Future of Work Roundup: June 17th

This week’s Future of Work Roundup focuses on how we can all be our best selves during the nuanced new normal of hybrid work.

Question: should you bring your “whole self” to work?

Best selves, full self, authentic self – there are many popular versions of these similar phrases. And they all surround the idea that teams are more engaged when they understand each other as unique individuals.

No one’s gonna dull my shine.

• No, but as one Economist writer thinks: should we maybe reel our “whole selves” back in while at work? Because, on the one hand (let’s be real) the person you are around your family and friends is not the person you are around your boss or co-workers. 

• And on the other hand: maybe companies should say what they mean and mean what they say – and not wax poetic around being completely yourself at work if they don’t really mean it.

The bottom line: You should bring your authentic self to work. As the Pride icon Judy Garland said, “Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.”

Source: Economist

How to train leaders in today’s new workplace.

As we consider what version of ourselves we’ll present to our colleagues, orgs are looking at how they’ll develop leaders to be the best version of their (work) selves in today’s workplace.

Times have changed – and they’re continuing to change, too.

• With hybrid work, leaders are needing to listen more and talk less; to help facilitate and collaborate rather than direct and delegate.
• So what can the modern leader keep in mind to effectively manage their hybrid teams? Never stop learning, and to provide learning opps for people at all levels of the org.

The bottom line: The pandemic changed everything about the way we work, including the way teams need to be managed to leverage their best work.

Source: Forbes

The hot new skill on everyone’s resume: hybrid competence.

So you’re hopping into virtual meetings as your full authentic self, and learning how to be a better hybrid-first leader. Sounds like you’ve got this hybrid work thing down pretty well.

You could say it’s a skill.

• It is! Mark Mortensen, associate professor of organizational behavior at INSEAD, says that having “hybrid competence” is a “source of power” worthy of adding to your resume.
• Things like being more resourceful, organized, communicative and having “network awareness management” are all notable skills – so weaving them into your resume is important in ensuring you stand out to the right companies.

The bottom line: It’s important to recognize the skills we’ve all built throughout the challenges of the past two years, and how they can help us to level-up our careers. 

Source: Business Insider