Tag: #Authenticleadership

Why Are Companies Having Fits Over Remote Work Digital Nomads?

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By Stephanie Diana Eubank

Remote work is supposed to provide workers with more work and life balance.  This includes simple concepts like being able to work in different parts of one’s home or in the yard or traveling.  With so many companies and industries making a fuss about people taking their time off, complaining when staff takes their work laptop to go on trips so that they can enjoy the area after hours or enjoy the mental health benefits a change of scenery provides an odd conflict.  From personal experience, management has become concerned and reprimanded me for working out in my backyard.  I felt a little confined, so I went to do my afternoon meeting outside to get a little sun.  To change locations or work outside on my property remotely is one of the ways detailed in Wiest (2020); remote work can help improve mental health. 

Burnout, according to the research in the Fortune article by Wiest (2020), is a major factor in employee retention.  Small steps can be taken to help with the mental health aspects of burnout through remote work.  Travel as a method to utilize the work-life balance of remote is another way to combat burnout and other mental health issues caused by the isolation of remote work.  As detailed in the article by Kemmis (2021), the term digital nomad has been coined to reference people who use their time to travel and work remotely.  There have even been findings that working in places like coffee shops, libraries, or other places adds to balance and can help with feelings of isolation.  I enjoy taking my laptop to the library or restaurants with indoor playgrounds to do my homework or take classes allowing my children to have fun while I balance self-improvement and caring for my children. 

The comment that home is where the wifi is as an effort to balance having a career while seeing the world, especially after the COVID lockdowns. The article also details that not all people vacation as part of being a digital nomad but live for months or years in other countries to enhance their experience. The article, Ekstein (2022), posted on Bloomberg, notes how digital nomads are also part of a fiscal movement redefining the cultivation of building wealth and blending work/ life balance. Specifically, Ekstein (2022); notes millennials, Gen Z, and even some semi-retired remote workers have been using the mobile lifestyle of RV life. Again, embracing the concept of home is where the wifi is to both afford to travel and enjoy their work.  The example I can give is some of my professors at the doctorate level live on their boat, travel up and down the Gulf of Mexico, and make sure to doc on days they teach to do so remotely.  I have worked with other professors and managers, constantly traveling to enjoy their families while meeting work commitments remotely. 

So, why are companies upset that workers are traveling or working in different places in their homes?  The Fortune article, Kelly (2022), specifies it isn’t companies having the problem with the remote worker’s location.  In the article, Kelly (2022); states it is specifically middle management.  The reason is that remote work has made it so that employees can work independently and won’t need middle management workers, especially with productivity no longer being linked to a specific amount of hours work is a progressing trend. Also, it is cited in Kelly (2022); that middle management is often only armed with micromanagement as the tool to manage employees and teams.  Micromanagement as a long-term management plan is not feasible in a remote workplace.  In fact, this behavior in management is linked to creating a toxic work environment and can breed a hostile work environment.  Although per the article by Liu (2021), these leaders who take Umbridge on remote work locations and digital nomads argue that not being in the stationary workstation can always lead to data theft.  However, there are basic tools remote workers can use to mitigate these issues. 

The tools that can be easily obtained and easy to afford to combat any data thefts are as follows:

Conclusion: Some leaders are taking a stance with remote workers about their physical location, which is folly.  It is a waste of leaders’ time because there are simple steps to protect data. If they require that of employees, it will limit issues and help prevent further push and pull conflicts with remote workers going forward in the Great Resignation.  Instead, leaders must practice authentic leadership, learn about their teams, and support them.  That’s what real leaders do.

If you have stories of leaders making a fuss about personal location, leave a comment here or on Twitter @SDEubank, and let’s talk about it. Remember sharing is caring.

