This article explores the Communication and Collaboration aspect of my hybrid leadership model.

While effective communication has always been an important skill for leaders, the leaders of hybrid teams need to be exceptional communicators.

The biggest challenge to communication is the lack of non-verbal communication cues.

In the absence of these clues, leaders should practice more mindful communication.

Mindful communication

There are many ways in which to communicate. The mindful leader of the hybrid team considers all the communication medium available to them and chooses the most appropriate for a given situation. They consider the desired outcomes of the communication, the people that need to be involved, when and for what duration. The mindful leader can flow between the variety of communication medium with ease. They realise that dialogue is dynamic and that there is no one-size-fits-all to communication, comprehension, and engagement.

Mindful communication is the practice of paying attention, being on purpose, in the present moment, awareness, acceptance and non-judgement.

Be present

The mindful leader is present. They are committed to the conversation and the desired outcomes. Their attention is anchored, and they stay focused throughout the communication. They avoid distractions at all costs and stay connected. They engage with the other person / people, and they pay better attention to responses of others. They pause before they speak to connect with themselves, they are open to what is being said and listen intently, and they have open and honest conversations.

Clarity

Mindful communication requires clarity. Leaders must consider their words carefully and never lose sight of what it is they want to say. They communicate with intention. Once clear on the message they want to impart, they take great care to choose words that directly convey that message.  The message is straight and to the point. There is no room for ambiguity and misunderstanding.

Proactive

The best hybrid leaders are proactive about being in touch with all their team members wherever they may be located. They utilise all the digital technology available to them to reach out and find out how each person is faring. When leaders communicate on a frequent and regular basis, employees feel valued and are engaged.

Over-communication

Effective communicators know that there is no such thing are strategic over-communication as long as the message has value. No-one ever left an organization because they were told too much! The worst thing the leader of a hybrid team can do is maintain radio silence. This just serves to create a vacuum that gets filled with rumour and conjecture.

Listen

Mindful leaders listen with intent. This is easier said than done. We all have a lot going on in our minds and it can be easy to drift away from the conversation. We must stay connected. We can also start to prepare our response to part of the conversation before we have finished really listening. We need to listen and not assume what will be said next. You need to pay full attention and rest completely on every word that is being said to you. If you feel anything is threatening to pull you away, you must return to the act of listen and center your attention on the conversation at hand.

Terms of engagement

Employees on your hybrid team may not only work in different locations but also at different times. Their communication with each other can be adversely impacted as they may not get the immediate response they would have obtained when co-located and working similar times.

Each employee has a different preference for communication tools, and you may find employees using email for matters that would have been better discussed face-to-face over video. Some employees may use video calls for non-urgent communication that could have been conducted using email. Meetings may be called for incremental updates on a project that could have been communicated using SMS or a collaboration channel.

The mindful leader will work to avoid miscommunication and that can be achieved by having terms of engagement or communication protocols which inform your employees of the best channels to use for the various types of communication.

An example could be:

·     Weekly team meetings and brainstorming sessions – video conferencing e.g., Zoom, MS Teams

·     Formal communication with suppliers or customers – email

·     Minor project updates and discussions – collaboration platforms e.g., Slack

·     Water cooler conversations – virtual water cooler platforms e.g., unremot, donut

Leaders take time with their teams to consider the various types of communication conducted and the channels being used both internal to, and external to, the organisation. A good practice is to collate a list of preferred channels and avoid duplication. For example, do not have more than one video-conferencing platform unless required for some reason such as security. Determine which channels to be used for which type of communication and create the terms of engagement.

The terms of engagement should be subject to continual improvement overtime. Discuss them in team meetings to ensure they are still effective and efficient and meeting the needs of the team. With these terms in place, the chances of miscommunication should be drastically reduced.

Asynchronous and synchronous communication

There are two modes of communication – synchronous and asynchronous. Both are used for the hybrid team to stay connected wherever they are located.

Synchronous communication happens in real-time such as a phone call, videoconferencing, and a face-to-face conversation.

When your team is hybrid, synchronous communication will need to be scheduled at a time that suits the parties involved if some of those parties are working remotely. Due to this reason, most hybrid teams prefer asynchronous communication.

You should be sure that your meetings and calls are necessary before you schedule them. Your hybrid team will appreciate it if you reserve synchronous communication for events that require everyone to be there at the same time. Use synchronous moments for events such as your weekly team meeting which will be more effective if everyone can attend. 

You should also consider using synchronous moments for more informal events such as happy hours, quiz times, and spontaneous chats, to keep the team connected.

Asynchronous communication does not happen in real-time. This involves email, messaging, collaboration tools, shared document repositories, voice, and video messaging. This communication provides more flexibility and freedom for your remote employees. You must consider the use of asynchronous communication and ensure that everyone remains in-sync and connected.

Work with your team to utilise asynchronous communication in the most effective manner. Determine what are reasonable expectations for someone to respond to a communication. The delay should be respected, within the parameters that are set and agreed by the team.

Strike the right balance between synchronous and asynchronous communication with your team and constantly refine your communication practices to achieve incremental improvements. One of the biggest mistakes made when the pandemic forced us to work remotely was the over reliance on synchronous communication which resulted in the plague of ‘Zoom fatigue.’

Collaboration

Effective collaboration is key to high performing teams. The differentiator in a hybrid team is that as the leader you may have to intentionally create the collaboration opportunities whilst teams get used to working across multiple locations.

The unintentional collaborations that may have occurred as the result of a spontaneous interaction in the office are not as prolific in a hybrid team. Therefore, leaders must drive intentional collaboration. Teams need to be more intentional and enable collaboration by design, not chance.

Key to effective collaboration is three key concepts – equal participation, inclusion, and enablement.

Leaders must be intentional and remove any barriers to collaboration that may make some employees feel excluded from the process. Everyone needs to feel that they are included, and their input is welcomed and valued wherever they are located. Everyone must be enabled with the right tools and technology to support collaboration across locations.

Do not forget that teams still need the skills for collaboration that they have always needed – communication and listening, problem-solving, trust and respect, self-awareness and emotional intelligence, adaptability, and flexibility. Leaders must invest in the development of their teams for optimum collaboration.