In this town‑hall style keynote, Laura Goodrich draws on two‑and‑a‑half decades of transformation work and crisis‑counseling experience to introduce the Remote Leadership Shift framework. She explains why organizations are paralyzed by unconscious fear (about 70% of thoughts) during rapid, uncertain change and argues that incremental, one‑challenge‑at‑a‑time innovation is the only viable path forward. Goodrich stresses that leading remote, dispersed teams during crisis requires more than traditional remote‑team skills; it demands a fundamental re‑examination of the underlying assumptions that drive workforce behavior. She categorises leaders into three readiness groups—ambassador leaders (forward‑leaning innovators), neutral/back‑seat sitters (task‑oriented), and detractors (resistant but sometimes hidden allies)—and outlines a two‑phase empowerment strategy that first equips ambassadors, then the neutral group. Throughout, she calls listeners to become change‑champions and trusted advisors, leveraging pain as a catalyst for transformation, and invites further conversation via LinkedIn. The talk blends diagnostic insight, practical roadmap, and motivational appeal to help organizations navigate explosively fast business transformation.
Chapters
Hi everyone, I'm Laura Goodrich. I would like to welcome you to Remote Leadership Shift. Let me give you a sense of what brought us here. You see, for 2 and a half decades, I focused on transformation in the future of work, researching and being a keen observer of human behavior in an environment of dynamic change. I've served as a trusted advisor to leaders that are leading very significant change. And in addition to this, I am a volunteer crisis counselor. It is this unique set of experiences that has really brought us to this place where we are producing and have produced a process called Remote Leadership Shift, which I'm here to talk with you about today. So welcome. It's important. One of the things that we really focus on and we pay a lot of attention to in our work is how do we create a transformative process. And also in this space, we've come to recognize when there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty, it's not uncommon that people are resistant to almost anything new. And when there are many unknowns, there is paralyzing anxiety. Sound familiar? Well, that is exactly what we're seeing. So it begs the question, how do we help our organizations change dynamically in the ways that they need to, to be successful now and into the future? Well, what we have come to recognize is that one step at a time really is the best way to create that type of transformative change when there are so many unknowns and so much uncertainty. One challenge at a time. Now, leading at a time of change like this with a remote team, It's more than just leading that remote team, though there are new and important leadership skills that are required in leading a remote team. And it's more than leading that remote team through crisis, although there are important ways to communicate with our team members individually and collectively in a crisis. So recognize that when it comes to crisis, we're often heroes. We rise to the occasion. And many of those that work with you and for you and in your organization have done just But the ill effects of crisis are often after the fact. So there are new and important, critically important leadership skills required for it. But it is more than that. It really comes down to transforming the underlying assumptions of the workforce itself. Think about the assumptions that once served you. Your organization, your teams, and your leaders in the past that are now not serving you in the ways that you hope that they would or wish that they would. So in our time together, our brief time together, what we're going to do is face reality because we need to, and also provide hope. That's where we'll land because there is a tremendous amount of hope. In this work of focusing on transformation and the future of work, We spend a lot of time looking forward, peeking around the corner, if you will. But we've also looked back at other times of revolutionary change. In fact, times of revolutionary change that have happened on the other side of crisis. And we've come to recognize that, yes, there is peril in that time. And we all know that there is peril in this time. There is peril, but there is also extraordinary opportunity. And that's what Remote Leadership Shift is really about, is how do we Embrace, create, and be a part of that opportunity because we are in a time of explosively fast business transformation. If you were to talk with the leaders that we've talked with, because that's really what we've done in the last couple of months, we've had countless conversations with leaders of organizations and we've come to recognize that what they're experiencing and what they're seeing and what they anticipate is explosively fast business transformation. And that's what remote leadership is really about. But before we talk about how to take advantage and how to create positive outcomes in light of that transformation, let's take a look at and talk about those things that are getting in the way. Now, when we work with leaders that are charged with leading significant change, one of the things that we've come to recognize is that when things are dynamic, And they are unknown, we have a tendency to focus on unconsciously— so we don't recognize that we're doing it— but unconsciously focus on those things that we fear. In fact, 70% of our thoughts are focused on those things that we fear. And that underlying focus is literally paralyzing organizations today. This is why it has become very difficult to introduce anything new, even small things that are new, because there is such a dynamic amount of change and there's so much unknowing. So that is one of the first obstacles that we need to be cognizant of. 70% of our thoughts are unconsciously focused on what we fear and it's paralyzing. All right, so like I said, how do we create transformation of the underlying assumptions of our workforce when we have this unconscious focus of fear that's at play? And the response to that is one step at a time. In fact, one challenge at a time, because we can manage looking at and trying to understand those challenges and innovate with those challenges one at a time much more easily than we can consider the type of collective change we'll ultimately need to make. But one challenge at a time will get us there. So I want you to consider your days as you're experiencing them and begin to think about the number of challenges that you're facing. Now, I, I would imagine that you have encountered many challenges, as all of us have, in light of the crisis that we're now leading through. But there will be more as we move forward. So imagine that you're coming across a challenge Or a change or something that is very, very different. In that moment, we have an opportunity to make a decision, and I will offer to innovate. But the challenge that comes into play, as I've talked about, is that we have this unconscious focus of fear, and we have a tendency to be tethered to those things that we know and that we really understand. So I'll take a step back in time here and share with you a story from several decades ago when I was graduating from college. 