A blog post by Jessica DeGroot
What does the classic marble game have in common with hybrid workplaces AND the career paths of integrated professionals?
All of them include some moments of uncertainty – moments when you ask yourself, how the heck am I going to make this work? All of them also require a similar approach to achieve success – a commitment to learning from the twists and pitfalls as you develop a strategy.
As I talk to some of the leaders I know, I’ve been thinking a lot about this. Most are committed to the concept of creating hybrid workplaces, but many are struggling.
If you are someone who has built your career following a relatively straight path, and you have mostly on-boarded, trained, mentored, and promoted people who have worked on-site and standard business hours, then the new hybrid workplace may feel a little baffling.
On the other hand, if you are someone who has built your career while continuously navigating both work and life demands, you are well aware that unexpected twists, turns and the occasional pitfalls are the nature of the journey. As a result, you’ve likely developed a number of smart strategies to help you stay on course. You’ve gotten better at the classic marble game.
To become a high performing hybrid workplace organizations may feel overwhelmed by some of the “pitfalls” they are encountering, and it turns out, integrated professionals are one of their best assets for navigating past them.
- The smartest person I know around on-boarding, mentoring and employee development spent the first part of her career managing an 800-person virtual organization.
- The managers who are part of our leadership community have taught me some of the best insights around how to manage well in hybrid workplaces.
- And just this fall, our community worked together to learn how hybrid workplaces can find new ways to approach work distribution and measurement, including for hard to measure jobs.
One of the reasons integrated professionals are so smart around hybrid work is because of the strategies they developed to navigate new and uncertain terrain. A few of these strategies are outlined below, as well as how each strategy helps create a high performing hybrid workplace.
1-Build a strong team at work … Integrated leaders know the only way to achieve their own work-life integration is to build a strong team at work. They also know it takes time to do this, and the work is never done.
Need to build a stronger sense of connection at work? Ask your integrated professionals to share the tricks they’ve learned. Or ask them to lead a team to revamp on-site approaches into hybrid solutions.
2-Learn from the moments when flex isn’t working … A flex solution has to work for the person, the organization and their work priorities AND for the people the person works with. We call this a triple win. If the solution doesn’t meet all three requirements, it needs to change.
Worried that hybrid work isn’t meeting a specific short or long-term organizational goal? Engage these outside-the-box thinkers to help problem-solve for a new solution.
3-Recognize the value of slack time … Integrated professionals are skilled at noticing when they’ve got too much going on. Doing this helps them find more effective ways to approach work and life.
Is chronic overwork creating a barrier to developing traction for effective hybrid work? It takes time and resources to become a high performing hybrid workplace. Is someone responsible for the changes required? Do they have enough time to invest in the process?
4-Create a safe place to acknowledge the messiness … Having compassionate listeners to lean on – a spouse, friend or colleague helps integrated professionals figure out the next step when things feel impossible.
A big part of my job since the pandemic has been listening to leaders to better understand the challenges around hybrid work. Do you have someone to listen to you?
5-Most importantly – don’t lower your goals … Ask any integrated professional in the ThirdPath Community and they’ll tell you how challenging it can feel to navigate both work and life demands. They’ll also tell you it’s worth it.
High performing hybrid workplaces help promote an inclusive workplace that attracts and retains the best employees. Despite the twists, turns and pitfalls this is a journey worth mastering.
What keeps ThirdPath on the cutting edge? Learning from the amazing parents and leaders who have gone ahead and created an integrated approach to work and life despite the obstacles. Today I can also see how this community is a priceless resource as organizations strive to become high performing hybrid workplaces.
Want to learn more tips on mastering the journey towards high-performing hybrid workplaces?
Join us for this week’s Town Hall discussion on Friday 12/15 from 1 to 2:15pm ET. Two leaders will be sharing their stories around successfully implementing hybrid work.
Q&A: This isn’t your ordinary webinar—come armed with your burning questions! Our Town Hall format ensures you get the chance to interact directly with our speakers.
Takeaways: Gain valuable insights into how commitment to hybrid work is not only transforming organizations but also enhancing the lives of the people driving these changes.