The Check Point folks, naturally go on to point out how investing in security tools and education to prevent ransomware in the first place is the less expensive option, and even though they clearly have a vested interest here, it’s hard not to agree with the basic premise.
Ask yourself a simple question, if the best way to grow your own career in a remote environment is to intentionally identify the culture and then deliberately try to use your time to network internally, learn new skills, etc. why would we, as leaders, not do what we can to make that easier? Why put all the burden on a new hire to learn the ropes and find the best people to connect with or the best places to learn when that is information that we have and can share with them?
What intentionality can we include as part of bringing in new people, or connecting the people and knowledge that already exists within the team?
Leaving it up to chance is not the way to go. It was never really the best way to go but in an office, it might have been a little harder to notice. Everything must be intentionally created with remote teams—communication, connection, knowledge-sharing, etc.
We aren’t strategic about meetings. We don’t plan for the meeting enough, we schedule the meeting in order to plan. We should start planning before the meeting, and figure out what we want from the other folks before we invite them, and tell them. Those of us who think more creatively by ourselves ahead of meeting with others will also bring much more to the meeting when you share the agenda and expectations ahead of time too.
If you take anything away from this, remember that it’s OK to not invite everyone to every meeting, and it’s OK to use all of the other tools we have to collaborate instead of having a meeting.
Your calendar will thank you.
It’s that first line that should grab your attention because so many people do not see mental health struggles as something that impacts them, or will impact them. But the numbers don’t lie. Someone you know, probably even someone very close to you, is dealing with mental health struggles as you read this. Someone you work with is doing the same themselves or supporting someone else who is.
How great would it be if we all recognized that and provided a safe place for them to talk about those struggles instead of not welcoming their voices and causing more harm?
I don’t think we can even imagine how helpful that would be because we see it so infrequently. It’s time for that to change.
The three challenges in this quote exist in every type of work environment. In-office, hybrid, or totally remote, every team needs clarity, communication, and connection.
The interesting thing to think about is not just in regards to your own managers. This extends out to clients, partners, customers, etc. When they are allowed to constantly shift the goalposts and your response to your employees on the front lines of those relationships is “eh, you know how they are”, consider the fact that you are not keeping them safe. It’s not just an irritation, it’s creating an environment that is not psychologically safe for them. It is doing harm.
This gets old, and as the quote above says, it contributes to a loss of trust and cynicism. It might also lead to a ton of burnout too.