3 CEOs of very successful organizations addressed our class. Well, I remember thinking that their stories were pretty similar, to be truthful, except for one of them who also talked about products and possibilities and Great people. But that CEO stepped forward and said to us, don't listen to what they're saying in the newspapers. Don't listen to what they're saying in the news. There will always be one of these on the desks of business leaders now and into the future. So you can see how we can become tethered to what we know, particularly when things are changing dynamically. You know what they say. If it works, don't fix it. I'll have the usual. This change won't include me, won't be— our industry won't be included, it won't affect us. Well, the truth is, is that we live and lead in a time of dynamic and disruptive change, and few industries will be exempt. And it's important that we face that reality. And when we encounter challenges, think about this, we're really tethered to what we know, we're holding on to what we know, we've got so much uncertainty, we're focused on what we fear. It's very natural that when we encounter those challenges that we respond to that with what we call a knee-jerk reaction. I'll have the usual. It is, it really comes down to Status quo. And the trouble is, and I'm sure that you're seeing this, is that those answers, those knee-jerk reactions and decisions that we're making in the moment, well, often, in often cases, they're no longer producing the outcomes and the results that they once did. And the answers aren't clear. But there is a way of thinking about them and stopping in that moment and making sure that we are not, you know, we're not looking at and we're not just going with that knee-jerk reaction, that we're really coming up with innovative solutions. As Albert Einstein noted, insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. And I guess that you're thinking, right now about a challenge that's being faced, maybe personally, maybe on your team, perhaps in your organization, and where you're trying over and over again the same things, the things that once worked. And that really comes down to what are the things that once worked? Those are the underlying assumptions of the organization itself. That's legacy thinking, what got you here. You're leaning on those things. Your organization is leaning on those things. Your leadership is likely leaning on those things. But the truth is, they're not getting you to where you need to go. And to be truthful, your brain is supporting that as well. You see, we develop more synaptic connections where we have existing ones. So that's where things get really challenging because real innovation is not— has nothing to do with existing things. Real innovation is very different. And that's where what we come to recognize in our conversations, that talk is cheap. Because it's not uncommon that leaders will talk about the fact that they want to innovate and they're committed to innovation. But because it's a lot easier to come up with ideas that are relatively close to what you're doing, in other words, red, not blue, green, not yellow, what they're really coming up with is variations of what they have done. Not true innovation. And this time calls for true innovation. Creativity is the ability to create, not imitate. That's what innovation is all about, and it is critically important now. So imagine if we stop in the moment, and rather than in that moment going with that knee-jerk reaction, we're beginning to ask the questions. about how to come up with the most innovative solutions moving forward. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, I'm not necessarily the most creative person, but we all have incredible creativity. We all have the ability to create. We all have the ability to surround ourselves with creators. So if you're not naturally creative, think about those individuals in your life that are. And begin to consider how to bring them into your dialogue, into your conversation, and into your questions. Now, one of the perhaps silver linings of this time of leading through a crisis is that all of us are experiencing pain in some way, shape, or form. We're all reacting to this experience. differently, but there is pain, there is suffering. And one of the things that we've come to recognize in learn— in working with leaders that are leading significant change and supporting their efforts in helping truly empower leaders to lead change, we've come to recognize that if there is a certain amount of pain, it is powerful impetus to change. And that may be our silver lining because it will help you If you choose to, to, to play a role, a positive role in moving things forward. So we are in an explosively fast business transformation. So not only are we transforming the customer experience, we've got to pay very close to that customer experience, how the customer expectation is changing, how employees' expectations are changing. We're transforming our offices, our plants, our workplaces, our products, our services, all of it. It's a whole Full sail transformation. And the road to finding a positive future, getting to a positive future, transforming in the ways that we'll need to transform, it's not a straight road. In fact, we had a conversation very recently with a CEO that was trying to determine next steps, and we wrestled with questions, and, and the questions were difficult, and the conversation was hard. And at the end of the day, we made some decisions, but the biggest decision that we made was the importance of continually looking at what's working, what's not working, continually identifying those challenges and asking those difficult questions and having the capacity and commitment and conviction to innovate with those challenges and iterate as we need to. Along the way. It's not a straight