New Leadership

Now we are finally there. After over one year we seem to approach an "end" of the COVID-19 pandemic and with it the "new normal". But what will this "new normal" be like? How will companies shape the future of the modern workplace after we experienced a massive push into remote work and which skills are relevant for CIO´s and leaders?

This is a good opportunity to define the terms mentioned above in the context of the modern workplace since these are often mixed up in the daily business.

• New Work: is an umbrella term for new working methodologies. What is defined as new depends on the current maturity level of the company.
• Hybrid Work: describes a working model which combines remote (home office) and on site (office) work.
• New Normal: describes an anticipated persistent change in working methods compared to the as-is state.

The workplace as we knew it before the pandemic is gone, deal with it. Regarding to a Bitcom study 55 percent of all jobs in Germany could at least partly delivered from home. In addition, there are new regulations which are ensuring that the home office will become an essential part of our future working environment. Therefore, hybrid work will be part of the new work and will become the new normal. Since we have now used all buzzwords in one sentence, let me point out the challenges which come with hybrid work, assuming that the technical enablement is already done.

Change management will become the key competency for CIO´s and leaders to master the future challenges of hybrid work. The reason is simple: technological enablement of remote work - if done right - is finished after a short amount of time.

"Change management will become the key competency for CIO´s and leaders to master the upcoming challenges of hybrid work."

Culture however is not a feature companies can implement - it comes to life through your employees. But many leaders are overwhelmed because established processes and routines getting obsolete. The consequence is that many need to develop a new approach about how to manage their virtual teams. But the new normal is not about not making any mistakes, its about how you deal with them and develop your company and employees. Hybrid work can only be successful as team. In the following I would like to present some good practices to initiate the cultural change.

1. Lead by example - to get familiar with the new tools and technologies used by your employees is mandatory. This does not mean that leaders need to become subject matter experts, it is about to know how they are used. Also give yourself room to learn and fail. This helps you to identify challenges in the early stage and most likely your employees will experience the same challenges.
2. Promote skills & develop your employees - the new normal will lead to new ways of working, therefore new skills and roles will be required. Develop your employees through targeted measures that are important for their roles and activities. This is more efficient than training all employees the same way. You will be surprised how precise your employees know which skills are necessary in their specific area to master the change.
3. Emotional intelligence & trust - some of your employees will be overwhelmed and/or stressed by the challenges and changes they are facing. Whether it is working from home with kids or the feeling to be available 24/7. Matter of fact is the borders between life and work are getting blurred more than ever before. Therefore, leaders not only have to own the technical expertise, they also need to be empathic and be able to interpret the feelings of their employees. Implement regular touchpoints and ensure your employees feeling heard and recognized - only than you will be able to establish a trustful relationship in the new normal.

"...the borders between life and work are getting blurred more than ever before."

Leaders have an important role in initiating the cultural change that is necessary to master the challenges of the new normal. They can accelerate and reinforce new working habits if they lead by example. However, this can only be successful if they individually promote and develop the skills of their employees and show emotional intelligence.