Work Cited

Ekstein, N. (2022, February 7). How Working From Home Will Permanently Change the Way We Travel. Bloomberg.com. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-07/how-working-from-home-will-permanently-change-the-way-we-travel

Kelly, J. (2022, April 14). The real reasons why companies don’t want you to work remotely. Forbes. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/08/17/the-real-reasons-why-companies-dont-want-you-to-work-remotely/?sh=41cda83a7fb3

Kemmis, S. (2021, April 14). How to rethink ‘home’ and ‘travel’ if your job is now remote. NerdWallet. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/working-remotely-while-traveling-considerations

Liu, J. (2021, April 8). Why a remote job might not mean you can work from anywhere. CNBC. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/08/why-a-remote-job-might-not-mean-you-can-work-from-anywhere.html

Wiest, B. (2020, September 11). Remote work shown to significantly improve mental health, 80% prefer flex options post-pandemic. Forbes. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/briannawiest/2020/09/11/remote-work-shown-to-significantly-improve-mental-health-80-prefer-flex-options-post-pandemic/?sh=4bdb97945d47

Four Concepts in Mentorship That Are Still Important, Especially in a Post-COVID World

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By Stephanie Diana Eubank

I have worked in the financial industry for over twelve years now.  While working in the financial industry, I have been blessed to have three mentors throughout my career. Two of them are women, and one identified as a man and happened to be a member of the LBGTQ community.  The diversity of my mentors has helped me as a leader and a college-level business instructor and given me a more global perspective.  I have truly been blessed to have such wonderful mentors.  Although one of my mentors Dean Marks, passed away this week after a long hard battle with cancer.  He is missed by not just me but all those in our field which he inspired. 

With COVID dividing leaders and aspiring leaders of all walks of life, there are four concepts to consider in mentorship that are often swept under the rug.  These four concepts are true for onsite and remote workplaces.  However, with remote work becoming more normative, the focus needs to be on how mentorship can be addressed in a remote work environment. 

The concept in Mentorship #1 is Ambiguousness of what mentorship is.

Mentors play a vital role in business employee development and leadership training.  Since COVID and the lockdowns connecting with mentors and networking has become a more vital skill than ever.  Not just for mentees but for those who are mentoring.   This fact has never been truer than now as we try to adjust to the new normal that is COVID.  In the book, Rolfe (2021), which can be found on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3PIp63H talks about the fact that mentoring often is an ambiguous term and can be confusing for both mentors and mentees.  In this book, Rolfe (2021); also takes a practical approach versus a theoretical approach. The book Rolfe (2021) also details the importance of communication, boundaries, and how to structure mentorship so proper implementation can be used.

The concept in Mentorship #2 is Encouraging Diversity in Leadership.

As a woman, there can be stigmas about being mentored regardless of the gender of one’s mentor.  As detailed in the book, Sandberg (2013); can be found at https://amzn.to/3IUyL4Z.  Many are familiar with the book “Lean In” by Sandberg (2013); the research noted within both practical and observational findings by Sandberg and data researched to support the findings.  The book Sandberg (2013); touches on the fact that there are few women of any race or creed in places of leadership.  With COVID hurting women’s careers as they fight to get into and stay in places of leadership in a growing remote workplace, mentorship has never been more important towards growing diversity in leadership and business. Although may criticize Sandberg for her privileged vantage point that not all women can enjoy.  However, she raises interesting points on how women being in places of leadership paves the way for positive change and creative problem-solving through diversity.  With COVID rates surging and women either having to leave the workforce or work remotely while balancing childcare and child education while the pandemic rage on mentorship is important and can make it difficult for mentors and mentees to ask for the help needed to progress.

The concept in Mentorship #3 Asking for Help Is a Strength.

