A significant part of the Future of Work has arrived, bringing changes that usually take decades, in just months. No surprise that Covid-19 has been the catalyst for this dramatic change in how we work. For many businesses and sectors, what was intended to be a temporary move to work-from-home, turned into a permanent shift to remote or hybrid working, with both employees and employers seeing the benefits. But with these changes comes an important evolution in the role of the manager. Successfully leading hybrid distributed teams requires a different mindset and a whole new level of trust, enablement, and empowerment.

It’s difficult to walk through the city today and not see signs for ‘Staff Wanted’. Talent attraction and retention are becoming big challenges in this year of ‘The Great Resignation’. Managers will play an enormous role here. Managers who trust, enable, and empower staff to get the job done will be more successful in retaining talent and that talent is more likely to refer the employer to others. These businesses are also more likely to see greater productivity and better customer service as a result.

But even with these things, team and organisational culture must not be left to chance. In hybrid or remote workplaces, culture will need to be more ‘by design’. We cannot let just any culture form; we must make the right culture happen. Managers must work with their team to decide the culture they want and design events, processes, and team rituals to make it happen. This means carving out time for team engagement, creating experience-led onboarding processes, implementing mentoring and buddy systems and dare I say it, having fun as a team. It means being more intentional about the days in the office. Let those days be about team bonding, collective innovation, and learning and growing as a unit.

Perhaps one of the biggest leaps managers will need to make is evolving their leadership style to one of empathy. Some managers mistakenly view this style as soft, but it certainly does not mean being soft on deliverables, strategy, or deadlines. Empathy is not about what stuff gets done, it’s about how stuff gets done. It’s about leaning in on democratic and visionary leadership styles that prioritise effective listening, motivation of others and a growth mindset, moving away from outdated autocratic   command and control styles.

Below illustrates two different managerial mindsets.  Of course, there are many mindsets on manager continuum, but which column resonates most with you?

Traditional Management	The New Normal Manager
“I believe work should be done at work”	“I believe people can be productive from anywhere with the right technology and leadership”
“I measure productivity by hours worked”	“I measure productivity by outcomes achieved”
“I prefer to see my team at work”	“I trust my team to get the work done even when I’m not physically where they are”
“I expect my staff to leave personal issues at home; work is for work”	“I expect my team to bring their whole self to work – I value authenticity”
“I lead with a firm hand and tight control”	“I lead with empathy and know my team on a personal level”
“Employees are responsible for their own wellbeing”	“As a manager, I have a duty of care for those who work for and with me”
“Culture is not something I can influence; it forms organically itself”	“I don’t leave culture to chance; I work with the team to create the inclusive and fun culture we want and can thrive in”
“Employees are responsible for their own development”	“My role as a manager is to see potential and to develop and nurture it. I promote coaching, mentoring and growth mindset
“I assign work as I decide and expect it to be done”	I assign work in ways that leverages peoples individual skills and strengths to set them up for success
“I prioritse the work”	“I prioritise the work and the employee experience”
“As a manager, I do most of the talking”	“As a manager, I do most of the listening”
“If you want to work here, these are the rules”	“I’m prepared to be flexible to help you be more productive and happier at work”
“Management is a responsibility I have earned”	“Management is a privilege I’ll work hard to be good at”

If you already think like the New Normal Manager, your future as a manager or team leader will be secure, effective, and busy. If you are thinking more like the Traditional Manager, you are arriving at a crossroads. You can learn the role of the empathetic leader through the many courses that are available or find yourself a mentor or coach who exhibits these skills and can help you on your journey. If the leap feels too much, you can pivot to an individual contributor role in an area you are passionate about, doing something you love that motivates you.

Empathetic leadership will be the standout style for this decade. Expect to see it explicitly called out in job descriptions, applications and interviews going forward. If you have a natural flair for it, put it on your CV. It will be a key success factor.  

Take the leap – Make the leap to leading with empathy!