Smart Strategies from Clients

I am grateful to work with some truly amazing clients.

This week, I've been reflecting on a few smart strategies from some of these clients.

1. Focus on results, not butts in seats.

Several clients are completely distributed, which means they are able to hire top talent from around the US (and in some cases, world). This means that performance is measured on results, outcomes, and moving the company vision and goals forward —not "butts in seats."

2. Give people flexibility about when to be on video.

This honors the fact that people are working within different time zones, and also gives team members flexibility to do a lunchtime workout without having to be "video-ready" by 1 pm.

3. Go for "screen equality."

This means that if some people are on video for a meeting (versus in-person), everyone is on video for a meeting. This avoids the awkward situation where 6 people are clustered in a conference room where we can't hear the people in the back of the room, and it also avoids the situation where the few remote participants don't have an equal voice in the meeting.

*Note: there are sometimes exceptions to this, of course —for example, during a team offsite where a remote option is provided.

4. Keep an eye on the future, not just the present.

This means that yes, we are solving current problems and challenges —but we are doing so in a way that keeps a continuous eye on our 1, 3, 5+ year vision.

5. Find a balance of structure/process and freedom/autonomy.

This means putting processes and structures in place where it makes sense to do so, but allowing for freedom, autonomy, and different approaches where appropriate. This reduces administrative overhead for everyone, and also respects individual working styles.

These are just a few —what others would you add to the list?