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Digital Leadership – Some Method to the Madness

It may be surprising, but in actuality, fewer managers and leaders take that time to invest in their closest peers, team members, or other colleagues. Once you do take that time, you begin to insert a culture of trust, and in a culture where people feel secure, they can let go of some of their fears and release it to ideation and creativity. What you also begin to see is that your load-balancing at work is improved. What it takes is understanding that you need to invest time from other meetings, to make your primary degrees to work. Time is not as important as frequency of calls, video conferences or chats. The further people are from the ‘hub’, top leadership, the less they understand how they contribute to the strategy unless you have built the chain of degrees.

Trust, Trust, Trust

Trust is built when someone is vulnerable and not taken advantage of.

~Bob Vanourek

Many companies have allowed people to work from home and realized it works. Yet, as soon as the government shows any signs of releasing barriers of movement, the very same companies may be demanding people back at the station. The question was and had in many cultures been about trust. Do we trust that employees to work productively at home? We might as well ask, do we believe employees to productively work, point-blank.

In the IT and Services industry, I have spent two decades working remotely up to 80% of the time. When I was flying for meetings, it consumed a minimum of eight hours that usually had to be added to the weekly workload. The world is and has already been digital for a good while. I trusted my team members to work; after all, that is why we use performance management. It is not a haphazard fill-in-the-blanks form at the end of the term – it should be a valuable exchange with your closest employees frequently.

While many people have been living in exceptional circumstances working remotely, digital workspace is a norm to others. Do you know who they are in your organization? Have you identified the stars of digital ideation, remote working, and innovators? Is anyone of these employees in your first, or at least, second-degree trusted connection list? Do you spread their knowledge and include them in the future strategy for new working methodologies?

The list of immediate actions no matter how simple it may sound is:

  • increase the level of emotional intelligence in you and your teams
  • lead with caring and common-understanding
  • define your degrees or circles of trust to as many degrees as you need to in your role
  • be open to new ideas and include people who are known to spearhead digital workspace and collaboration programs
  • start with an open dialogue and begin defining goals people can associate with
  • leave room to be flexible and look for people with skills of ideation
  • lead with trust and demonstrate that in your actions and words
  • establish a time to have regular conversations with employees, peers, sponsors whom you can coach, and find people who can coach you – work other meetings around these sessions
  • follow the progress of your chosen circles and remain flexible in your mission
  • respect people who need to or want to change their approach whether due to personal or business reasons

Remember, every restriction you put in place that increases fear or doubt in people is several steps backward in the innovational and transformational thinking you need in a crisis. Our world is connected. Today’s world situation will not be unique – a global ecosystem will bring other emergencies to manage. Even the most difficult situations can be handled if everyone takes steps to care equally for themselves and others.

Stay safe!

Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships. 

~Stephen R. Covey

Sources:

  • MindTools: How Emotionally Intelligent Are You? ǀ https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/ei-quiz.htm
  • Positive Psychology.com: 62 Stress Management Techniques, Strategies & Activities ǀ https://positivepsychology.com/stress-management-techniques-tips-burn-out/
  • Psych2Go: Six Degrees of Separation: It’s a Small World ǀ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a99ry70CnRs
Maria Lehtman
Maria Lehtmanhttps://thedigitalteacup.com/
MARIA has over 20 years of Sales, Marketing, and Professional Services experience from the international telecommunications and travel industry. Her achievements include successful global Transition, Transformation, and Competency programs in management roles in the the global telecommunication field. She is currently working in International Sales & Marketing department with transversal employee and executive social media engagement development programs. Maria is passionate about digital empowerment and the opportunities it can provide for people around the world. She is a dedicated photographer and digital artist engaged in several creative projects at any given time. She is a compassionate leader, and her mission is to support people in self-transformation and in embracing new skills. Her trademark is her capability to share a smile even during the most challenging circumstances and keep a 'mindfulness'-attitude. Maria’s posts and thoughts represent her own view of the world. See Maria's current publication on Amazon.com. Maria is a contributing author to the inspiring book Chaos to Clarity: Sacred Stories of Transformational Change and Crappy to Happy: Sacred Stories of Transformational Joy

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4 CONVERSATIONS

  1. Hi Maria,
    I absolutely agree there with you, regarding your last paragraph, it really works like that when you not only give your trust but show your trust. You will experience the shift in their mind and see the difference in their dedication towards not only the work, but also towards that goal, it gives so much value to the feeling of solidarity.
    I have seen it outside, but also here in my home.
    Nobody beats the progress of a team who are driven by trust and togetherness, the ultimate solidarity.
    I loved it: “I am not suggesting mapping the world, rather your little corner of it.”
    That is just so crucial for the whole process, focus on one goal and just go step by step.
    Being realistic, no we are not here to save the world, I don’t think we are able to do so.
    If you know how, please share with me 😂🙏
    But working on “your little corner” and I do “my little corner” that adds up to the whole process.
    Bringing you one step closer to the next step.
    Thank you Maria.

    • Hi Ineke,
      Thank you very much for your insightful and valuable feedback! The enormous pressure that comes from uncertainty needs a balance, and the answer is in all of us. Like you say, step by step. I wish I knew the way to change the world :), but then again, I also feel that perhaps we only grow by having to do the work. I felt somewhat overwhelmed, to be honest, what to say to our audience in a time like this. It makes your positive feedback all the more valuable! Thank you, and take good care, Ineke

    • Thank you so much Maria and most important very happy that it was valuable to you!
      And the audience or other people will always appreciate honesty coming from a sincere heart Maria. If the questions is “to be honest, what to say to our audience in a time like this.” nothing wrong with sharing that, showing or own vulnerability, makes us nothing more than human.
      Thank you, be safe and well Maria!

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