Our latest fund-raising event: Masterclass with Larry English

On Thursday 29th July 2021, we were proud to be the beneficiary charity for ”Leadership in the New Virtual World”, a masterclass hosted by our partner organisation, the Inspiring Leadership International Academy.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for what was an inspiring masterclass with Larry English, president and co-founder of Centric Consulting and author of Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture With Virtual Teams. At this event, Larry talked about ‘’Leadership in the New Virtual World’’. In a new world of work where companies are increasingly going remote or hybrid, Larry’s insights could not be more relevant.

We learned the pandemic has truly given way to a shift in the way people work. Employees have realised that there is the possibility for improved flexibility within their lives, and organisations must adapt. Given the accelerated trends of remote, hybrid, freelance and gig working, Larry explained that leadership styles must change.

As a remote work expert, Larry shared his leadership tips for the new virtual world. He discussed the importance of getting personal to build trust and build fast connections, structuring in and facilitating opportunities for employees to get to know one another and that it is the leader’s role to design face-to-face interaction.

Larry emphasised inclusion and called for leaders to ‘make it a level playing field’ for advancement regardless of how ‘remote’ an employee chooses to work – including freelance/gig workers.

Larry recommended ‘being the model virtual employee,’ stating that it is down to leaders to facilitate downtime for their employees.

When it comes to unlocking discretionary effort, Larry highlighted that employees must be made to feel connected to the broader mission and passionate about their role within the organisation.

Finally, he left us with the interesting notion that software can create a sense of belonging; that you should not skimp on tools that improve efficiency, asynchronous work and organisational culture.

We thank Larry for hosting such a fascinating masterclass that captures the zeitgeist of the new virtual world.

To expand your learning about leadership in the virtual world, we recommend Larry’s book – Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture With Virtual Teams – https://lnkd.in/e8ibfWGT