Are We Witnessing a Failure in Creative Leadership?
Two recent headlines in Fortune caught my attention:
“On Thursday, Lyft’s new CEO laid off over 1,000 employees. On Friday he ordered remaining ones back to the office.”
I’m sure leaders who are requiring a return to the physical office believe that it’s the best thing for their business. They may think returning to the past way of working is the only (or best) way to succeed in today’s volatile environment.
What I think they’re missing is that employees want different experiences than they’ve had in the past.
I am not a non-believer in working in the office.
🙋🏻♀️I believe there is value in bringing people together for key moments – new employee onboarding, promotion discussions, collaborating on a strategy that may require specific equipment, or building deeper relationships over celebrations, meals, or service projects.
🙋🏻♀️I believe some people thrive in an office environment, and they missed working there when they couldn’t.
🙋🏻♀️I believe that some people thrive in a remote working environment.
🙋🏻♀️I believe many like a mix of in-person and remote.
🙋🏻♀️I believe everyone values the flexibility to figure out what works best for them and their team and the trust that comes with flexibility.
When leaders lay down the gauntlet – my way or the highway - it appears they don’t trust their senior leadership and team leaders to make sound decisions about how their team best operates or they are uncomfortable having different solutions because it brings complexity.
Every job doesn’t need the same solution.
I think leaders make choices like this, yearning for a return to a command and control leadership style. “I will tell you what to do and how to do it. You should be thankful for your job. If you don’t like it, then you can leave.”
🚫That is old-school thinking.
🚫That demonstrates a lack of situational awareness.
🚫That lacks creative leadership.
And then these statements in yesterday’s Axios AM:
“The TikTok trend "bare minimum Mondays" encourages workers to ease in by doing just enough to get by as the workweek begins, Axios' Kelly Tyko writes.
By the numbers: A recent study from LinkedIn and Headspace found that nearly 75% of working Americans say they experience "Sunday scaries" about returning to work.”
The employee experience is not a positive one in so many places. When people dread going to work on Mondays enough that it ruins their Sundays, there is a problem. When we need advice that says, make your Mondays light so you minimize the negative impact on your well-being and you can hopefully make it through the week, we have a problem.
These issues aren't about problem employees; they are leadership issues. The vast majority of people I have encountered want to do good work and be respected for the value they add. They want to be part of an employee environment that is positive.
What they don’t want is an environment that sucks their humanity out; that tells them they aren’t trusted to make sound decisions; or that if their boss can’t see what they’re doing, they must not be working hard enough. These are leadership issues.
❓Where are the leaders who believe they are responsible for creating an environment where their team members thrive?
❓Where are the leaders that believe their success comes by making their team members successful?
❓Where are the leaders who recognize that one-size-fits-all is not a strategy that works for getting the best impact from people?
I know those leaders are out there because I’ve met them.
⭐️They know their leadership style must change when the environment shifts.
⭐️They know that continuing to squeeze harder to get more from team members already feeling lonely and burned out is not a viable strategy.
⭐️They know they need to get creative and think about what the situation needs.
Is your organization falling back on what feels easiest, or are they using their creative energy to solve for today’s work environment?
Now is the time to demonstrate situational awareness, be intentional about leadership and people strategy, and focus on creative solutions to get the best efforts from each team member.