By Ashley Tappan

May 24, 2022 | minute read

Navigating the Hybrid and Work-From-Anywhere World

As we begin a third-year impacted by the Covid pandemic, how we work together, when and where we get our work done and finding the best way to be effective is still in play. We should have known that there would not be just one way or one answer to these questions. And as we try things out, learn, and iterate, perspectives and opinions are growing. What seems clear at this point is that it is going to take time and experimentation. It will require new thinking and different action, in big and small ways. It will require a breakthrough for each of us to find what will work.

What, Why, & How

Bringing distinction to what, why, and how is better than blanket policies or someone’s personal preferences. In May 2021, The Harvard Business Review addressed ways to compare and contrast work styles. In “How To Do Hybrid Right”, HBR reviews different types of work, such as available hybrid tools, jobs, tasks, preferences, projects, and workflows that need to be considered as leaders attempt to navigate this new era of work. We can begin to create a decision matrix for managing the various options of being hybrid in location, timing, and function of work and meetings through these distinctions.

Bringing distinction

The HBR article is one of many that helps bring distinction to allow for more effective decision-making. To distinguish is to recognize or treat something or someone as different; to discern and perceive in ways that will enable you to see situations in new ways. Bringing distinction opens up and allows for certain things to happen that would not be possible without it. Leaders who make an intellectual effort to collect the concerns and commitments of the organizations they serve and how their employees can work in new ways will elevate productivity and engagement. Innovation often happens when we are faced with challenges and constraints. Distinguishing will assist you in innovating and executing powerfully in this time and as they plan for the future.