Asking for help is a soft skill that is often ignored in leadership.   Mentors are a great resource in learning how to effectively ask for help and for mentees to learn what resources they truly have. Moreover, in a remote workplace, often leaders see asking for help as a weakness.  Which is a toxic leadership trait for any leader. Teams asking for help and leaders asking for help keep turn times under control and support workers regardless of onsite or remote workplaces. An interesting book that tackles this topic of asking for and receiving help in a leadership role is Brand (2019), which is found at https://amzn.to/3PmPT60.  It seems unconventional to read mentoring advice from Russel Brand, but his book highlights the concept of toxic leadership, where often, employees are not regarded as an organization’s strongest asset.  Also, in the book Brand (2019); it is noted that asking for help even before COVID has always been regarded as a weakness when the need for help is poor planning on leadership, and employees asking for help really allows leaders to know when the house is on fire in time to save it.

The concept in Mentorship #4 To Thy Own Self Be True.

Another concept discussed in the book Maxwell (2021), found at https://amzn.to/3v5r06x is the concept of authentic leadership and knowing oneself. Everyone has blind spots regarding our own personal flaws.  As leaders, we need to be introspective, not just with how we lead but how we pick mentees.  The book Maxwell (2021) discusses how knowing we and what works to lead authentically is important as leaders.  However, some concepts of knowing oneself include knowing what leadership styles don’t work in the remote world. 

Conclusion: I have been blessed to have many mentors who are diverse leaders in their rights. Remote work has made mentorship even more important to furthering the training of future leaders. In researching mentor books, four concepts emerged in mentoring.  The four concepts are as follows:

  1. The rules of mentoring are ambiguous and, as detailed in Rolfe (2021), note how establishing boundaries and give some more structure to mentorship. The book, Rolfe (2021) also notes the importance of communication which has never been more important than in a remote workplace.
  2. Mentorship needs to encourage diversity.  As detailed in the book, Sandberg (2013); shows how women in leadership help develop a more inclusive leadership plan and creative problem-solving.  As many of us have learned, COVID women have had to leave the workplace or convert to remote as a permanent need to address child or family care.  It doesn’t matter if you are a male or female leader. If you find someone who wants you to mentor them, especially women and minorities, pay it forward as your mentors did. High tides raise all boat mentorship making a leader more versatile. It doesn’t phase you out.
  3. It is almost always a cliché comment that communication is key to… well, everything.  Asking for help is communicating!  As detailed in Brand (2019), asking for help, regardless of being a leader or a would-be leader, is not a weakness.  It is a sign of understanding limitations and can save an organization.  We all need help from time to time, and teams needing help are a sign that there needs to be a pivot in implementing the process.  Teams and employees are a company’s most valuable resources, and leaders must treat them as such.
  4. Lastly, authentic leadership and understanding our strengths and flaws as people and leaders. The book Maxwell (2021), the adage to know thy self is true.  Failures teach us more than our successes; those are some of the things that should be shared so that mentees learn from their mistakes.  Another concept is some of these flaws can also be considered toxic in a remote work environment as some leadership methods just don’t translate pleasantly in remote workplaces.

These four concepts are important to remember when mentoring remotely because having the bravery to reach out and ask for help and mentoring is half the battle of working in a remote workplace.  Reaching out to mentors with remote employees’ professional isolation is healthy for all involved.  I don’t know where I would be today without my mentors, and the fact that one of them has passed is a great loss to the community.  I only hope I positively impact my mentees as he has on me.

If you enjoyed this article, remember that sharing is caring.  Also, if you have a mentor you want to discuss, leave a comment. 

Work Cited

Brand, R. (2019). Mentors: How to help and be helped. Henry Holt.

https://amzn.to/3PmPT60

Maxwell, J. C. (2021). The self-aware leader: Play to your strengths, unleash your team: Play to your strengths, unleash your team. HarperCollins Leadership.

https://amzn.to/3v5r06x

Rolfe, A. (2021). Mentoring: Mindset, skills and tools. Mentoring Works.

https://amzn.to/3PIp63H

Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean in: Women, work, and the will to lead. Deckle Edge.

https://amzn.to/3IUyL4Z

Attitudes of Teams Reflect Leadership: The New Type of Leader Is Needed Post COVID

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By: Stephanie Diana Eubank

As we grow into the new normal that is our post-COVID lockdown world the concept of remote work and the remote workplace are going to require companies to change what leaders are promoted and developed.   There is a traditional trope of leaders using authentic leadership as a catch-all term to excuse bad behavior.  This is the opposite of what true authentic leadership is.

