Wishing participants would turn their cameras on. Is that a reflection on them or on you? (Part 1)

“In the current environment where meetings, workshops and training courses tend to be online, we're always looking at ways to make the online experience more effective. There's a simple step to increase effectiveness. It's not complicated, it's not difficult, all…

What is a leader to do in times like these?

There are many discussions and debates about whether knowledge workers should go back to the office. Some advocates of remote work framed the issue in terms of racial justice and equity. “When geographical barriers are removed, location bias and relocation…

Managers and executives don’t seem to like the idea of remote working. Why?

In the post “Should knowledge workers go back to the office or should we not?”, we examined some resistance to changing the way we work. Today, I want to dive deeper into why the idea of working remotely can be…

Empathy, why do we need it? Why is it important?

We hear a lot about the need for empathy these days, especially when the global pandemic is still going on after 18 months. So why do we need empathy? Why is it important? It is important because it meets two…

Why do we work the way we do, reimagining how work can be like (Part 2)

Leadership Memo 2021-9 In the last Leadership Memo, I challenged us to reassess why we work the way we do, and reimagine what work can look like. I mentioned that after factories became commonplace, people put in place and formalised…

Should knowledge workers go back to the office or should we not?

Change is never easy. We like what we are familiar with, what we are used to, even if those may not be optimal. “Better the devil we know than the devil we don’t.” In the last Leadership Memo, I challenged…

Why do we work the way we do, reimagining how work can be like (Part 1)

Leadership Memo 2021-8 As I mentioned in my previous post titled Watch out for Inequality and Bias for Remote Workers in the Hybrid Office, companies around the world have been contemplating whether they should bring the workers back into the…

Watch out for inequality and bias to remote workers in the hybrid office

In the past few months, companies around the world have been contemplating this one question: should they bring the workers back into the office? Or allow them to work remotely indefinitely? Or have a hybrid environment? While there are pros…

How to invite people to dance: Diversity at work

Leaders have long recognized that a diverse workforce gives a competitive edge, that diversity results in the most innovative ideas. So how do you get a diverse workforce? In other words, how do you recruit diverse talents and how do…

Daring you to jump onto the Trojan Horse to lead your Transformation to Agility

Leadership Memo 2021- 7 Has your company gone through transformations? Agile transformation? Digital transformation? How was the experience? Did the transformation stick? What if there is something that would help drive faster and longer lasting (dare I say, permanent!) transformation?…