125 - A new way of thinking about hybrid work with Cliff Pollan

After a year and a half of panicked, rushed remote and hybrid work, we are long overdue a calm presence - a voice of reason. Someone to steer the ship and settle the stormy waters, to help us see sense and chart a path towards a more successful, enjoyable, and thriving hybrid work environment.

We need Cliff Pollan!

Cliff’s been navigating the depths of hybrid and remote work for decades – having penned articles about video calls before Zoom was even a noun and worked in hybrid-first companies before the internet even existed!

I invited Cliff to hold a conversation about hybrid work, what we need to take on (and leave behind) to make it succeed, and the role of facilitation in that success.

This conversation truly opened up a world of possibilities, perspectives, and positive ideas for me – I hope it will do the same for you!

Find out about:

• The deeper-than-expected roots of hybrid work
• Examining and overcoming the linguistic traps in “remote work”
• Why agency is at the heart of successful hybrid teams
• Understanding hybrid work as a space, rather than just a collection of tools
• Navigating the ‘laws’ of video calls, visibility, and presence
• Facilitation as an essential professional and life skill
• Why we need to abandon the idea that the physical space is ‘the centre of the universe’

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Questions and Answers

[01:02] When did you start calling yourself a facilitator, if you do?

[01:33] How would you describe the ‘craft’ of facilitation?

[03:15] What makes a workshop fail?

[05:41] Can you explain a little about Welo, the tool you’ve developed?

[11:00] How did you perceive and experience hybrid work pre-pandemic?

[16:29] What role does agency play in making hybrid work succeed?

[20:13] How do ‘office hours’ work in a virtual space?

[27:17] Do you have a favourite icebreaker or interaction-promoting exercise?

[32:27] What role does video play in hybrid work?

[35:58] Did we need to collectively experience ‘Zoom fatigue’ to find the right frequency for video calls?

[40:23] How important is it to share your reason for having your camera off?

[43:44] What does it take to equip people with the skills to facilitate better, more equitable discussions?

[46:31] Why have we not yet had the watershed moment of widespread facilitation training?

[52:22] What merit is there in having on-site staff share the same space in a hybrid meeting?

[55:48] What is it about sharing a physical space that feels special?

[58:28] If your team sits across time zones, how can you account for the impact on group dynamics?

[59:36] What is the one thing you would like listeners to take away from this episode?

Links

WELO - Cliff’s company

Connect to Cliff:

On LinkedIn
 

Any thoughts? Share them with us!

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