There is a wonderful FORBES article, Kruse (2014); defines authentic leadership best.  Article, Kruse (2014); defines authentic leadership as a person in leadership that leads with the following concepts:

  • A leader who is genuinely themselves and self-aware,
  • Mission-driven,
  • Empathetic leadership, and
  • These leaders focus on the long game. 

Leaders who follow the true definition of authentic leadership are now being coined as “Empathic Leaders”.  With the stress of remote work, and COVID still raging employees in remote workplaces are suffering from a whole host of new issues that in the past research of remote work were not the case. So, moving leaders who may or may not have had Toxic Leadership traits into a remote workplace is not only helping to drive employees to join the Great Resignation movement both in remote and onsite settings.

We have all had a toxic leader in the workplace. The concept of toxic leadership and how it may cause trauma to employees emotionally has been becoming a better-documented issue due to the great resignation. Traumatized workers don’t want to work on-site or remote for a company promoting a toxic work environment through the work of a toxic leader.  Attitudes in the workplace reflect leadership. In many cases unfortunately employee trauma reflects previous leadership at other companies’ toxicity. 

There is even now a concept of The article found in Psychology Today on the topic of toxic leadership, Kim (2016); notes specific qualities in toxic leaders.  Those traits are as follows:

  • Toxic Leaders cannot take criticism or suggestions.
  • Toxic leaders go beyond bragging, these leaders go out of their way to be self-promoters.  These are leaders who take praise and don’t acknowledge their team and their contributions.
  •  These toxic leaders also lie and are constantly inconstant with instruction and standards.  Further, these leaders may rely on gas lighting methods to keep employees in line. (This doesn’t work well in a remote setting).
  • Toxic leaders tend to be risk-takers and thus tend to ignore compliance and have a lack of ethical standards. This isn’t to say leaders who do a proper risk assessment are all toxic.  However, toxic leaders tend to not have an ethical code and just outright ignore rules outside of a reasonable risk assessment.  These leaders tend to be in the fight for themselves and not their team.
  • Toxic leaders also tend to promote others with the same behaviors and toxicity that they do. 
  • These toxic leaders also will promise mentoring and training, but the mentoring and training is subpar.  Personal experience and research show that often this is done on purpose on the part of a toxic leader for fear the student will surpass the master. Confident true authentic leaders get when their mentees do well it is a positive reflection on them and all tides lift all boats.  Personally, I have found that the workplace is like a cross-country running team.  What I mean by this is on a cross country running team you are still a team with an end goal but as individuals, you are still competing with each other.  The trick confident leaders and teachers have learned is that the key is to keep working on yourself and developing more skills so that mentees are on your team and there is more to offer to our mentees.
  • Another toxic leadership trait that seems to follow from high school is toxic leaders tends to develop cliques.  Almost “Mean girls”, level cliques in the workplace even remotely.  This behavior causes tribalism in the workplace and can ruin any collaborative and creative culture in an onsite or remote workplace.
  • Lastly, toxic leaders tend to create a scapegoat in the workplace and do a lot of bullying.  Often times the bullying and scapegoating can go on through the use of micro-management. Although micro-management is a leadership tool that is needed from project to project to help with quality control and training it can become abusive if it becomes a leader’s main methodology of leadership.  One thing I have encountered in consulting on remote team development is the question, “well don’t you need constant micro-management in remote work?”.  The answer is no.  True authentic leaders know that they can reach out and follow up and use tools to manage productivity and use qualitative and quantitative analysis of productivity.  A mentor of mine once told me, “Manage the work not the people”.  In my research and experience, it means to trust and give autonomy so that work and projects can be managed properly.

