Navigating the Hybrid Work World: A Guide to Mastering Disciplined Happiness

This blog is inspired by listening to the Better Happy podcast – hosted by Mike Jones with Dan Sodergren co-founder of Your FLOCK the employee feedback platform on as a guest. You can listen to that here. 

How Not To Be A Dick In Management | Guest Dan Sodergren | Ep 005

With the rise of remote and hybrid work, the importance of discipline and structure cannot be overstated. Without a physical workplace to structure our days, it can be tempting to fall into the trap of procrastination and distraction.

In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of discipline and structure in modern work environments, and offer some tips for incorporating these elements into your work routine.

Discipline and structure are essential for achieving productivity and maintaining focus in today’s work environments. 

With so many distractions vying for our attention, it can be challenging to stay on track and get things done. But with discipline and structure, we can establish a clear roadmap for our workday and ensure that we stay on task. This can lead to increased productivity, improved time management, and reduced stress levels.

One way to incorporate discipline and structure into your work routine is to establish a set schedule for your workday. This can include specific times for tasks like checking email, taking breaks, and tackling specific projects. By setting clear boundaries for your workday, you can stay on task and avoid distractions that might otherwise derail your productivity.

Another way to incorporate discipline and structure is to establish daily rituals that help you focus and maintain a sense of routine. 

This might include habits like doing a quick meditation exercise before starting work, taking a walk at lunchtime to clear your mind, or setting aside time each day to review your goals and progress.

Ultimately, the key to incorporating discipline and structure into your work routine is to be intentional and consistent. By establishing clear goals and routines, and sticking to them over time, you can create a work environment that supports your productivity and helps you achieve your professional goals.

Importance of Happiness at Work

In today’s fast-paced and technology-driven world, businesses and employees have lost the essence of happiness in the workplace. It has become more about productivity and completing targets rather than enjoying the work and being happy with the processes involved. Happiness at work not only benefits the employees but also has a significant impact on the success of the business. In this blog post, we will discuss the importance of happiness at work for the success of a business.

Happy employees tend to be more productive, creative, and innovative than their unhappy counterparts. When employees are happy at their workplace, they are more engaged, and their work quality improves. This, in turn, leads to increased profitability and customer satisfaction, thus contributing to the success of the business. Moreover, happy employees tend to have a positive attitude towards their work, which boosts team morale and collaboration. It helps in building a positive work culture and reducing employee turnover rates. Therefore, it is essential to ensure employee happiness to achieve long-term success for a business.

As a manager or leader, it is imperative to understand the importance of employee happiness and work towards it. Providing a positive and supportive work environment, recognizing and appreciating the efforts of employees, and fostering a sense of purpose and belonging can help in promoting happiness and well-being at work. It is also essential to give employees the autonomy to make decisions that affect their work and the freedom to express their ideas and opinions. A happy workplace can lead to lower absenteeism, increased motivation, and job satisfaction for employees, ultimately leading to the success and growth of the business.

Understanding team values and motivations is crucial for creating a cohesive and successful team. When team members have a clear understanding of each other’s values and motivations, they are better equipped to work together effectively. By aligning their values and goals, team members can create a shared vision and direction for their work.

In the case of Your Flock – the employee feedback platform, understanding team values and motivations was instrumental in creating a successful company culture. The company’s engagement and feedback platform are rooted in the idea of linking individual values and motivations to team dynamics. When team members have the ability to provide feedback and are heard, they feel valued. Consequently, they are more engaged in their work and more invested in the company’s success. In summary, understanding team values and motivations leads to better communication, higher engagement, and a stronger company culture.

This is what we help our clients at Your FLOCK do. Increasing their employee engagement and perhaps more importantly their employee retention. 

