Inside Scoop: Secrets of High-Performing Hybrid Teams

Hey there. Welcome to Inside Scoop. I'm Paula Rizzo. Today we're going to talk all about hybrid teams. It's the newest buzzword, right? Hybrid working, hybrid remote, all of this. You might be doing it. You might be thinking of doing it, but are you doing it well? Are you and your team really thriving or are you just surviving? That's, That's the question we're going to answer here today. I have a great expert to bring on to talk all about how you can motivate your teams and make them work more diligently together and be more productive. And you know what? Have a happier and healthier team too, because that's really important. Burnout is a real thing, and we don't want it to happen to you, and we don't want it to happen to your team. So we're going to talk all about that today. If you have questions about this, please leave them in the chat boxes below. And also, if you know somebody who might benefit from this, tag them, tag them in the, in the, you know, the comments below, and so that they can join the conversation with us. But first, before we get to that, I have a little freebie here that I think that you would really enjoy. It is my list-making starter kit, which you can grab if you go to paularizzo.com/list. And, you know, that'll help you to be more productive and get more done, whether you're in a remote situation or hybrid or work for yourself or whatever it is. You'll be able to find some, some great tips and tricks there. I'm also a LinkedIn Learning instructor and I have several courses all about productivity, several of which are about hybrid work and how to advance, you know, advance your career when you're working in a hybrid environment. So you definitely want to check that out. I have others as well about list making and one on how to organize your remote office for maximum productivity. If you go to anywhere on LinkedInLearning.com or PaulaRizzo.com/LinkedIn, you can check those out for sure. And as I mentioned, you know, This is an ongoing conversation. So if you have questions, please leave them in the chat boxes below. We're going to be talking all about high-performing hybrid teams. So leave those in the chat box below. Ask a friend, hey, you know what? You're about to start up with your, with your team doing hybrid. So tag them in the, in the comments below. And without further ado, I'd love to bring on my guest because she's the expert here. She knows what we're talking about. So she can help us out. Anne Gomez is here today. She is a speaker, a bestselling author, and the founding president of Clear Concept Inc. And thrilled to have you.

I am so thrilled to be here with you, Paula Rizzo. I've been such a fan of you and all your productivity and list-making and so much more wisdom. So I'm thrilled to be here.

Oh, you're so sweet. I love that. So we do share a love language of productivity, of course. And now working in this new, new world of hybrid, you know, hybrid working, what is it that this is changing? What's happening to the workforce? Because you work with a lot of companies and help them to be more productive.

Absolutely. Oh my goodness. So much has changed. And so I feel like the workplace is like this big giant pendulum. So we had— we were— so many of us were working in the office together. We had that all figured out. And then over the course of a weekend, we all swung to the other end of the pendulum and we're working virtually, right? Like that was overnight. That was faster from the transition of cassettes over to CDs. Yes, I held on to my cassettes for a long time. But you know, we swung over there. Now we're like that pendulum which is bouncing around, and teams are doing this and this. And you know, it's, it's anyone's guess as to where teams are going to settle in the middle. But what we do know about hybrid is that it's harder than either end of the spectrum.

Yes, because juggling both sides, it's so hard. And you know what, I think, you know, good point here when you said this happened in a weekend, because it did happen in a weekend where we went from everybody works in an office to now everybody's working remotely. You know, I've been working for myself for quite a long time. I've always worked remotely, always worked at home. So for me, it was not a big deal to make that transition. But for many people, it was life-shaking. And now we're asking people to now switch to something else that's completely brand new. So that's a difficulty. You know, we need to be more patient with ourselves and with our teams.

We do, we do. And we need to experiment and have discussions about this and not expect expect that we can just mandate something and that will be the plan. We need to be willing to iterate and, and try new approaches.

Yeah. Let's talk about things that, that do work and things that don't work. We'll explore that throughout the course of, of our, our chat together. You know, and if people have questions, please leave them below. We're happy to take those at the end, whether you're watching the replay or you're here with us live. So, OK, what works then? Let's talk about communication specifically. What, what works with a team that's going to be sometimes in the office and sometimes at home?

