Sheldon Romer

Leading Through the Pandemic: Six Practices For Better Engagement

More than a year ago COVID forced us to burrow into our homes. For many, that meant radically novel work environments: Zoom meetings, kitchen table desks, commutes counted in steps rather than miles.

As we emerge from our dens and tip-toe our way back into the office, we will encounter workplaces in the midst of radical evolution. Among many other things, my client’s observation reveals that our muscle memory for simple workplace socialization and collaboration has grown weak, with so many months of toiling remotely and alone.

Inform

A paralyzing, anxiety-charged experience: waiting for results after a medical test. In the absence of information, people tend to plunge towards bad places. Reliable information, on the other hand, dampens and in many cases eliminates anxiety. People now are information-starved about their workplaces. They hop on Zoom calls, and exchange texts and emails, but it’s …

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Communicate, communicate, communicate

In fact, over-communicate.  We aren’t connected in the same manner as pre-COVID. Those bonds, often borne out of physical proximity in offices, were powerful communication vectors. Messages would get filtered down from leadership about new initiatives. People would talk about them in lunch breaks and meetings, during chance encounters in hallways. Messages spread quickly and …

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Listen Deeply

Listening and leadership complement each other in powerful ways. There is no such thing as a good leader who lacks listening skills. Listening is essential for effective leadership. I urge leaders to practice listening with partners, friends and colleagues. As the listener, pay close attention. Try to restate what you hear.  The next step is …

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Leading Through the Pandemic: Foundational Practices

A client of mine, recently told me a story illustrating something I’ve been routinely hearing during conversations with business leaders. After a year of working from home, the firm’s employees recently began alternating weeks at home and in the office. My client decided to throw an outdoor luncheon, to bring people together again. “It was …

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