Different Personalities: Understanding the Spectrum

One of the biggest challenges in working with different personalities and communication styles is simply understanding that we are all different. We tend to think that everyone thinks like us and get frustrated when they don’t. This is especially pronounced in team settings where people of different personalities and communication styles come together. While a person might be an extroverted ideas person, there are others who are the exact opposite of that. This can create challenges for all of us, irrespective of our personalities.

Research into psychology and sociology shows that people have different psychological moments and traits that are unique to them. This research can help us understand different personalities and communication styles, and provide insights on how to navigate them. For example, using tools like insights training, Belbin, and Myers-Briggs can help us identify our personality traits and better communicate with others. 

It’s important to realize that each personality type has its strengths and weaknesses and that there is no right or wrong personality. Rather, the key is to figure out how to work together despite our differences, respect each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and collaborate to achieve our goals.

As Dan admits this is one of the reasons he invested into Your FLOCK – in the first place. As he wasn’t a great manager due to his lack of experience and emotional intelligence or empathy when he was younger. 

Understanding Different Personalities

As a manager or leader, it’s crucial to understand and manage different personalities in your team. People are different, and what works for you may not work for someone else. When you don’t recognize these differences, you risk getting people to their breaking point, and this can affect the productivity and success of your team. Understanding your team’s motivations, values, and behaviours can make a huge difference in how you manage and lead them.

It’s also important to realise that when your boss is hard to work with or comes off as a “dick,” they’re most likely not doing it on purpose. A great point made by Mike on the podcast. They may not have the necessary training or support to recognize that people are different, and this can unintentionally affect the team’s morale. This is why it’s important to understand different personalities. By being aware of these differences, you can adjust your communication style and management tactics to better suit your team and keep them motivated. Whether you are managing a team of developers or any other profession, getting to understand each team member is key to achieving a high-performing workforce.

The Importance of Leadership

Leadership is an essential aspect of running any organisation effectively. Leaders must possess a range of qualities to manage teams and motivate them to achieve their goals. One such quality is empathy and understanding team members’ motivations and values. It is vital for a leader to understand that their team comprises individuals with unique characteristics, motivations, and values. This understanding allows a leader to tailor their management style to fit each member’s unique qualities, which will positively impact morale and productivity.

A team’s success is dependent on several factors, and one of the most significant factors is understanding team members’ motivations and values. Each team member has a unique set of motivators, and it’s imperative for their leader to take the time to understand and acknowledge them. By understanding what motivates each team member, a leader can create an environment that fosters growth and development. Additionally, values play a vital role in defining a team’s culture. (Which is what Your FLOCK allows you to investigate) 

A leader must listen to the team members’ values to create a work environment that aligns with their values. Creating a culture that aligns with the team members’ values enhances job satisfaction, increases work engagement, and boosts morale. In conclusion, a leader must lead their team from a place of empathy and understanding of team members’ motivations and values.

Challenges Faced by Managers Transitioning to Leadership Roles

One of the biggest challenges faced by managers transitioning into leadership roles is the shift in mindset. While managers focus on maintaining the status quo and ensuring that things are running smoothly, leaders are driven by innovation and constantly looking for ways to improve and reinvent. This difference in perspective can lead to frustration and a lack of enthusiasm from the team, making it difficult for the leader to get buy-in and support.

Another common challenge for managers is finding a balance between their old role and new responsibilities. 

As a manager, they were part of the team and focused on their own tasks and goals. However, as a leader, their role is to think about the bigger picture and guide the team towards the company’s objectives. This shift can be overwhelming and emotionally taxing, especially if the manager is not naturally inclined towards entrepreneurship. Recognizing and addressing these challenges is crucial for new leaders to effectively lead their team and achieve success.

Feedback is a powerful tool for leaders looking to navigate the challenges of transitioning from a manager to a leader. By providing a platform for employees to have a voice and share their thoughts, leaders can gain valuable insights and ideas for improving the team’s performance and achieving their goals. The ability to receive feedback also helps leaders to identify their own blind spots and areas for growth, promoting self-awareness and personal development. 

