Obsoletion

Leading towards extinction

As I sit in my home office writing this article, my wife, and next door neighbours on both sides are all doing the same. Not writing an article! They are working from home (WFH). In different industries, capacities, and environments. Statistically, approximately 41% of you reading this article will be too (ABS, 2021). The blended workforce is now a firm part of our current reality and it will be fascinating to see how this unfolds in the coming decade. Yet, some are reluctant. In fact, when speaking at a Real Estate leadership workshop last week I was hit with the realities of leading in such times of flux.

At one point I was speaking through the current best practice and trends for Performance Reviews and Diminishing Performance in staff. When we dug a little deeper the conversation turned and the tension rose with comments like this:

"If they work from home we can't see what they are doing!", exclaimed one of the most experienced and credentialed business leaders in the group.

"Talent!?! We can't even find poor staff yet alone talented ones!" , voiced another delegate.

We hit a nerve. The struggle is real and it is being felt by leaders everywhere. There are hundreds of articles and podcasts telling us we need to breed trust and psychological safety into our workplaces as leaders. But what are leaders meant to do when their staff are constantly underperforming, pushing behavioural boundaries, and not meeting agreements. Or worse, when it is near impossible to find anyone willing to do the job! This moment sent a shiver down my spine. Personal experiences, research papers, and the leadership theory I was sharing with the group was answering this pain point. I could see these people were in a spiral they desperately wanted answers to.

With a timeline to keep and other content to move onto, I took the plunge and stopped the presentation to enquire a little further. Within a few exchanges we heard some magical words appeared from one of the leaders in the room:

"Our business model won't support blended working."

And there it was. The core issue to be worked through had been surfaced. It wasn't about performance reviews or disciplinary action. It was about business strategy - the model needed to be updated. A few fundamental tweaks to the structure of the business strategy seemed to be the pressing issue to attend to. A bigger conversation than we had time for, but a great reflection for everyone in the room. It helped me understand that a few home truths need be recognised and be prioritised by leaders of all levels and industries...

• The lifespan of a business is declining rapidly (London Business School, 2018),

• technology is inclining rapidly, and

• scientific studies into team performance are exploding.

What does this mean? Obsolete ways of working need to go if we want to perpetuate the game we are playing. The alternatives require uncomfortable reflections and a willingness to adapt. This comes with risks - personally, monetarily, and possibly reputationally.

Entertaining a restructure of teams and role definitions could be on the cards. Recruiting for totally different skill or trait assets could be key. I came across the story of a residential construction company that stopped recruiting building professionals into their administration staff and instead looked to service sectors like the airline industry and retail banking to find the go-getters they needed to provide great internal and external customer service. Or, the structure of the working week may need updating. Adam Grant shared this finding recently:

Whatever the tweak, facing up to the real issue of outdated ways of working and engaging with this is critical to avoid becoming obsolete and going extinct (as a professional or organisation). Making a habit out of this leadership action could also make for a funner and vital working environment. Being able to adapt before change is forced upon us is healthier and a place talent tends to be attracted to. I feel this needs to be at the top of a leader's agenda.

The inability to see the workplace through this lens comes with warnings - stick to the conventional old ways of working and its going to be tough. Real tough.