As we navigate the Post-Pandemic Workplace changes around "Remote / Hybrid Work", and redefine "People Management Science" around "Connected Leadership" by scaling a Coaching Culture, what is one of the top areas to invest in managers and their teams?

As we move into remote and hybrid workplaces and focus on connecting our teams, it will be imperative for organizations to invest in technology literacy initiatives. Whether this is through regular initiatives implemented by a united IT and HR department, or regular consultations from independent contractors, this is an area that needs major investment. Not only will it help with productivity, it will be crucial for cybersecurity. The number one threat to any organization's security is human error. Whether through phishing type scams, unsecured remote work-setups, or a lack of awareness around password hygiene, your managers and teams MUST have ongoing coaching in tech literacy. It will protect your assets, your teams, and your customers from the consequences of cybercrime. It also instills trust and confidence throughout your team, because they can be assured that they are acting from an informed place.

You never want to force friendships at work, but encouraging team members to spend quality time together and have close working relationships is an excellent investment. Encouraging interaction by scheduling team activities outside of work, like a sports day or a paintball day, helps build camaraderie and the chance to get to know your teammates outside a work environment. When people see a different side of their co-workers, they will be much more comfortable with them in the office, and collaboration becomes much more fluid. Even smaller gestures like sponsored team lunches or after-work drinks can help build familiarity among managers and team members and level the playing field, ultimately increasing collaboration and team efficiency.

In order to create a leadership coaching culture in a hybrid work space, you first need to focus on building trust and relationships. This can be done through a thoughtful handwritten thank you note, recognizing their hard work, or taking the time to listen and understand what they are saying. Once you have built trust and strong relationships, you can then begin to coach and develop your leaders within your organization. Trust and relationships are essential for any type of coaching culture, as it allows for open communication and feedback. When people feel safe and secure in their environment, they are more likely to take risks and be open to change. Building a leadership coaching culture in a hybrid work space takes time and patience, but it is well worth the effort in the long run.

Managers will be better coaches if they have a formal, but flexible process for meeting with their teams. Provide a meeting management software that facilitates meaningful 1 on 1 meetings. If your managers aren't spending time with their direct reports, the relationships will be surface level and the ability to coach will be minimal. They will have more positive influence over their teams growth if they have consistent 1 on 1s, and a meeting management software makes that more likely.

Post-pandemic, managers should invest in pursuing a purpose that is meaningful and beneficial to society with the same zeal as they do profits and productivity. Doing this will allow such leaders to attract and retain employees that are socially conscious, ethical, and that espouse the company's values. Research indicates that in the post-pandemic workplace, more than 65% of employees demand purposeful work that has a beneficial impact on communities and society as a whole. Such employees are driven by a greater purpose than financial reward, and are nearly seven times more likely to be resilient in the face of adversities in the business climate. They're also more than five times likely to stay at the company where they find purpose and meaning, as well as where they feel valued and recognized for delivering meaningful change.

Coaching is proven to help employees be more productive which helps increase a company's bottom line. Because of this, more organizations are investing in getting coaching for their teams. As a coach, I think this is awesome, but individual coaching isn't very affordable, therefore, not very scaleable. A great way to develop a coaching culture is to create a sustainable internal coaching program. For this to be successful, the first step is to uncover the hidden coaches already in the organization—those who ask, rather than tell and support rather than push. Next, find a great coach who has experience helping leaders develop core coaching competencies. Coaching a leader isn't quite the same as teaching a leader to coach so choose wisely! Get your leaders trained and then connect with the right software or platform to track coaching sessions and measure progress. When your leaders are taught to coach, they can teach their teams to coach as well, creating a fully sustainable program!

Nowadays, there are a lot of productivity apps available online. You can freely choose from Google Calendar, Notion, Monday, Slack, Trello, Wrike, and many others. To maximize productivity, you can integrate Slack and Notion. With this integration, you can use it to identify tasks and assign them to specific employees, communicate with them, use as notetaking and kanban board, and others. Every entrepreneur undergoes difficulty in their businesses. Remember not to quit at the first sign of hardship. Take a step back and assess where the problem is coming from. Try to solve it from the origin so it won't cause more problems in the future. You must remember that investing time in creating a fool-proof working process is the key to a successful business. Always solve minor inconveniences in your work processes to avoid compounding problems.

One of the most important areas to invest in is communication. Effective communication helps bridge gaps in understanding, build trust, and foster collaboration between leaders, managers and employees. As we move towards a more connected leadership model, it is essential to ensure that everyone has the tools they need to effectively communicate with one another. By implementing communication solutions such as dedicated team chat rooms, effective use of video conferencing tools, and real-time feedback systems, we can provide managers with the means to effectively engage in meaningful conversations with their teams. Additionally, providing resources such as training materials and workshops on effective communication techniques can further empower both leaders and managers to foster strong engagement between themselves and their employees.

Develop a high-performance, values-driven culture of Learning and Development. Investing in Learning & Development for managers and their teams creates a sense of purpose, belonging, trust and safety that enables them to perform at their best. Managers can learn how to lead effectively from different perspectives, become better problem solvers and decision-makers, and develop the skills to create team dynamics that foster innovation. With the right Learning & Development programs, managers will be empowered to build strong relationships with their teams and break down silos between departments. Additionally, investing in Learning & Development for managers helps to ensure that their team is equipped with the latest knowledge, skills, and resources needed to succeed in an ever-changing world.

