In March 2020, the first lockdown was implemented in the UK, forcing organisations across the nation to rethink their working model as employees navigated working from home.
Whilst those unable to work from home had the opportunity to return to the workplace in May 2020, approximately 46.6% of employees continued to work from home, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Fast forward two years, millions of employees are working remotely, and 75% of organisations are offering a hybrid working approach, according to the CIPD.
Although hybrid working is favoured by many, it is not without its challenges. With employees divided between the office and their home, leaders must now ensure they lead with intention. But what is intentional leadership, and why is it essential in the time of hybrid working?
What Is Intentional Leadership?
Intentional leadership is a bit of what it says on the tin; leading with intention. In their roles, leaders intentionally need to check in with people, which involves checking in on them as a person, their home life (if they’re comfortable to share), their objectives, their aspirations, links with other team members, skill sets, and much more.
When leading a team, leaders intentionally need to think about how they bring the team together. Often, this includes consulting with them and working collectively with them to guide this to be the best it can be. Team coaching is a real winner here, especially for teams that haven’t yet found the hybrid optimum performance.
Finally, intentional leadership involves forward-thinking and strategic direction. Here, leaders can consider where they are heading and how they can best communicate this to an audience that is no longer co-located. It is essential that leaders consider which channels work best and how their message needs to look and sound. Sensory communication, for example, can be very impactful for hybrid audiences.
Why Is Intentional Leadership Important?
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, building trust, communicating with others, and creating a sense of belonging came naturally to the workforce, leaders, and employees. However, as working from home became the new norm and Zoom meetings replaced face-to-face interactions, these three vital workplace components were hindered.
As many organisations continue to adopt a hybrid model, intentional leadership is paramount. Intentional leadership ensures that employees understand organisational expectations and objectives, whether working from home, the office, or the beach. It also enhances communication, supports opportunities, and increases the sense of belonging many employees at all stages in their career crave.
Without intentional leadership and intentional leaders heading up the hybrid workforce, organisations are at risk of encountering numerous consequences such as decreased productivity, reduced morale, and a lack of efficiency.
It is also worth noting that an influx of employees are leaving their current roles in favour of new positions and leaders. Without intentional leadership, organisations will find retaining their top talent challenging. Consider the talent gap we are experiencing at the moment; an organisation that has intentional leadership will be seen as an employer of choice. Therefore, they will be able to attract the best talent in a recruitment-challenge environment.
How Can Leaders Be More Intentional In Their Approach?
A survey recently conducted on LinkedIn by The Leadership Coaches highlighted that 66% of leaders will continue to employ a hybrid model. Meanwhile, 32% of leaders stated that they believe remote working is here to stay.
Additional research also shows that pandemic or no pandemic, hybrid working is set to continue, with more organisations reporting that they will offer hybrid arrangements in the near future. But how can leaders become more intentional?
- Leaders must get to know their people and connect with them on all levels – this includes personal, work, and aspirations. Leaders who connect with their people are seen as more effective than those who do not.
- Invest time in one-to-one conversations and human connection – investing in one-to-one conversations supports leaders in becoming more intentional in their approach.
- Build the hybrid team – developing the hybrid team might highlight the need for employing external experts such as executive and team coaches to help teams connect and perform as well as, if not better than they did as a co-located team. Whilst some are hesitant to employ external coaching, a leadership coaching report carried out in 2021 shows that 67% of leaders say coaching improves employee engagement.
- Work with a coach – working with a coach has numerous benefits. For example, coaching can support leaders in reflecting on and planning their intentional leadership approach. Yet, only 30 to 40 per cent of leaders receive any formal coaching.
- Measure progress – Peter Drucker’s famous quote “what gets measured, gets managed” often reminds leaders of the importance of measuring success. However, it can be difficult to determine which metrics will accurately inform leaders of the success of the hybrid experience. For this reason, it is paramount to consider a hybrid dashboard of different success measures.
Intentional leadership in the time of hybrid working puts organisations ahead of the curve. Failure to develop intentional leaders now and in the future could, as noted above, hinder an organisation’s ability to retain talent and growth.
