Building a Strong Culture in Hybrid & Remote Work Environments (Not Easy-Peasy, But Doable)

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When Covid hit, having to adapt from in-person dynamics to being fully remote from one day to the next put corporate citizens to the test in countless ways. But as hard as this process was, it was also an opportunity for leaders to throw default practices outside the window and question what could be done in a new and better way.

The new normal seems to be hybrid for most companies (at least for now), and this means that it’s no longer enough to keep up with new processes and efficiencies, but now, leaders must also figure out how to create strong bonds between their employees who will not share a physical space together full-time. Is it possible to build true camaraderie under those circumstances? Beyond just team building, how can leaders inspire and bring out the best in their teams (and themselves) in a post-Covid remote/hybrid environment?

For this episode, we speak with Rebecca Stone, SVP Cisco Customer Solutions Marketing & CMO Cisco, Meraki. Rebecca was appointed to her senior leadership role and tasked with rebuilding a team just three months before Covid hit. When she accepted the challenge, she had no idea what she’d be up against. 

Rebecca is one of those rare senior leaders who truly keeps it real: she avoids corporate jargon, she’s fine sharing stories about things that she’s tried and did not get right, and she’s honest about her non-impressive averageness when it comes to being a runner.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

• 6:53 summary of Rebeca’s corporate journey
• 9:40 How to lead a new team in the face of a major, unexpected change. 
• 13:22 How Rebecca rebuilt a team during a global pandemic
• 15:55 Best practices when it comes to creating a strong culture in Covid and post-Covid times. 
• 25:50 The human factor: how to build strong interpersonal relationships in a remote setting
• 29:26 Rebecca’s advice to employees navigating a remote or hybrud setting
• 32:25 Rebecca’s “Own your weirdness” and what that means.
• 39:28 Corporate Confessions

SOURCES

• It’s Tough to Build a Corporate Culture in a Remote-Work World - WIRED
• Designing The Hybrid Office - HBR
• Culture in the Hybrid Workplace – McKinsey

Our original theme music is by Chaliwa Music. 

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