Hybrid Workers Need High-Bred Leaders! Are Yours Up to the Task?
Ever since our industry affixed the word “hybrid” to that old standby, “workforce,” pundits have been touting the term’s similarity to cars, plants and even cross-bred animals. But let’s get real. Building a hybrid workplace is not as complicated as building a hybrid car and is far less dangerous than trying to cross a polar bear with a grizzly! Not that the effort will be easy. Why? Because the “hybrid workforce” will require “high-bred leadership.”
“High-bred” is a somewhat vague, old-fashioned term often used by aristocrats and those who believe they are better than others. But The Free Dictionary defines the term less arrogantly and more accurately as “well-raised… qualified … educated… informed… enlightened,” and uniquely “prepared to exercise authority within a larger group.” These words adequately describe the kind of leaders we have always tried to build, but what do they mean in the context of the post-pandemic world of work? What are the traits that define the high-bred leader – the one who is capable of building and maintaining a hybrid workforce?
REMEMBER GUMBY?
Gumby is that green, clay humanoid character who has been the subject of two television series, a feature film and multiple other media going back to the 1950’s. Since then, he has become a cultural icon. In fact, Wikipedia tells me that Fox Entertainment recently acquired Gumby to launch a new series across linear and digital platforms.
So, what’s Gumby got to do with leadership in a hybrid workforce? I believe he is, in many ways, its model. Why?
Gumby is:
Flexible. Gumby can stretch, bend and twist in whatever way is necessary, then return to normal form. This is a critical talent for high-bred leaders, who must manage across the needs gap between remote and on-site workers, adjust behaviors and practices based on disparate employee workstyles, and get “unused to” the way things have always been.
Balanced: Gumby's legs and feet are wide for pragmatic reasons. They ensured that he would be able to stand firm and stay balanced. In order to juggle the divergent and at times conflicting requests or demands of a hybrid workforce, high-bred leaders will need to demonstrate this same level of balance.
Resilient. Using his special clay morphing powers, Gumby can withstand assault and even damage because he can be stretched over and over again without breaking. This same ability is the “cost of entry” for high-bred leaders, who will be called upon to repeatedly stretch their assumptions and opinions, resist believing everything they think, and make room for possibilities that are not immediately apparent. Then, bounce back if things go wrong.
Creative: Gumby makes up solutions to problems. High-bred leaders in the hybrid workplace will face problems and issues they have no experience with. They must be willing and able to imagine what is not immediately apparent and will occasionally need to “make it up.” This will require not only creativity, but the self-confidence to believe that their own ideas can work in the face of the unknown.
Patient: Gumby tolerates delays and doesn’t rush to judgment. This trait fosters the open-mindedness necessary when listening to and addressing hybrid employees’ unique concerns and feedback. Patience enables the high-bred leader to listen and react appropriately to employee input.
Inclusive: If you notice, Gumby has outstretched arms. Like him, high-bred leaders are open and able to not only invite but actively draw others in -- even if they are not green. The high-bred leader understands that differences expand possibilities.
Interested: Gumby doesn’t talk much, but he pays attention and genuinely cares about others, and it shows. In the often-chaotic hybrid environment, leaders need to resist the temptation to act interested but not really be authentically present.
Enthusiastic: Gumby sees every situation as an opportunity to make things better, and he goes after that goal with zeal. Winston Churchill said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Yes, even high-bred leaders will fail sometimes. But leaders who maintain enthusiasm in the face of failure have an advantage, because enthusiasm is contagious and the hybrid workforce will “catch it
While it's too soon to identify justifiable role models for leaders of the hybrid workforce, I think Gumby may well be an early contender. I believe this simple clay character possesses many of the traits today’s post-pandemic leaders would do well to emulate. He might even be a useful model against which to evaluate potential candidates for leadership in the hybrid workplace.