OK, so the number one thing I'll say is that we have a huge opportunity here to, to make our connections even stronger. I've had a virtual team for almost two decades now, and I'd have to say our connections are super strong, even though we only get together intermittently, like very rarely. So we don't need to romanticize a building. There are great opportunities for us to be more conscious and deliberate about creating connections. And we do know that those connections that organically happen. I'll admit that they organically happen in the office. We pass each other in the hall. Hey Paula, how was your big meeting yesterday? Right? Sure. I might not have picked up the phone to say, hey, how was your big meeting? So, but in a hybrid world, we can be more deliberate and conscious about making sure that happens. Sending you an email, chatting, having some virtual coffees with each other scheduled into our day so that we are making a deliberate attempt and effort to connect with each other.

Yeah, it is very much— you have to be intentional. You have to be the one who says, you know what, I know I'm not going to run into this person, so I have to build a time period to actually see them. You know, uh, it, it does take a little bit extra work and effort, and people are not used to it, but it really does, uh, pay off. You know, I also have been working with a virtual team for, you know, since I started my blog listproducer.com 10 years ago, or whatever it was. I always had people who were helping me You know, one woman lived in London for years. I was in New York. You know, Ali, who's behind the scenes now, is my producer. You know, she's— she and I have only met one time, you know, and we've been working together for, for a while. But this is what— this is what the world is, and you have to really make an effort to have it be, you know, as, as, as much of a collaborative environment as possible. There are tools, of course, that you can use, you know, like Asana and task management tools and all that, which we can definitely get into if people, you know, want to talk tools. We'd love it. Um, but I I have a question for you about autonomy, because this is an issue that has come up throughout the pandemic, especially with leaders who are a little bit worried, you know, maybe they're a little old school. So they're a little bit worried about, is the team actually working? I can't see them. I don't know what's happening. But on the, the, the, the side of the team, like, hey, I love, I love autonomy. I love not having to show up and be there. So what role does that play? And how can we do it better?

So I think there's really two key points here. The first is that we know from research and we also know, so we know from, from studies, but we also know from all of our experience over the past few years that we can be very productive working virtually. And so leaders can take comfort. In fact, the studies show that people are more productive when working virtually than in the office. And likely that has to do with fewer interruptions. Which as you and I both talk a lot about, that really sabotages productivity. So we know productivity is high. The key to keeping people— the key is to keep people engaged. So leaders can really take comfort in knowing that people will be productive. I don't need to micromanage them. I don't need to count hours. And just like, let's just remove that from everyone's radar screen and just focus on output, focus on results.

Mm-hmm.

So that's the first key thing. The second key thing that comes to mind based on your question is that, you know, we talk a lot about hybrid work and employees want hybrid opportunities, but that's not exactly precise. What they really want is flexibility.

Uh-huh.

So if I'm on your team, I want the flexibility to decide when and where I'm going to work. I've already proven over the last 2 years that I can be really effective working virtually and managing my hours. In fact, I've probably put in more time. But so now, as I've, you know, I've earned the right— I'm a hardworking, committed professional. I want the flexibility to be able to drive my kids to school in the morning or to be able to go to this volunteer opportunity or to meet my neighbor for a walk at lunch. I want that flexibility.

And it comes down to trust a lot of the time. You know, it really is. It's a trust issue. It's a do you trust your team enough to know that they're going to do whatever they're going to and still get, get, you know, everything done at the end of the day, that, that says volumes, you know, as a leader to be able to say, "Hey, I trust you. Doesn't matter what— I don't care when you work, where you are, what you're doing, as long as the results are, you know, here, we're good." You know, that, that takes a lot. What about like scheduling and dealing with everybody's schedule? And, you know, one person might be working from home that day. This has been an ongoing issue for companies that are looking to do a hybrid model. How do we do it? Is it that everybody is in the office on Monday and and Tuesday and then everybody's remote the rest of the week, or it's a little bit of a jumble?

