Ready for the good news? As we continue to navigate our way through the historic clash of contexts about how we do our best work (which I wrote about in this space a few weeks ago), I stand proud and grateful to be surrounded by countless thoughtful, innovative, and talented peers in the space of high performance flexibility and the future of work. These folks are, day in and day out, striving to discover and foster what our best work looks like NOW and NEXT, intentionally and strategically rather than continuing to operate in crisis mode or defaulting to what we thought worked “before.”
Earlier this year, I was thrilled to participate in their Annual Conference, where I focused on why it is so critical that we don’t simply go back to past ways of working just because they might feel familiar. Leaders are mandating people get back to the office with no real plan about what work those in-person interactions should support.
Some of these efforts may be well-intentioned, but they miss the mark if we don’t stop and dig deep into the simple question, “What work do we need to get done?” Only after purpose has been defined and priorities have been set can leaders and team members come together to re-imagine work: the how, when, and where that can foster culture and collaboration to support performance, engagement, and well-being. You can read more in the CDF’s recent newsletter, which showcases a conversation with me, “How Board Directors Can Drive Innovation, Flexibility, and Performance.”
In other news that fits in the category of “awestruck and inspired,” I’m honored to be recognized as one of the 150 Remote Work Influencers of 2023 by Remote. The young woman who walked into Columbia Business School in 1993 proclaiming, “I’m going to be a work flexibility strategist,” could not have imagined the shifts we would see in how we work and the tools now available to cultivate and advance high performance flexibility.
What hasn’t changed? I knew then, as I still know now, when work is flexible and that flexibility is well-executed, it’s good for business and for people. Everyone wins. From those lonely early years of “you do what?” to being part of an ever-expanding community of remote and flexible work innovators, enablers, and accelerators is truly amazing.
Thank you to judges Darren Murph, Monica H. Kang and, especially, Chase Warrington, who led the judging for the category in which I was recognized, Remote Accelerators.