road. It'll be a very difficult process. And I think you realize that. And I think you probably realize you won't be able to do it alone. And this is where we come back to that point in Remote Leadership Shift where we say empowering the right leaders to transform the underlying assumptions of the workforce itself, of the work itself, of the customer experience itself, of what you bring to the marketplace, all of those things. Well, not all of your leaders will be equipped to play a positive role in moving forward. So let's consider who will and won't. All right. So in our work, we've come to recognize that there— that readiness to lead change, that people fall into one of 3 categories. Category number 1 is what we call ambassador leaders. They're forward-leaning, They are creative. They've seen the need for change, and they really want to be a part of it. There are 50%— we call this group backseat sitters or neutral leaders. They're neither negative nor positive. They have a tendency to be very task-oriented, so they're working on getting the job done right now, which is important. And then finally, we've got our detractors. 30% of the leaders in your organization are resistant to change. They're likely— they're complaining, they're criticizing, they're expressing great concern. And one of the things that organizations really try to do is to change the detractors. But I want to speak with you very honestly about the detractors for a moment. First of all, many of them are not ready for change. But second of all, be very careful in your evaluation of detractors, because right now I want to identify that some of the detractors are actually your ambassadors. They are— maybe you're looking back on your work experience with some of your leaders and they actually have complained and criticized, but maybe, just maybe, their complaint and criticism has been because of the orientation around the status quo. Because of the resistance of the organization and the leadership to change and innovate. So carefully consider this. Some of those detractors may actually be ambassadors. So think about that and consider who they might be. But most importantly, now once you have really thought about ambassadors, the 20% of leaders that wanna be a part of what's next, that see the need for what is next, don't have all the answers, but have really the conviction and the commitment to drive innovation, 20%. So know who they are and also know that neutral group, that backseat sitter group. Who are they? They're very task-oriented. They're neither negative nor positive as it relates to the type of transformation that needs to take place within most organizations. They're more neutral. And really consider the power of leveraging those 2 things. We always in our projects and our work, we begin phase one is always with the ambassador leaders, empowering those ambassador leaders and really giving them the tools to create and empower their team members and create accountability with their teams. Phase two is really focused on empowering that neutral group. We put all of our emphasis. On those 2. So think about that because you can't do it alone. Now let's talk about you, you in your leadership role. This is an invitation. This conversation that we're having about remote leadership is an invitation for you to become a change and transformation champion, to play a positive role as a trusted advisor and influence maker going forward. It's really about upping your game and moving from the back seat into the front seat, from a functional expert to a trusted advisor. This is and could be your time, should you choose to accept this invitation to step forward, play a role in truly understanding the communication and the priorities of the senior leadership of your organization. Now here's where I need to have a little bit of a conversation about reality, because for the last 2 and a half months we've had countless conversations. We've had conversations with CEOs, senior leaders, chief strategy officers, chief transformation officers. We've had many conversations with HR leaders. And I need to be honest in saying the conversations are distinctly different. The conversations with these senior leaders are about the need and necessity to change, to innovate, to really operate with a completely different mindset and develop new skills and develop absolutely new skills. And the conversations with many HR leaders really have a tone and tenor of trying to recreate what was, coming back to what we used to do. There is not— the, the need and necessity is not front and center for innovation, for new leadership skills, and for new and transformative processes. So the invitation that I offer to you is to really up your game to move into that role of being a trusted advisor from being a functional expert. This is a unique opportunity for people in your role to become a change and transformation champion because next-generation leaders, among other things, need to be seen as influence makers, as leaders who can get other leaders and employees to buy in and shift their historical expectations for learning and skill development away from the way that we've done it, away from the status quo, toward innovative solutions that are aligned with the organization's priorities and really dedicated to building and developing the new skills, behaviors, and business outcomes, starting with leaders and then with employees at all levels. So again, I'm going to close in our time together here with Remote Leadership. It's more than leading. Just leading a remote team. It's more than leading a remote team through crisis, though there are new leadership skills that will be required in that. It's about transforming the underlying assumptions of the workforce itself. And as I mentioned, you are uniquely positioned to play this role. I hope that you accept it. If you'd like to have a conversation about this, about how to transform the underlying assumptions of the workforce, Of how to develop and build the leadership skills of leading with a remote and dispersed team, of leading a remote and dispersed team through crisis, and of transforming the underlying assumptions of the workforce, I am here to have that conversation. Connect with me on LinkedIn, and we can have a conversation about your work, your organization, and The potential role that you can play in empowering leaders in the way that they need to be empowered. I'll close with a thank you for your time and an encouragement to step up and to really take advantage of this opportunity to truly lead. I'm Laura Goodrich, everyone. Here's to remote leadership.
