In-person to Hybrid: What this seismic shift means for the future of leadership

By John Dore

We now work and live in a hybrid age. As the world of work radically changes, a new approach to organisational leadership is becoming increasingly vital. The external pressures are already challenging, but so are the internal complexities of leadership in a hybrid workplace. The nature of organisations and their employees’ expectations are continuing to evolve, and in ways that make leading more complicated than ever. This requires us to transform our approach to leadership and prioritise the creation of organisational glue. 

The new world of Hybrid

Hybrid, as the norm for working life, happened quickly. Initially, a gigantic experiment in remote working was compelled by lockdowns, enabled by remote technology tools and connectivity that worked. Then as fears abated and offices reopened, hybrid was facilitated by enlightened flexible working policies, which were adopted and promoted by large influential tech and professional service firms. Within the space of only a few years there has been a seismic shift from in-person to hybrid working.

The debate about the right balance between working from home or office is an ongoing tension, but there is little suggestion that hybrid will end anytime soon. The flexible working genie is not going to be put back in its box and where we have now landed with hybrid seems to be the established normal. It seems the future of work will be hybrid. 

The nature of hybrid working threads its way into many aspects of working life, not just virtual or in-person attendance. In the office, work can be both in-person or online, and at home, we can work online with colleagues in their homes, or in the office. Collaboration platforms like Teams maya aid connection and collaboration for work-related projects, but in our irregular physical absence from each other, they have also morphed into a depository of birthday messages, waving emojis and fun-run updates.

Working, or what it means to ‘work for a firm’, has itself become hybrid and blended, with the status of colleagues being variously employed, self-employed, part-time, full-time, flexitime, zero-hours, interned, in-sourced, out-sourced, contracting or consulting. 

As the leader of a hybrid organisation your challenge is not just to observe and mange but lead others through the maze. How do you create and maintain deep engagement with and amongst employees who are often working remotely and apart from one another? Tackling this might seem like a hopeless task before you begin.

For example, in the UK employee engagement remains pitifully low, productivity is flatlining and retention rates amongst younger and older employees are worsening. Despite investment in well-executed internal ‘engagement’ campaigns, improved workplace flexibility and an employee-benefits arms-race, there is no sign that these engagement, productivity and retention numbers will improve. 

We need to take a different approach. We need a new mode of leadership for the way we now work and live our lives – one I call creating glue. If you want to create organisational glue, then your leadership behaviours matter, as they are observed, recognised and emulated in the firm.  Exemplar leaders demonstrate four complementary qualities; an ability to galvanise, actively listen, be unusual, and to deeply engage others. 

Galvanise

You need to be able to galvanise others.  Being able to do that when the pressure and complexity gauges are all turned up to eleven is an extraordinarily valuable skill.  The leader who can excite others about the future, winning hearts, and minds, and draw the best from all involved at critical moments is a rarity.  Crucially, they see these moments as not about demonstrating their own capabilities, but as opportunities to unleash the talent of others. 

Listen

If you are part of the leadership team, then you are expected to communicate a clear vision with conviction.  But your leadership super-power is probably much more rarely used, the application of your listening skills.  There is strong evidence that listening is a leadership super-power and it is not just about being sound of hearing.  Leaders need to hear with acuity, being able to be better attuned to the organisation, its people and mood. 

Be unusual 

 My observation, found through working with many compelling managers is that the best were not just authentic and open, but a little bit unusual compared to the norm around them.  Unusual is important, because unusual is rare, and therefore gets noticed. Being unusual intrigues peers, colleagues and team members and makes leaders memorable.  Be reassured though, you do not need to look, act, or behave in a crazy oddball contrarian way. You just have to deviate in small ways from the norm. 

Engage

The need to engage seems obvious, but the glue creating leader does this broadly, deeply and with a purpose. Critical to creating glue is the ability to maintain energy amongst your best people.  Firing them up is one thing, but maintaining connection, collaboration and engagement over time takes commitment, an investment of ideas, and a personal amount of ‘you,’ which extends beyond geeing them up and watching them go. You need to be found alongside, accessible but candid, and regularly encouraging levity and fun.  

Creating glue is not easy and can seem counterintuitive and uncomfortable.  The hybrid leader’s principal role is to harness disparate talents to see value in connection, to be the person who joins the dots and helps make work feel meaningful again.  Galvanising others, taking time to listen and engaging broadly and deeply does not come easily, but if you exhibit that unusual mix of leadership behaviours you can create a powerful sense of cohesion.  A kind of glue. 

John Dore is Director of the Senior Executive Programme at London Business and the author of GLUE: Transforming Leadership in a Hybrid World, published by Routledge, priced at £28.99.

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