Toxic leaders are now easier to uncover in a remote workplace.  This creates a Human Resource (HR) nightmare in the making.  The reason for this is toxic leaders make hostile work environments.  Not to mention that these kinds of leaders scare away potential hires.  If a company wants to end the revolving door business leaders need to cultivate empathetic leaders and people who truly embody the true meaning of authentic leadership.  Also, embracing remote work would help too, but; one issue at a time.

In the comments share some experiences you have had in the workplace virtual and onsite of toxic leaders.  And remember sharing is caring.   Like and share. There are additional resources on these topics referenced below. 

Answer To Industry Leaders on Remote Work

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By: Stephanie Diana Eubank AKA Dr Bear DBA

There is an interesting Fortune article, https://fortune.com/2022/04/05/google-work-from-home-hybrid-return-to-office-eric-schmidt/ which, Lodewick (2022); is cited in APA format below.  In said article, Lodewick (2022); interviews Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt on the topic of remote work and Google’s choice to work towards more of a hybrid model.  Where in the article it is noted that Schmidt calls himself a traditionalist regarding remote work there are some changes to the business landscape that can no longer be traditional and practiced. 

I want to start with saying that I mean no disrespect to Eric Schmidt.  He is still an OG within business and tech industries with experience running one of the biggest organizations on the planet.  His opinion is valid.  However, businesses and growing companies seeing this opinion from Schmidt, needs to factor in the changes in the business landscape since he served with Google in 2001 to 2011. 

Such as in the article, Laker (2022); which is a Forbs article that can be found at https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2022/02/17/from-the-great-resignation-to-the-great-return-bringing-back-the-workforce/?sh=11bdc91025e5 .  In the article, Laker (2022); it is detailed how companies are finding during the pandemic and what has been coined as the “Great Resignation”, companies not offering remote positions or negotiating remote work are having a hard time recruiting.  As an area of expertise in the business arena the concept of working in the office is too old school for the changing market.  Companies pushing back against this growing work preference is really companies cutting off their noses despite their faces.  Remote work saves companies time and money.  Also allows for managers to build boundaries while also being true authentic leaders.  Meaning leaders can manage with empathy and the best parts about being human. The only difference is leaders must reach out to their teams and put effort into team bonding and collaboration. 

Further the article from Fortune, Lodewick (2022); Schmidt makes some rather ageist comments about hiring young graduates and how onsite work allowed him to mentor and advise these hires on professional behavior, and proper dress.  Those are concepts that have changed dramatically since COVID.  We are seeing up and down the chain employees and leaders tossing old dress code norms for comfort and dressing showier only for special occasions. Also, remote work allows for more mentorship in proper professional decorum without risk of Human Resource nightmares.  Speaking from experience people who are HR nightmares from the remote workplace and don’t learn from their lessons they are going to be worse in the office.  Mostly because on site means

The article, Lodewick (2022); also noted that the former head of Human Resources at Google saw the method of using a hybrid program to trick employees into getting used to the office again.  Essentially the thought is that someone employees can be tricked into wanting to come back to the office full time.  The article by Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/01/27/why-leaders-need-to-reevaluate-how-they-manage-their-workforce-today/?sh=71191ef6118e , cited below as Licina (2022); notes this method is a mistake in the long run.  Within the Forbes article, Licina (2022); it cites how leaders need to learn to lead in a remote work environment.  Also, that employees since COVID have taken a step back and re-evaluated what is most important to them and a commute and the inflation of housing near cities where many industry leaders are located are not top priorities for employees.  Not to mention overcrowding and COVID as a risk. 

Conclusion: Where the old school methods of onsite work have been helpful for companies in the past that’s not the case today.  Today companies hoping to trick their employees to come back to the office full time again will backfire making another talent shortage. Remote workers are investing outside of Silicon Valley, and other major metros and enjoying an unprecedented work life balance.  It is time for companies to embrace remote work and the benefits of remote work and invest on training leaders to lead remotely.

Work Cited

Laker, B. (2022, February 21). From the great resignation to the Great Return: Bringing Back the workforce. Forbes. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2022/02/17/from-the-great-resignation-to-the-great-return-bringing-back-the-workforce/?sh=11bdc91025e5

Licina, S. (2022, January 28). Council post: Why leaders need to reevaluate how they manage their workforce today. Forbes. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/01/27/why-leaders-need-to-reevaluate-how-they-manage-their-workforce-today/?sh=71191ef6118e

Lodewick, C. (2022, April 5). Good riddance to work from home, former Google CEO says. Fortune. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://fortune.com/2022/04/05/google-work-from-home-hybrid-return-to-office-eric-schmidt/

Remote Workers Being Laid Off For Not Typing Enough?

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By: Stephanie Diana Eubank

Since the pandemic employers and leaders have had to make the adjustment to having their teams operating remotely.  After over two years of suffering through the pandemic this adjustment is starting to feel par for the course now.  However, since the pandemic and more so recently I have heard several colleagues and friends have told me about being laid off or fired and the reason employers have given them was they had a low keystroke on their work computer?  Which sounded a little weird to me given that many of my colleagues and I have a lot of data both qualitative and quantitative data to review including legal docs day in and day out.  Which means that the typing quantity would of course be lower.  In working remote for over ten years now ( and no that’s not an exaggeration I am proud that I have gotten to work remote for so long prior to and preferably post COVID).

This got stranger because another one of my colleagues who was laid off for this key stroke analysis reason stated that a lot of the communications for work were being done via online systems like email, teams, skype for business and similar. However, this colleague noted that often this person would use these programs from via phone.  Others also noted that with coffee shops, and outdoor seating becoming more inviting as the weather got better, they would log in from their laptops in other locations to help themselves get out and about.  This method of being able to be mobile in remote work for those who are not accustomed to remote work this is helpful for promoting mental health and work and life balance. 

An example I can give personally I have had several trainings that I have led via Zoom from the comfort of my backyard as an effort to get outside a bit as a stress reliever.  Another personal example is walking around the house to make a snack and a cup of tea while using the text to speak function on my phone to answer emails or using my wireless headset to answer questions for team members via teams. The only comments in ten years for doing this has been, “I love how quickly you were able to help me with this”, and “Wow the weather is nice there”. 

So, colleagues contacting me saying that while they had been doing the same thing are getting backlash through their performance analytics based on keystrokes was strange and prompted me to do some additional research.  In my research on this led me down a rabbit hole of how companies are inappropriately using data analytics in remote work settings. There are a few practical research articles from business professionals in leadership talking about how to use data analytics to measure productivity and performance.   

In those articles there are several remote employee surveillance systems like EfficientLab, and even using team communications apps like Slack and Teams.  There is a really great scholarly article found online at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167268120301542 and referenced below a number of different data analytics to monitor or spy on employees who are working remotely. 

Based on how these productivity analysis methods are being used there is some additional steps when anglicizing productivity that leaders need to do in a remote work environment.  For starters leaders need to learn what each employee does.  That seems condescending but, it is true.  Leadership needs to practice a concept in six sigma called cross training.  Within a cross training requires all employees including leadership to learn what each employee does and works to learn each other’s duties.  This also allows employers to invest in training all employees as we all navigate the Great Resignation. 

Once a leader knows what each employee does the monitoring used needs to include a qualitative and a quantitative methodology.  Using a more informed understanding of what employees do and a proper method of evaluating productivity.  It will also help strengthen labor pools instead of diminishing them. 

References

West, D. M. (2022, March 9). How employers use technology to Surveil employees. Brookings. Retrieved April 5, 2022, from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2021/01/05/how-employers-use-technology-to-surveil-employees/

Galanti, T., Guidetti, G., Mazzei, E., Zappalà, S., & Toscano, F. (2021). Work from home during the COVID-19 Outbreak. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 63(7). https://doi.org/10.1097/jom.0000000000002236

Miele, F., & Tirabeni, L. (2020). Digital Technologies and Power Dynamics in the organization: A conceptual review of remote working and wearable technologies at work. Sociology Compass, 14(6). https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12795

Jensen, N., Lyons, E., Chebelyon, E., Bras, R. L., & Gomes, C. (2020). Conspicuous monitoring and remote work. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 176, 489–511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.05.010

MICRO-MANAGEMENT IS AUTHENTIC BULLYING

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By: Stephanie Diana Wilson- Eubank

Micromanagement is a method of leadership which based on my research of remote work and my own work experience is a hostile and lazy form of leadership.  It is lazy because rather than leading with the understanding your greatest resources a company has is its employees.  Hostile because micromanagement has been shown to not only create room for management bullying but to cause harm to employees emotionally. Remote work becoming more normative since COVID has allowed for more transparency of how authentic leadership as a term being corrupted by controlling leaders who are insecure, and incompetent to shine through. Leading remote teams is more emotional work on the part of leadership but, it is good and necessary work.  Before I detailed the facts of how micromanagement is beyond harmful to employees onsite and remote there are some concepts of remote workers as a focus need to be detailed first.

Such as there is a great article pre COVID found on, https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/ame.2000.4468068 on how to manage remote workplaces.  In said article the author Cascio details how remote workers suffer from three types of isolation.

  • Social,
  • Professional, and
  • Geographical.

Due to these types of isolations managers of remote workers and teams need to work on calling or reaching out to subordinates.  Not just for status on projects or assignments.  Rather to reach out to employees and just say, “hi”. There is an interesting TED Talk, (Durrwachter, 2020); regarding the power of saying, “How are you doing?” and “ hello my friend”.  As leaders we need to bother to talk to our employees!  To ask, how are you?  We all have been traumatized globally by the pandemic.  Many of us are still living in the trauma.   The surprising thing is candid, open, and reasonable conversations spark and genuine leadership and communication arises.  Which is the true intention of authentic leadership.  Not the excuse to be a tyrant and a bully that the term has come to be synonymous with. 

However, there are articles like, (Milne, 2021); detailing how there is now spy ware for managers to investigate employee’s cameras and see them and monitor them.  Showing linkage with these programs with communication software like Slack where the user can watch a team and chastise them if they are not at their computer at the exact moment management is checking on them.   There is ample evidence on how micromanagement hurts the work force and can hurt a company’s work force.  Such as the article from Forbes, (Kurter, 2021); and the article from Psychology Today, (Golden, 2020); on how micromanagement hurts businesses.

Micromanagement is not only detrimental to a company and its employees but, it is a testament to lazy management.  How is it lazy management?  For one as noted in remote workplaces there is additional work that must be put into cultivating a team.  Micromanagement is a leaders’ scream that they as leaders did not hire people that they trust to get the job done.  When employees don’t feel like management trusts them it is unnerving.  Micromanagement just shows a leader who isn’t willing to adapt and get to know their team and how best to support them.  At the end of the day remote or onsite employees are a company’s best resource and need to be treated as such. 

If this article helped shed some light on how micromanagement is not in the best interest of a workforce especially not remote please share.

Work Cited

Cascio, W. F. (2000). Managing a virtual workplace. Academy of Management Perspectives, 14(3), 81–90. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.2000.4468068

https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/ame.2000.4468068

Durrwachter, D. (2020, October 1). Authentic leadership. TED. https://www.ted.com/talks/dianna_durrwachter_authentic_leadership.

Milne, S. (2021, September 5). Bosses turn to ‘Tattleware’ to keep tabs on employees working from home. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/05/covid-coronavirus-work-home-office-surveillance.

Kurter, H. L. (2021, July 1). Is micromanaging a form of bullying? here are 3 things you should know. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/heidilynnekurter/2021/06/29/is-micromanaging-a-form-of-bullying-here-are-3-things-you-should-know/?sh=45a23efa4467.

