromise may be to add flexible policies, rather than remove them. To avoid the issues of isolation, companies can require employees to work in-office two or three times per month or per quarter.
- Has our ability to create intelligence outpaced our wisdom?
- Report: Demand for these skills will rise dramatically by 2030
- Demand for technological skills, both basic digital and advanced tech, will rise by 55%
- Demand for social and emotional skills, such as leadership and managing others, will rise by 24%
- Demand for basic cognitive skills, which include basic data input and processing, will decline by 15%
- Demand for physical and manual skills, which include general equipment operation, will decline by 14%
https://www.fastcompany.com/40577234/report-demand-for-these-skills-will-rise-dramatically-by-2030
- What’s the Secret to Becoming a Leader? Stop Being a Boss.
Having trouble delegating? You’ll never get far in your role as a leader if you hoard the major responsibilities for yourself. Imagine you’re jogging along a path at your local park: Not only will you stumble and potentially fall if you’re carrying a lot of luggage, but you also won’t move very efficiently. Instead, evaluate which responsibilities you should continue to shoulder, and delegate the rest to other team members.
Transitioning from being an ear-to-the-ground manager to an effective leader isn’t possible if you can’t tell others what to do and then allow them to finish the job their way. To help you feel more comfortable doing that, try providing context to your team members about how their role fits into the big picture. Remember that teammates may not take the routes you would to achieve results — and that that’s OK. If they make missteps, be a leader they can come to for suggestions rather than reprimands. Not only will you get more done, but your employees will get a boost of self-esteem and empowerment.
Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash