Remote working is an “aberration”, says Goldman Sachs CEO, David Solomon.

Barclays Chief Executive Jes Staley, says “It’s remarkable it’s working as well as it is, but I don’t think it’s sustainable.”

I have had the privilege of experiencing first-hand, some of the most engaging corporate cultures in the world. Where companies have breath-taking results, where employees have autonomy, respect, and growth. These cultures are built by stellar leaders who create a sense of purpose and belonging. The underlying belief is we all need to be within these four walls, to sustain our competitive advantage.

Contrast this with right now, where many high performing employees are enjoying the flexibility and increased autonomy that a lack of daily commuting brings.

According to [Future Forum] research, hybrid is the preferred option for the vast majority (73%) of workers, while just 12% would want a return to full-time office work.

Two urgent questions need addressing:

• What is the purpose of the workplace environment?

• How do you create a ‘space’ to collaborate and network optimally in a hybrid world?

When recently discussing this with an esteemed leader, they were pragmatic about the solution:

“I am open and flexible on discovering the optimal approach.”

They believe certain roles in central functions like finance and operations would be best served three/four days in the office, with customer facing/sales roles best served one day or less in the office as a norm.

The vital pieces of the jigsaw are:

• How do we collaborate to win?

• How do we break down the functional silos and adapt?

...

“I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.”

Pablo Picasso

A former colleague of mine, Stuart Templeton, now Head of UK at Slack, shares his perspective on the optimal response to the pandemic:

“The companies that have most impressed me are those that have not only embraced the potential of this paradigm shift to remote working and the tools that enable it, but those that have done so while keeping their people front and centre.

The default office-and-email model has been exposed as a false standard.”

Whilst much has changed as a result of the pandemic, winning in business has not – it starts with the behaviour in the boardroom.

• Leaders do not lead spreadsheets

• Leaders do not lead procedure and policy

• Leaders do not lead coding of technology

Leaders lead people.

Leaders lead people to achieve results.

Here are the first three rules of Leadership:

• Behaviour, Behaviour, Behaviour

• Culture, Culture, Culture

• People, People, People

… take your pick.

People will not go to the office to do work - they will go to the office to collaborate and network. The companies and leaders that crack this code are going to be the winners.

“The ability to learn faster than your competitors may be the only sustainable competitive advantage.”

Arie de Geus – former Head of Royal Dutch Shell’s Strategic Planning Group

Our purpose at Enterprise Sales Club is to enable SaaS Sales Professionals to achieve their potential through the power of life-enhancing connections, shared experiences, and collaborative learnings.

If you have found this article valuable, please like, reshare and pass onto a work colleague or someone within your network whom it could help at this stage of their career.

To discover exclusive content for our community, go to https://www.enterprisesalesclub.com.