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Is it Authentic Leadership or an Excuse?

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By: Stephanie Diana Wilson- Eubank

There is a movement in trends of leadership called authentic leadership and in both on site and in remote workplaces authentic leadership as a skill is being perverted as an excuse for poor people skills and aggressive management behavior.  First let us define what authentic leadership is.  In layman’s terms it is a leader who is honest to all and is just genuinely themselves.  Not seeking approval from others so that the goals are the focus.

First off how is authentic leadership defined in professional capacity versus layman terms?  Forbes has a great article titled “What is Authentic Leadership” that you can check out for further clarification.  The link for that is, https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/05/12/what-is-authentic-leadership/amp/  However, to sum up the article an authentic leader is someone who is able to be themselves and are results driven with a brand of personal honesty.  If interested there is also a great Harvard Business Review article, https://hbr.org/amp/2005/12/managing-authenticity-the-paradox-of-great-leadership for more info on authentic leadership. 

Now this article is not to disparage different learning or performance types.  Everyone has a type of manager they work best with, but this article is specifically for those in leadership roles who act badly to their employees and argue they are using authentic leadership tactics.  This article is to bring the topic of abusive managers.  Where my focus topic of my research is regarding remote employees these sorts of bad players also do more emotional harm for remote employees.  Forbes also has a great article on what is detailed as professional isolation which is a normative pitfall for remote employees as they don’t get to interact with management face to face as often.  Which can put remote people at a disadvantage at the start.  Which means managers must do a little more collaboration to help ease that issue so that it does not create a constant revolving door of hiring.  You can check out the Forbes article at https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurelfarrer/2019/02/15/beware-professional-isolation-is-more-than-loneliness/?sh=17a736712723. 

First off how is authentic leadership defined?  Forbes has a great article titled “What is Authentic Leadership” that you can check out for further clarification.  The link for that is, https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/05/12/what-is-authentic-leadership/amp/  However, to sum up the article an authentic leader is someone who is able to be themselves and are results driven with a brand of personal honesty.  If interested there is also a great Harvard Business Review article, https://hbr.org/amp/2005/12/managing-authenticity-the-paradox-of-great-leadership for more info on authentic leadership. 

Many of us have had the boss like the meme from the office with the power object watch and the coffee mug saying, “Yeaaaaaa, I am going to need to you do this project in less time than we agreed”.  Or the manager that when you ask a legitimate question says, “you got to be f***ing kidding me” and starts to berate an employee for a simple question.   Or the manager who always says exactly what they are thinking with no filters.  My personal favorite has been a manager who throws items off desks and screams at people to get his way and HR explains away his behavior because he is a high producer and is, “passionate about his work”.  Yeah… someone’s “passion” should not require me to play dodgeball at work because he cannot accept federal agency guidelines for compliance.

However, Doctor Ramani who has been featured on several Youtube psychology channels, her own channel, and has lead Ted Talks on Narcissists and the abuses in all its forms.  This includes cases of narcissistic abuse within employment.  Here is a link to her interview at MedCircle titled, “Is Your Boss A Narcissist?” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P-5q0C31m4&feature=youtu.be .  In this the doctor analyzes she talks about how some managers have work place enablers who allow for managers to have all around bad or inappropriate behavior because they explain away the behavior as, “hey they get results” and/ or “hey they are mean but, you always can trust them to tell the truth”.  The truth is this is a perverted form of enabling narcissistic abuse and using the concept of authentic leadership as the excuse.    

In summary authentic leadership is not about who can be more of a jerk boss and call it honesty and result driven management.  That just perverts the concept of authentic leadership which is being one’s self enough to focus on tasks while still being a human.  When it comes to authentic leadership especially where remote employment is concerned.  Remembering in these COVID lockdowns as it reshapes our economy, we as leaders need to remember a little humanity and caring goes a long way.  And that humanity is the true sign of authentic leadership.