Challenge your teams and organizations hybrid readiness with us (in English and German)!

We share our insights and experiences of the last 20 years of hybrid work in 60-minute webinars - for all HR enthusiasts and leads.

For anyone who wants to cut unnecessary costs, improve hiring and feedback, and boost team energy and productivity.

Find ways to prevent health problems, avoid ineffective meetings and achieve fewer changing priorities and more focus among employees.

Join us on Wednesday 13th and 27th of November at 13:00 CET and register here: https://www.digital-leader-program.de/register-4-live-session

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

The New Narrative has put it in a nutshell: written communication is an important part of our modern hybrid working world. We from Digital Leader Program are convinced that non-verbal communication plays an at least as important role in a remote context.

Did you know that:

•  55% of communication is based on body language?
•  38 % is based on tone of voice?
•  Only 7% is conveyed through the spoken word?

We can also harness the power of non-verbal communication in a remote context:

➡️ Do you leave on the video in video calls? Is your remote setup consciously set up in terms of lighting, alignment and background?

➡️Do you listen attentively to your counterpart in meetings? Or do you complete tasks in the meantime?

➡️In which way do you experience interruptions from letter carriers and co?

All these examples have an impact on our non-verbal communication.

What do you think? In which way do you take non-verbal aspects into account in your daily (remote) communication?

Share yo...

Hi everyone!

I am looking for your help. I am preparing a presentation about the evolution, challenges and benefits of hybrid work and solutions to reduce costs and get to more productivity in hybrid working environments and I need your feedback please.

You’ll benefit from my insights of 20 years experience in hybrid work environments and hundreds of workshops with hybrid working teams from different industries reflecting on questions like:

•  How can I reduce costs by lowering employee turnover?
•  Why are self-management, communication and entrepreneurial skills so important for employee happiness and productivity?
•  What should I have in mind setting up a sustainable hybrid team culture?
•  Why is it elementary to choose the right people and train them properly?
•  What are concrete next steps to bring your team / organization to the next level?

I am looking forward to hearing from you - please DM me via LinkedIn and we set up a call.

Have a great start into the week.

Andre

Are you familiar with the book “Big Five for Life” by John Strelecky?

It's about how everyone should define their “Big Five” - the five most important things you want to achieve in life. These can be major life goals or values that motivate you and give you direction.

For example, you can ask yourself the following:

• What gives you fulfillment?
• What do you want to achieve in life?
• Which values are particularly important to you?
• What footprints do you want to leave behind?

Here is a video of Andre speaking about values and a framework you can use to find them out.

You can imagine these Big Five as a compass for your life. Once you have found these values for yourself, it will be much easier for you to interpret your actions and make decisions accordingly.

In the next step, you can compare your “big five” with the values and goals of the company. Strelecky emphasizes that the fulfillment of the “Big Five” should be in harmony with the work environment in order to find satisfa...

 In German there is a saying “den Ast absägen auf dem man sitzt” - if you translate it directly it’s like: Sawing of the branch you are sitting on. Right now I have the feeling that I am doing so and that’s a bit of a dilemma.

I decided to contribute to LinkedIns knowledge community. It’s definitely worth checking out: (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/topics/home/). It’s basically a business knowledge “best of” that is written by AI and optimized by comments from LinkedIn human experts like me.
Hereby I can show my know-how, publish easily without the need to write complete articles and I can become a top voice in my field of expertise. Besides being positively labeled, the comments I am writing are helping me to develop and think about angles to tackle a problem that no one came up with so far - which is great. I also think that other experts are writing really good and read-worthy stuff.

BUT somehow I have the feeling that the community's knowledge is used to feed the big AI machine...

Manchester United soccer fans came across an “injured” runner. The critical factor for the fans' willingness to help was whether the runner wore a Manchester United T-shirt or a plain, neutral T-shirt. The study's results clearly show that:

•  92% of fans helped when the runner wore a Manchester United T-shirt.
•  33% of fans helped when the runner wore a plain T-shirt.

The observation comes from Adam Grant's book "Give and Take" and highlights how our willingness to help others is influenced by perceived group membership.

This concept resonates with my own experience from last weekend, where I supported friends at a rural project - where we built outdoor areas like a pavillon or a small lodge. I noticed differences in how engaged other helpers were, which from my perspective was due to a similar sense of group identity—or lack thereof. Just as fans were more willing to help someone they saw as part of their in-group, helpers feel more motivated when they identify with the people o...

Some people that are hiring us won’t like to read what I’m writing about today… Even though it should be in their best interest.

I’ve been working with many managers that gave up their values, their real opinions and by that themselves at a certain point when they have the feeling that they aren’t heard or not in the position to shape the company's future any more. They basically give up and stop taking responsibility.

In some cases I understand that they don’t believe in changing the organization anymore. Unfortunately, many aren’t willing to take the next necessary step by quitting and moving on - they rather stay and hope for something to happen or start blaming (and whining).
I think that many feel like giving up by quitting. They are afraid of what comes next - clinging to the past instead of welcoming the future. (No good trait for a modern lead in an always changing world).
This is a real problem for individuals and the whole organization. Since some managers don’t listen to ...

Why should we address the impact when giving feedback on obvious topics?

It is quite clear that being late is not acceptable. So why should you still need to explain why this behavior is inappropriate?

In our workshops we often get the question why evident things need an explanation of the impact. 

I give you an example on the difference: 

• You can say: I saw that you were late for the meeting today. Please come on time next time. 
• OR you can say: I noticed that you were late for our meeting today. We are losing time in the team because we have to update you. Please come to the next meeting on time to make sure you get all the information. 

In the second case you explain WHY somebody should improve their behavior. This makes it more tangible. 

Here are more reasons to explain the impact of a behavior: 

• You create clarity and understanding: If the recipient understands how their behavior or performance affects others or what the consequences are, they can better comprehend
...

It’s a classic real life challenge coming out of our workshops: You are part of a team becoming their manager (maybe even overnight) suddenly being in a completely different role with different benefits, challenges and implications.

Suddenly all the things you always wanted to change are in your hands. Your former worries as a team mate are yours now. You are suddenly your colleagues superior. Some of the individual habits that weren’t really your problem before are now maybe an issue.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s exciting and great that you’ll be able to change things and take responsibility now. But still: clear and transparent communication is crucial if you want to stay in a good personal relationship and be a good and fair manager. Here is what you should have in mind navigating the transition, because the shift in dynamics can introduce complexities. But with the right strategies, you can navigate this transition smoothly and successfully.

Role Clarification and Boundaries

• Blur...

What do you think is the impact of leadership development in your organization or industry?

A Remarkable ROI of $7 for every $1 spent one of the standout findings from the 2023 study by BetterManager is the return on investment (ROI) that accompanies corporate leadership development programs. This substantial ROI highlights leadership development as a strategic investment with the potential to significantly impact a company's bottom line.

So what influences of leadership development affects your ROI?

• Direct Revenue Growth: Leadership development equips you with the skills to make strategic decisions, optimize operations, and enhance sales techniques. These improvements directly translate to increased revenue for your organization.
• Cost Savings: Your effective leadership can minimize operational inefficiencies and reduce errors, leading to significant cost savings.
• Employee Retention: As a well-trained leader, you can create a positive work environment, leading to higher employee
...