Have you seen the 60’s show The Prisoner?
It features a gruff British man in a natty jacket. He’s constantly running from an inflatable white ball.
My inflatable white ball is Slack. Or other instant messaging services. I feel I am constantly running as a disembodied voice yells at me through a megaphone, “You are NUMBER SIX.”
I’m working with some friends on a session focused on leadership communication from a distance, due to take place in Mid-October. As we’ve discussed it, we’ve come to realize that instant messaging platforms, as well as Zoom and its peer platforms, are changing the way we communicate within our teams.
A friend, who works for Facebook, told me she was on a Zoom call with Cheryl Sandberg, recently. Cheryl, whose net worth is almost $2 billion, led the call in her pajamas and simply rattled off decisions before concluding. It sounds like the opposite of my workplace communication fantasy, which is to be Blofeld leading a Spectre meeting in a James Bond Film, after electrocuting the poor fellow in chair number two.
I call it “EVERYBODY DOES EXACTLY WHAT I WANT.”
Tech firms expect their leaders to be empathetic, these days, my friend said. Leaders and staff are expected to share personal anecdotes often. And there’s pressure to be part of the sharing. You don’t share? You’re viewed with suspicion. You electrocute anybody? You’re definitely going to get fired.
The question that arises for leaders, as we create our organizational cultures, is how do you communicate effectively as a leader in this new environment?
Do you dive on in, wearing your pajamas, and throw caution to the wind? Or do you go the opposite direction, and button up so far that your staff are completely terrified?
There are benefits to less formality. In particular, I note that Blofeld’s Spectre team all look rather similar. And I’m a big fan of organizations being more inclusive. My best bosses in 2020 are black women and I admire their ability to navigate this complex code-switchery with ease.
If you want to make decisions effectively and make real change, then some form of structure needs to happen. My sense is that you want to reflect on this, for a little while. And see what works best for you. And that then, you might want to communicate more intentionally at least every couple of weeks.
Maybe that means a 600-word considered post on LinkedIn or Medium. Or perhaps you’re writing and submitting an op-ed to the newspaper. In addition to your regular intra-team Slackage.
Setting the tone in so many different forums may be challenging. But to lead effectively in 2020, we all need to get used to code-switching in our communications.
Big hugs and kisses to you. Sincerely. Faithfully. And of course, equally, confused.
AT THE VERY LEAST, I AM WEARING MY DAYTIME CLOTHES. 👖👞👕👓
And I’m curious to hear how you’re doing on this front. Let me know?
Gruff and British, but in a natty jacket,
Matt