So that's a great question. And that needs to be sorted out for each and each team, not just at an organization level, but at a team level. And the key here is to co-create that as a team. So it's not the leader kind of mandating down from above. It's a conversation with the team and to really let both business needs and personal needs and goals drive what that plan is. So if the business needs require face-to-face meetings with project teams or face-to-face meetings with clients, then as a team, decide how often those face-to-face days are, those in-person office days are, and when are they going to be. So we want people to feel like they have input, that they have that, that control, and that they are a co-creator in the hybrid plan.

Yeah.

Once they have that, then we want consistency. So it's a lot easier for me to plan my life if I know I'm commuting into the office every Wednesday.

Sure.

It's also a lot easier for my colleagues to know, oh, Anne's in on Wednesday. That's a great day for us to meet, as opposed to emailing her when really this is a conversation I'll save for Wednesday.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's really important to know where is everybody, where's your team, where do I need to be? You know, the course that I produced for LinkedIn Learning, you know, all about hybrid work and how to do it better. It even comes down to knowing what tools you have in your office, right? And mirroring your spaces, having the exact same setup at home as you do in the office, so that you don't show up and you don't, you know, "Oh my gosh, I need a camera. I don't have a camera at that office." You know, you want to, you don't want to have those types of issues pop up. You want to eliminate those distractions early on. The same thing when you're meeting with teams and things like that.

Absolutely. Great advice.

The idea of meaningful work is much more meaningful now, I think, than ever before, because people have realized, huh, I, you know, stayed home for 2 years working for a company that I didn't even really like. I didn't even like doing my work. I didn't, you know, so the, you know, the great— everyone is, is resigning, and, and that's happening. Um, but, you know, the pressure is on for leaders to really keep their team together and, and retain top talent and make sure they're productive but also heard and supported? What are some things that leaders can do to make sure that happens?

Yes, so I love the word you used, meaning, and that really taps into a core human need. We all want to feel valued and we want to know that our work has value. And this has— and that's been a core human need since the beginning of time. But it's been intensified over the pandemic because, as you said, over the past couple of years, we've all sat at home thinking, what am I doing with my life? Like, you are— our time has become— we're much more acutely aware of how fragile time is and how finite time is. And so we're very much vested in making a meaningful impact. Few things create as much motivation and engagement as making meaningful progress on, on goals that are important to us.

Yeah.

So as a team, really Every time you're delegating work, every time you're taking on a project or diving into something as a team, you want to really honor and highlight how this ties into your team's values, your overall vision. And that's really important. That's a great delegating tool to, to when you're delegating kind of the minutia to really tie into why it's important at a higher level.

Yeah. And, and, you know, one of the things too that I think goes overlooked, at least when you're first creating the company culture, is that you can give people as much free coffee and free this and free that in the— it doesn't work anymore. Right? That's not the pull. That's not what people really want. Yeah. I mean, maybe free breakfast worked for a while, but that's not the thing that will keep them.

Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. So, what keeps them is that they're, as you talked about, trust early on. Gallup research shows that if I have a best friend at work, if I have strong connections with my colleagues, I feel like I'm— we're all connected. I'm not on the outs. There aren't silos. There's not internal competition. We all— it's like it's my work family. It's— we're very well connected. I feel like I'm, I'm part of a community and I feel heard and I feel I have a voice. That all of that, that is the stickiness. That's what keeps people.

It's true. And you think about the best, the best jobs you've ever had. It's like, oh, all the team was awesome. You know, all those people I worked with. Yes. You were going to cite another, another study.

So Gallup research, if I feel like I have a best friend at work, I'm 7 times more engaged.

Wow.

7 times more engaged. If I feel like I don't have a best friend at work, there's only 1 in 12 chance that I'll feel engaged.

Huh. That is, that, that's huge.

It's huge. So that's so as leaders, We want to watch out for who doesn't feel like they're connected.

Yeah.

And we want to have conversations with them and support them to, you know, can you book a virtual coffee with someone and not just on the team, but your partners across the organization? We really want to create those connections. That's what creates an all-star team.

Hmm. I love that. And, you know, talking about well-being and mental health and burnout and all of these topics now are very, very front of mind. Because, you know, teams are burnt out. And what is it that, you know, leaders can do? I mean, other than talking, right, and saying, OK, we hear you, we understand. What is it that they can actually do that can help?

