What can I do to support you to do the best work of your life?
Yesterday Oli Barrett asked a question on twitter:
For the full post by Oli, LinkedIn users can see it here.
This brought me back to a quite brilliant question Chip Conley has always asked people who came to work for him.
“What can I do to support you to do the best work of your life here at {company name}”
@ChipConley
Oli’s tweet is really important, as I see many companies looking at shifts in the working environment post this lockdown without truly asking their people what they want and need.
Chip’s question, then, feels perfect for these times.
Our working environment leads, as Oli’s LI post notes, to a great series of questions, but ultimately the way Chip’s question raised the context adds so much more both in service of the team member and for the company.
Imagine the types of areas of conversation this can lead to?
Yes, whether and how much you work from home is one, but then asking things like:
- how best do you work?
- what interaction do you want or need with others?
- do you like randomness and spontaneity or prefer more structure and routine?
I have more than one client who, right now, are looking to take up MORE office space, just as others are looking to reduce this. Why? Well, first they are looking at what their team want and need to do the “best work of their life”, then this led them to really focussing on what the clients wish from them. When they looked at both, they realised that they could create a “hub” for both team members and client to come together to meet, relate, energise, inspire, co-create and, yes, “network”.
Hmm, the work I do is also about supporting leaders, so just as I encourage you to ask this of your team, let me also ask you, from me:
What can I do to support you to do the best work of your life?
Set up a call with me, I’d love to listen.
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