DiBona & Associates
DiBona & Associates

Halftime Huddle - Straight Up Advice for A Strong Finish to 2022

22.07.22 03:00 PM By Noel DiBona

As everyone is experiencing the fast-changing business environment of 2022, we can appreciate the need for agility and flexibility.

All of us need to embrace change. We need to be willing to reinvent ourselves. We need to be able to reinvent our businesses.

Successful teams in 2022 are those that act swiftly. They adapt and shift. They monitor and adjust.

The sooner we accept change is constant the better equipped we will be to lead our teams and make sure our teams can seize opportunities to create more value for the business.

Remember that in times of rapid change, your team members are looking to their leaders for direction, guidance, and support.

The Hybrid Work Environment
The hybrid model is here to stay. According to the Harvard Business Review, 90% of knowledge workers are adopting to a hybrid work model.

What we thought was temporary is now the norm. And what we thought was too difficult to manage has surprised us al:
  • Overall productivity of hybrid workers has improved, not decreased.
  • Companies that embraced the hybrid work model have seen better employee engagement and less turnover.
When people are given options for where they work, it’s proven to be advantageous to the company.

The Always-On Digital World of 2022
Digital overload burns people out. There are a plethora of communication platforms and digital tools that have the unintended consequences of being excessive. If the expectation of your company is to always be available, then trouble lies ahead. Team cultures can spiral out of control, demanding too much from their team members. 

For example, keeping meetings short and on point. Have you thought about keeping meetings to a maximum time of 30 or 45 minutes? No meeting blocks have helped some of our clients streamline the remote meeting process. These organizations have agreed to sync their calendars and block off two hours a day, or 10 hours a week that are meeting-free. 

This has allowed our clients to better prioritize critical meetings and reduce the number of non-essential ones. 

Find A Better Way – Reevaluate Your Management Operating System
Our clients have greatly prospered when they begin considering how their operations align with the current work environment. They have looked at their processes, procedures, work methods, and customer interactions and asked some interesting questions:
  • Is there anything that can be shortened, improved, or replaced?
  • Can any resources be reallocated to increase the capacity to perform work?
  • Where in the operation can time and cost savings be accomplished?

Take Time to Improve Your Team Dynamic
Leaders tend to become disengaged with their team when they are caught up fighting problems. That is a big mistake. At this point in time, it is important to reengage with your team in a more thoughtful manner. Fully engaging your team will provide more insight to better understand what motives your team members. Our clients have shown much success following these simple guidelines:
      • Provide your team with a purpose. This sounds very basic, but is critical. Top Ten Percent Leaders look beyond the obvious and empower the team with their true purpose – the WHY.
      • Top Ten Percent Leaders make bold decisions. They don’t waffle on important issues. Team members feel more certainty when they work for decisive leaders.
      • Open up communication. Promote open and honest communication between teammates. Don’t intervene when there is disagreement or a problem. Let your teammates experience the responsibility of doing their work.

Concentrating your time in these four areas will provide you and your team greater success in the ever-changing business environment of 2022.