The New Hybrid World Requires a Different Kind of Leader: Are You Ready?

I am sure you’ve heard the news. The hybrid workplace is here to stay! Even if you have most people coming to the office on the daily, they will expect greater flexibility in their work lives to successfully navigate what is important to them in their private lives. The rapid evolution of the workplace demands that leaders develop new skills, enabling them to perceive beyond the obvious to make critical connections and decisions daily. Here are the pitfalls to avoid in this modern workplace as a leader: 

1. A lack of communication. Communicating becomes ever more important in an environment where you don’t happen to be physically adjacent to your team every day. This has lots of bad effects: work doesn’t get done well or in a timely manner, learning doesn’t happen at the best pace, people get missed for potential opportunities, the tough conversations get put on the back burner so that work can get done, and in the absence of communication, people tend to fill in the blanks themselves, and that rarely goes well.
   
   
2.  Teams lose connectivity. Since the Pandemic, we’ve learned in a powerful way that work can get done effectively without being present in the office. We made that happen because we had to, for the most part. But we lost connection at the same time. In nearly every culture survey we perform for our clients, a loss of connection is one of the top three challenges cited by younger professionals. They yearn for connection, both formal and informal, with their leaders, with their teams, and with the other parts of the firm. These connections allow people to comprehend cultural norms better and to see how they fit in the larger organization.  
   
   
3. Development of people. It’s just slower and not as effective if it’s always happening in pieces or virtually. Our industry will always be based on apprenticeship, and that means we really need some hands-on time with our people for them to learn effectively in real-life scenarios. And not only for technical skills! Some of your most potent learning experiences in your own professional journey were made through seeing your leaders in action: with clients, with staff, and with each other. Those powerful interactions need to still happen live in a lot of cases because we can read the nuances in person unlike virtually. We also encounter challenges with those employees who just need more guidance from us to thrive. 
   
   
4. Creativity and Innovation. So much incredible innovation happens in the moments when you are sharing physical space with each other. Think about how you’ve changed your best practices after an audit at a client site or in the mire of preparing a complicated tax return against a deadline. Those innovations are often missed in the virtual realm because we aren’t engaged with each other and in each other’s spaces as often.  

So, how do we rise to the occasion of hybrid leadership? Well, in a nutshell, we get the chance to be the leaders we were always meant to be, with exceptional observational skills, outstanding communication skills, and the intentional strategies that make our new way of leading innate and thorough in a different way: 

 
Embrace Flexibility, But Have Guidelines

Yes, people need flexibility and balance to have decent personal lives. But many things are just not conducive to a Zoom call. And that is perfectly okay! These requirements may need to differ by person. For example, if you have a struggling new employee, he or she may need to come into the office so that more closely attuned observation and learning can happen. We have seen firms adopt guidelines for new hires v. seasoned employees, for example. Just make sure your leadership shows up too. 

Things like performance management discussions, professional development, team and culture building; these should happen together in a physical space. You can also add more flexibility to your physical spaces, things like privacy rooms for phone calls and team rooms. The bottom line is to balance flexibility with structure, and some people need more or less of both than others. 
 

Develop a Greater Level of Communications Skills

In a hybrid world, it gets a lot more crucial to establish protocols around how communication should take place. For example, is it sufficient to text someone that you are out sick today? Leaders should ensure that information flows seamlessly across the team, regardless of their location. This means leveraging multiple communication channels—email, instant messaging, video calls, and collaboration platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams. Regular team meetings and updates help keep everyone informed and engaged. Encouraging open communication and creating an inclusive environment where all team members feel heard and valued is crucial. 

But these skills need more depth than what we are accustomed to; we need to be able to read people in a tiny box on our computer screen. Their body language and their expressions are not as easily read in a virtual setting. This speaks to the need for greater levels of emotional intelligence in how we understand ourselves in other interactions so that everyone gets what they need from the communication that takes place. So, ask more questions. Find out the real issues that lie below what is stated in an email or on a Teams call. Learn to coach instead of managing. Help people come to their own decisions by leading them through the exercise of developing their own levels of emotional intelligence.  

Empathy in communication is a critical trait for leaders in a hybrid workplace. Understanding and addressing the diverse needs and challenges of team members, whether they are remote or in-office, is essential. Leaders should be approachable and available, showing genuine concern for their team’s well-being. Inclusion should be a priority that is measured, ensuring that all team members have equal opportunities to contribute and succeed, regardless of their work location. If that means you need to bring people in, then communicate why it is in their best interest to invest in themselves that way. 

Pay Attention to Potential Burnout  

In a hybrid workplace, the lines between work and personal life can blur, leading to burnout. Leaders must advocate for their team’s well-being by promoting work-life balance. So, help your team develop individual boundaries around work time and personal time, and then respect those boundaries!

Be a stellar example of that balance. Be ready to offer support for mental health challenges. Acknowledging and accommodating individual needs and circumstances also contributes to a supportive work environment. People will rise up to exceed your expectations when you give them the space they need to thrive in a professional setting. 
 

Cultivate a Strong Team Culture

Building and maintaining a cohesive team culture is more challenging in a hybrid setting but equally important. Leaders should create opportunities for team bonding and collaboration. Virtual team-building activities, in-person meetups, and social events can strengthen relationships and foster a sense of belonging.

Recognizing and celebrating achievements and milestones helps maintain morale and motivates the team. We have seen firms host learning events several times a year, where all employees attend and are trained, have performance conversations, engage in culture-building activities, and socially connect at a deeper level with coworkers. These events have become the best part of the year at these firms for their people AND their leaders.  
 

Advance Your Level of Technological Mastery as a Firm

We also often see the need for leaders to help push technology forward in their firms to help enable many of the other pieces of the puzzle we discuss here. Often firms are behind when it comes to technology that enables a truly thriving hybrid or remote workplace  If you don’t encourage employees and firm partners to be up-to-date technologically, you’re bound to have disconnects when younger generations want to stay home and more traditional partners can’t find ways to make hybrid work make sense.

So, evaluate technology as an important and crucial piece of how you connect with people and teams no matter where they sit, and not just about the actual client work to be done. Also, know that technology will not solve problems without effective personal intervention!  

Hold People Accountable, Including Yourself

In a hybrid work model, leaders must trust their team members to manage their tasks independently a lot of the time. Empowering employees with the autonomy to make decisions and take ownership of their work fosters a sense of responsibility and accountability. Setting clear goals and performance metrics helps track progress and outcomes without micromanaging. This applies to you and your leadership team too. Make sure leaders are measured on how well they instill ownership in their own people instead of hoarding the power to really get things done. Remember, your job as a leader is to make yourself obsolete! 

 

Embrace Continuous Improvement and Adaptability 

The hybrid workplace (i.e. YOUR firm) is an evolving landscape, and leaders must be agile and open to continuous learning and development. Seeking feedback from the team, staying informed about industry trends, and being willing to experiment with new approaches are all part of effective leadership.

This adaptability ensures that leaders can navigate challenges and capitalize on opportunities as they arise. The success of a hybrid team hinges on a leader’s ability to bridge the gap between remote and in-office dynamics, ensuring that every team member feels connected, valued, and empowered to perform at their best.

The good news is that we are all learning how to be great leaders in this new hybrid world! Your people are likely to give you the grace to develop skills differently if you stay committed and hold yourselves accountable. 

To learn more about how Winding River Consulting is helping bolster the profession's leadership development, click here.