I think the workplaces are doing such a better job of honoring mental health and honoring the importance of well-being. I think of early in my career where sleep was considered almost a weakness, like, what? You need to go to bed? You know, so I skimped on sleep. Now I prioritize sleep and I'm very vocal about that as a leader. So, it's important for us to create a culture that honors the core well-being pillars. Talk about exercise. Like, as a leader, say, 'I can't meet over noon. That's when I take my break for lunch and I work on a puzzle.' Or 'That's when I go out for a walk outside to get my exercise.' Or 'Sorry guys, if I'm not responding, I'm going to a yoga class.' Right? Being vocal about the fact that you are committed to a full night's sleep, that you honor the importance of healthy nutrition, exercise, you have a gratitude practice, you meditate, right? All the pillars of well-being and talking about it, I think, really is powerful. So, can you have team discussions about gratitude practices where people share what they do? Can you focus on relationships? And what are you doing despite perhaps any pandemic restrictions? What are you doing to stay connected to your friends and family and sharing that with your colleagues? The key here with well-being is for people to be supported as whole human beings. We are not just robots that park our personal life and show up at work. We're all humans. And we know there's a spillover effect between our personal life and our professional life. Yeah.

And normalizing the things that you're talking about, like normalizing the fact that, hey, I, you know, I need extra amount of sleep. Like, I know myself personally, I need 9 hours of sleep.

Oh, thank you.

I love it. That is when I wake up, and you too, and I'm like, oh, I feel great, right? Although, did I used to get that?

No.

You know, when I worked in the TV news business, it was like a rite of passage to have not slept and show up to work and do, do it all over again, you know? Like, that's the way that you do it, but it doesn't sustain you. But being able to talk about it and to normalize the fact of you saying like, hey, you know what, I have my yoga classes at that time, so I won't be able to it and people being okay with that as opposed to being like, look at her skirting her job, like not really doing any work when she's at a yoga class. We now understand why that person needs that yoga class, right?

Absolutely.

Yeah. That changes the conversation a little bit when there's context and when you have like-minded people. That's another thing. If you're in an environment where people don't get you, to your point, you're not going to stay there. That's not going to be your home. I saw there's a little bit of chatter going on in the chat box. So if anybody has any questions, you know, I know some of you had said hello. So hello. If you have any questions or comments or thoughts about hybrid work, remote work, whatever, whatever the case may be, you know, please leave those in the chat boxes below and we'll get to those shortly. But I have a question about equal opportunities for people who are either, you know, in person or not there. You know, the teams are going to be all over the place now. Some people are in the room, some people are not in the room. Conference calls used to be— remember the conference call days where there used to be like one person calling in on the phone and it'd be in the middle of the, of the conference room? That's gonna be like, oh, we forgot about Mary. Mary, did you have anything to say? You know, poor Mary.

Yes, they were painful. Thank— I mean, thank goodness the technology is so advanced now. Can you imagine this pandemic happened a decade or two ago?

We would not already—

we didn't have video capability, so We're quite lucky on that note. But you do bring up a really good point about bias. And bias is alive and well. We're seeing a new form of bias that's quite prevalent called FaceTime bias. And what we do know is that there is a different profile of who is choosing when there's a choice to come into the office versus to stay and work remotely. And so, what we're finding is that those in a higher socioeconomic status, those who don't have caregiving roles for younger, young kids or elderly parents are choosing to come into the office. So what that's looking a lot like is a lot more young males going into the office than other demographics. Now, of course, that is a generalization, but that is what the trend is showing. So the challenge with FaceTime bias is that those who we see working we have a perception that they're working harder. So, if I see Johnny working really hard beside me, I might as a leader be more inclined to give Johnny that plum opportunity and forget, like poor Mary on that conference call, forget about Mary. Yeah. So, if this plays—

Oh, I think we lost your brilliance. She froze up on us. Oh, there you are. You're back.

Oh no. Oh no.

You're good.

Sorry.

It's okay.

