Remote and hybrid work models have reshaped the workplace, with high-performing leaders often excelling due to their autonomy, discipline, and results-oriented approach, while lower-performing employees may struggle without direct supervision. Research, such as the Stanford University study, highlights the benefits of hybrid work, particularly in enhancing productivity and retention, though challenges arise when remote work is poorly managed. The future of work requires organizations to balance flexibility and accountability, fostering environments that empower diverse employees and adapt to changing expectations.
This post explores the critical role of strategic planning and visioning in helping organizations navigate uncertainty and long-term challenges. It emphasizes the importance of staying at a strategic level, resisting the pull toward immediate tactical fixes, and focusing on the pillars that drive success: leadership, innovation, operations, and customer focus. With actionable steps and insights, it provides a framework for crafting meaningful, future-oriented plans that transform strategic dreams into achievable realities.
True innovation exists at the intersection of trust, vulnerability, and constructive conflict. As leaders, our role is to create the conditions for innovation to thrive. That means checking our egos, fostering trust, and modeling vulnerability. It means leaning into conflict, embracing discomfort, and having the courage to confront the most brutal facts of our current reality.
When teaching or coaching emerging leaders, one topic I push hard on is values. Values refer to the fundamental beliefs and guiding principles that define what an individual, organization, or community stands for. These principles act as a moral and operational compass, influencing behavior, decision-making, and culture. They are part of the magic three: mission, vision and values.
Reflecting on the recent election, the Harris campaign's lack of a clear and compelling vision became evident in contrast to Trump’s well-communicated stance, making it challenging for voters to see her future for America. Drawing from the change formula, a successful campaign requires acknowledging dissatisfaction, defining a visionary goal, and setting clear steps toward achieving it—elements that were more apparent in Obama’s 2008 campaign, where “hope and change” aligned with voters' aspirations and activated widespread engagement. Ultimately, the Harris campaign's struggles highlight the need for leaders to craft a vision that resonates powerfully and unites people around a shared purpose, as fear alone can often overshadow hope if it lacks sufficient clarity and preparation.
So often we move right to empowerment of employees, when we really be thinking about how do we carefully hand over duties and responsibilities at a healthy rate (much like handing over the keys to a new driver). Matt Harrington, generations specialist, talks in this video about the right and wrong way to empower the Millennial generation
The workplace is needing to reimagine their organizational culture as the Millennial generation come with different expectations, approaches and lifestyles then previous generations. Learn from generations specialist Matt Harrington about 3 areas to focus on when looking for the right cultural fit for your Millennial workers.
Generational specialist Matt Harrington discusses key reasons why the Millennial generation (1980-2001) are necessary and vital to our current workplace including the ability to handle a VUCA world, demanding a more nimble and agile organization and their ability to be social sharers of your company.
A leadership lattice, unlike a leadership ladder, looks to expand a young professional's leadership capability by using a cross-section of many leadership opportunities both in and outside of work. Millennial expert Matt Harrington talks about how a good coach or manager is constantly building a leadership lattice with their Millennial workers to provide maximum retention and growth potential.
In this episode generations expert Matt Harrington takes a look at what makes a generation an actual generation. When we talk generations in the workplace or in our personal life we often look at the age or the two points in time the group of people were born into. Instead we should be looking at what took place during that generation, especially in their formative years, that now defines their outlook on the world and the way they think others should act. There are also other tips and tactics in the episode discussed when talking about generations. Enjoy!