A methodology like Your Flock can be an effective framework for implementing feedback into your leadership style. Your Flock is not just a piece of technology, but a methodology for creating a culture of transparency and communication within your team. By incorporating Your Flock’s core principles – including feedback, honesty, and openness – leaders can promote a collaborative and inclusive environment that fosters innovation and growth. 

Ultimately, the power of employee feedback can help new leaders overcome the challenges of transitioning into their new role, better understand their team’s needs, and achieve success together.

The Importance of Company Culture for Employee Engagement and Productivity

Employee engagement and productivity are crucial for any business’s success, and one of the most significant factors influencing both is company culture. When employees don’t feel that they belong or aren’t allowed to express themselves at work, disengagement and decreased productivity inevitably follow. This is why it’s crucial to cultivate a positive work culture that values and encourages employee input, autonomy, and purpose.

Additionally, the size of a company and its teams can also affect its cultural dynamics. As companies grow, the danger point seems to come when there are more than eight people in a team or more than 30 people in the company. The larger the team, the more complicated the communication and coordination become, and the more likely it is for top leaders to have a different perspective from everyone else. 

These challenges are further exacerbated by hybrid work, which can lead to disconnection and decreased morale. As a result, it’s essential to recognize the true costs of losing staff, including the lost opportunity, the additional stress on remaining employees, and the significant dip in team morale. Ultimately, nurturing a positive company culture isn’t just a matter of being “hippie” or immaterial. It’s a strategic necessity for any successful business.

Keeping employees happy should be the prime focus of any business. Richard Branson agrees that happy employees lead to happy customers, which in turn results in a successful business. When employees are content with their work environment and feel appreciated, they are more productive and less likely to seek employment elsewhere. This is particularly true in industries such as marketing and creative fields where clients may follow their preferred employees.

The Importance of Codifying the Company’s Essence

For a remote or hybrid workforce, codifying the company’s essence – its vision, mission, and values – is essential for creating a sense of purpose and passion for work. Communication can be challenging in remote situations, and it can quickly erode if the business’s core values and vision are not made clear. In smaller businesses, the company’s essence might reside in the leader, but in larger companies, it becomes essential to codify the company’s values and disseminate them throughout various teams. By doing this, employees can connect with the essence of the business and feel excited about their work, regardless of their location.

Remote first is crucial in the current pandemic situation. Businesses that were remote first before the pandemic might have suffered comparatively less loss in productivity. For instance, businesses that were established without a company culture didn’t have to make a drastic change while switching to remote work. Therefore, the concept of remote first makes a lot of sense, and we must consider it.

The Rise of Hybrid Work

A lot of people don’t want to work in a fully remote environment. NOt everyone but lots. As people tend to crave human interaction and communication, which is not possible in a remote work setting. Especially for marketing and creative teams – which is where Your FLOCK does most of our work. Therefore, hybrid work has grown in popularity. Hybrid work refers to a combination of in-office and remote work where you work in the office for 2-3 days and remotely for the rest of the days.

Data suggests that optimal productivity is achieved when we work on a hybrid model. If we work purely at home, productivity is considerably lower as compared to a balanced model. Similarly, if we work entirely in the office, productivity also drops. Therefore, the key is to balance human interaction and remote work to achieve maximum productivity.

Before the pandemic, only 4% of people were working remotely. This number has increased to 80-90% for knowledge workers, and it’s still up by ten times higher than a decade ago. This massive shift highlights the significance of hybrid work in today’s world. We must learn to embrace it as it is here to stay. As both Mike and Dan agree. 

Hybrid work is the future, and we must adapt to it. Businesses need to work on finding that sweet spot where hybrid work is balanced to achieve maximum productivity. Similarly, employees must be open to learning new ways of communication and interaction to ensure that they thrive in this remote work world.

The adaption will be speaking at – at our next Your FLOCK event – so do come along.

What is the future of work for creative, tech and marketing agencies?