Come on, I'm hardwired. This is one of the challenges of hybrid work. So, so as I was saying, FaceTime bias can sometimes lead to those in the office getting more opportunities and down the road, more promotions. So obviously, this is not something that any team wants. There's such a great focus on DEI goals. So the way we overcome FaceTime bias is for us to be very deliberate about how we're sharing information. Right? So is it just the information we're sharing with someone we pass in the hall, or are we making a deliberate attempt to share information frequently, consistently across forums? And then also being very conscious about how we're sharing opportunities and check ourselves if we have this assumption that our virtual team members are not working as hard.

Yeah. And, you know, I've said this for quite a while, you know, with my background in television. And so I know, you know, an anchor who can move a conversation along is, is a really great asset to a team. So if you are doing meetings, team meetings, where you have someone who could play the role of anchor, play the role of moderator, to be able to make sure that each person is heard and we've gone around the room, or we know that everybody who wants to talk has someone who's watching those cues. If you're, you know, doing a video call and you see someone about to open their mouth and then they close their mouth, you know, it's like those things you have to be looking for as a leader to say, hey, hey, she had something to say, but she didn't pipe up about it. So what was it that had, you know, to be able to pull that out of them.

That's brilliant. Yeah, that's so, that's so key. And when we have these hybrid meetings, some people in the office versus some people virtual, we want to make sure that we're calling on the virtual teammates first, calling out them by name, ensuring that their camera isn't this tiny camera way up on the screen, way over there. We can't read their body language. We want everyone to have a camera, whether webcam focusing in on their face. So it's like the Brady Bunch. It's equal playing field in terms of screen time.

Totally. And I'm a big fan of keep those cameras on. And I know not everyone is.

I know. Me too.

I just think it— you wouldn't sit with a paper bag on your head if you were sitting in a conference room with people, right? And I get it. Video is exhausting. I know that it is. You have to be operating at a totally different level. I'm very used to it at this point, but I get it. It's tiring. But It really makes a difference when you're in those meetings, when you're on camera versus not.

Yeah. And so, I like you tend to suggest an equal playing field and prefer the cameras on. If there is the video fatigue, I advocate an equal playing field. So, either everyone turn your videos on for the first 10 minutes when we connect. And we know productivity goes up in a meeting when we spend those 5-10 minutes connecting on a human level.. So we're not trying to cut that out to boost productivity. We're keeping that in to boost productivity. Keep the video on for that if it's the 19th meeting of the day and then everyone turns their video off. So it's— I love that. Playing field.

Yeah. Yeah. It's all, it's all or it's nothing. That's it.

That's what you need. Exactly.

I like that. That's, that's a good way of thinking of it. Well, and I know you have a freebie for everybody to check out. So why don't you tell us a little bit about what you and your team have put together so that if people go to your website, if they go to Clear Concept absolutely.ca/hybrid, they will get your hybrid team checklist. Tell us a little bit about it.

Well, I think you and I are both huge fans of checklists. Checklists are a great tool to help summarize key ideas, key concepts that we should all keep in mind, right? So we created this summary document. It's a 2-page. I think it's a really nicely designed checklist. It's a checklist for both leaders and teammates. To really consider all the factors about how we can make an outstanding hybrid culture. So, I'm super excited about this checklist. It's hot off the presses. And I would love for everyone to grab a copy of it. It's, and the URL is right there, clearconceptinc.ca/hybrid.

Perfect. That is, I love a good checklist. So, I appreciate you putting it together in checklist form. That's great. Excellent. Well, thank you, Anne, so much for being here. I'm really glad that we were able to chit-chat about this. This is obviously an ongoing conversation because it will change. What works today won't work tomorrow and all of that. But we're learning as we go. So thank you for your expertise and all your insights.

My pleasure. Thanks for hosting.

Thank you. Of course. Of course. And for all of you out there, I would love to also share my freebie with you. It is my list-making starter kit. If you go to paularizzo.com/list, you can go ahead and grab that, and that'll help you to be more efficient and to get more things and, you know, make better lists, of course. Or you can check out all of my courses right here on LinkedIn Learning as well. And I appreciate you being here. Thanks for watching, and we'll see you next time.