Remote Leadership is Now a C-Suite Level Position
The future of work means building and leading a remote team effectively
Last week Darren Murph, Head of Remote at Gitlab, made a strong case for why every company should have a position like his:
“The smartest, most transparent, and most progressive companies transitioning to remote will hire an executive to lead their journey in the next one to two years. This hire (or the lack thereof) will be a litmus test to job seekers who expect remote work to be supported, not merely allowed.”
Even before the 2020 pandemic, there was no doubt that the future of work means an increasingly remote workforce. Whether it’s hybrid or fully remote, every company will need to figure out how to transition their team to being remote long-term. At some point during this pandemic, things will start opening up again, but we, the people who start meeting again, will be fundamentally different. Old expectations and myths about work have been shattered. We’ve seen how to make this whole WFH thing function. So we will demand and expect new ways of working and collaborating.
The last few months, many leaders have been treading water with their suddenly-remote teams. Now, they need to find the long-term solutions that will empower them to thrive and perhaps even accelerate the collaboration, productivity and success they’ve already created in co-located offices.
What we’re experiencing is a sea change, a flexion point, a new chapter in how we work. Positions that didn’t exist before are now being created and explored for the first time. Think back to the time before the Internet. There wasn’t a digital marketing director, or an IT staffer overseeing servers. But these are both vital roles now. The same goes for remote leadership. We’re at that turning point where we will begin to see this role in companies and organizations all around the world.
As a conscious leadership coach, my vision for this new role is that it incorporate the conscious leadership qualities of truly advocating for remote employee wellbeing and helping career development and professional growth. There are ways to make this happen without ceding it all to the traditional HR professional in the office down the hallway.
If you’re grappling with this transition, I encourage you to read Murph’s article. He asks 17 poignant questions every leader needs to be asking themselves about how to navigate the transition to a long-term remote team. It’s going to require expertise, innovation, creativity and patience. It’s going to be a full-time job for the companies who want to get it right and perhaps even become industry leaders in how to nurture a thriving remote workplace.
When you’re ready to discuss about your team’s needs, let’s talk. This is a golden opportunity to create a Head of Remote position in your organization that will ensure your team not only survives, but thrives into the future of work.
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
Meredith’s coaching helps conscious leaders step courageously into the future of work. Contact her to develop your conscious leadership and transform your organization into the workplace of the future.
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