Self-management is the top area for organizations to be investing in as we settle into the “new normal.” First, people are working remotely, which means self-management is imperative to the successful operations of distributed workplaces. Second, self-management softens the organizational hierarchy and creates more of a fluid democracy within the workplace. By giving employees the opportunity for self-management, leaders can manage from a lateral level and businesses can properly function from afar.

Investing in the best, cutting edge technology for managers and teams is a no-brainer for the post-pandemic workplace. The best technology in capable hands has unlimited potential to improve productivity, performance, and employee well-being. Nobody knows a team better than their manager, so investing tech funds based on a manager’s input is sure to bring about desired results.

One of the most important areas to invest in when it comes to managers and their teams is emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware and understand your own emotions and the emotions of others. It is an essential skill for managing relationships, handling conflict, and communicating effectively. In the post-pandemic workplace, where remote and hybrid work are becoming more prevalent, emotional intelligence will be even more important for managers who need to lead and connect with their teams from a distance. When it comes to investing in emotional intelligence, there are many different options available. One popular option is to take an emotional intelligence assessment, which can help you to identify your own strengths and weaknesses in this area. Investing in emotional intelligence will pay off in the long run by making you a more effective leader and manager.

Companies should invest in coaching their content strategy teams. There are always new content strategies and ways of reaching consumers. Whether it's through influencers or specific visuals that brands are using, a coach can help build connections with the brand and customer. They can help companies speak to their target audience in a more effective way while bringing in revenue. If a coach is needed for any part of the business, it should be for content strategy.

More and more companies are deciding to invest in their employees by offering free access to psychological help, so it’s certainly something to consider. Many people find it harder than ever to adapt and find motivation, often leading to burnout, adjustment disorders, or even depression. A great way of preventing that is by simplifying the access to professional help for your employees and giving them a chance to work on their issues. Moreover, investing in psychological support will increase employee wellness in your company and will provide you with a reputation as a brand advocating for mental health.

Continued learning opportunities. With more remote and hybrid options, companies have come to realize that employees have more free time on their hands. To fill this time, companies are implementing and encouraging continued learning programs. These programs teach new skills or update existing ones, which ultimately helps employees and employers alike as it reduces the need for new hires.

Invest in systemic team coaching! Healthy high performing teams add value by solving problems, generating synergies and efficiencies, making decisions and executing strategies. In today’s world, it is imperative that we work on strengthening teams which is one of the reasons, after completing a rigorous training program, I expanded my coaching practice to include systemic team coaching. My firm leverages systemic team coaching to support teams to become high-performing, value adding and collaborative. This approach trains teams to operate from a common language that everybody knows, understands and uses. It puts in place protocols for how teams members interact with each other, how they constructively disagree and how they deal with setbacks. Systemic team coaching also addresses ‘trust’ through creating psychological safety and supports teams to deal with changes, new team members or working from different locations. This is the new frontier of coaching and has become an imperative!

You want managers to have a personal touch that pops off the screen. The lack of human contact is still the biggest barrier to effective remote work. Done the wrong way leads to missed deadlines and high turnover. How do you keep workers engaged and effective in their work? Building rapport and a supportive culture that gives workers the best chance of success. This skill is something difficult to teach, so if you’re hiring a manager to lead remote teams, you want to be rest assured they have the ability to connect and inspire. How do they respond to contentious feedback? How do they deal with deflated energy on the other side? These are questions you need answered when making sure a manager will be up to the task.

Unhappy workers and turnovers cost you money and take up precious time as an entrepreneur. They also make your organization worse off since you lose good personnel. Is this a transformational event? I like "evolution" better. Asking "What might we be doing better or differently?" is a critical question to keep in mind. When it comes to how and when they embrace change, businesses have alternatives. Founder and leadership alignment to evaluate where you are currently, where you need to go, and the potential modifications needed to get there In a hybrid workplace or while leading digitally, the necessity for good leadership is simply increased. The need for essential leadership traits like empathy, clarity, and the capacity for connection building has never been greater. Perhaps this is the trend we've been waiting for to replace failed leaders with outstanding thinkers and doers in jobs that don't affect people's daily happiness or yearly effectiveness.

An important area to invest in within the post-pandemic workplace is creating a feedback culture, maintaining a strong focus on communication. You can comfortably instruct your workforce in optimizing their productivity. Plus, your employees will feel confident enough to speak up when something isn’t working right for them. Open feedback contributes to growth throughout the organization. Send a survey to your employees, further promoting openness to communication, and it will clue you in as to their needs for job engagement and performance. Maintaining a two-way dialogue with your team and your business will develop a loyal workforce with minimal turnover.

Mobile remote work is essential to any company's strategy moving into 2023. As companies grapple with the Post-Pandemic Workplace and the changes it brings, mobile remote work is one of the top areas to invest in. Remote work was already on the rise pre-pandemic, but the pandemic has accelerated its growth. Mobile remote work is usually more comfortable overall, allowing employees to be more productive, efficient, and connected. It also provides managers with greater flexibility and control over their teams.