Impact Breakfast Recap: Stronger, Smarter, Better: Enhancing the Skills We Learned in 2020
Better understand how to improve your team's skills, promote ongoing learning, and learn more about trends in workplace learning.
Upwork’s most recent “Future of Workforce Pulse Report” reveals the long-lasting impact COVID will have on businesses and remote work. According to that survey, 36.2 million Americans will be working remotely by 2025, an 87% increase from pre-pandemic levels. And not surprisingly, one in four Americans will be working fully remote in 2021.
So, have you and your team figured out the best way to work from home and be efficient? It's important for you to continue growing and avoid falling back into our pre-2020 habits or pitfalls. Last month we hosted our Impact Breakfast entitled Stronger, Smarter, Better: Enhancing the Skills We Learned in 2020 and welcomed Paul Barton as our wonderful facilitator and adapting expert.
8 Tips to Help You and Your Team Thrive in 2021
Tip #1: PERSPECTIVE MATTERS!
Some of your perspective is within your control, some is not. It may feel like the world has turned upside down, but even that depends on your perspective. Whether the sun is setting or the sun is rising all depends upon your perspective. Are you hunkering down waiting to survive the night or are you waking up to embrace the opportunities of a new day?
Tip #2: FORGET THE IDEA OF A “NEW NORMAL.”
Every day is a new reality full of new opportunities. We have all heard the most popular words of 2020: adapt, pivot, reimagine, retool, reboot, flex, survive, and resiliency. Whether your team is counting down the days we get back to normal or adjusting to the new normal, we all are finding ourselves in the “new now”.
Tip #3: REMOVE YOUR PRECONCEIVED FILTERS.
By removing these filters, you’ll be able to see the big picture and the small details all at the same time. How else are you going to spot new opportunities down the road as you are turning the curve not knowing what obstacles lie ahead?
Tip #4: FOCUS ON RESULTS.
The way we manage our people and teams has drastically changed in the work-from-home and hybrid environments. Most managers haven’t been able to see direct reports sitting at their desk, showing up on time, and taking their appropriate breaks. Leaders working with remote teams need to be less focused on inputs (efforts) and more focused on outcomes (results). Leaders should be more concerned about team members producing high-quality work and getting it done before the deadline.
Tip #5: INVEST IN LEARNING.
Online courses make learning in 2021 more convenient and accessible. Now is the time to double down on learning budgets and commit to upskilling and reskilling! By preparing now, you and your organization will be better prepared for future disruptions.
Tip #6: DEVELOP A VARIETY OF SKILLS.
In 2020, you and your team learned how to work in a remote world, work autonomously with high productivity, keep ties strong and drive change from a distance, and manage time and mental well-being. Going forward, you will want to ensure your team has the skills to continue to be successful including being digital savvy, problem-solving and project management, interpersonal communication (despite distance), adaptability, self-reliance, and social well-being.
Tip #7: BOOST YOUR TRAINING OFFERINGS.
Training in 2021 should be personalized, relevant, contextual, accessible (mobile-friendly), and integrated. One training style does fit all employees. Your team members are at different life stages and may have different motivating factors, which you should consider as you are developing training.
Tip #8: ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, INCREASINGLY, COMPANIES ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE A STAND.
The days of keeping business and politics separate are quickly fading. A leader’s plan to stick his or her head into the sand is no longer a good crisis strategy. Consumers, shareholders, employees, and others are closely watching where a company targets its charitable giving, how it implements its employment policies, and what its stated values, purpose, and priorities are. Employees want to work for companies that have some consistency in these areas, and ideally one with a purpose that aligns with their own values.
Let’s look forward to what this new year has to offer. Although 2020 was certainly memorable, we have said good riddance to that particularly stressful year. 2020 brought new skills and professional growth to our teams: we are all better Zoomers, have taken a new look at time management skills, have honed our active listening abilities, and more. Looking forward to what’s ahead in our future!
Want to join us for our next Impact Breakfast?