Scott Stein - Hybrid Workplace Hacks: Strategies to Set Up and Lead Successful In-Person and Remote Teams

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2

1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3

SCOTT STEIN

First published in 2022 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
42 McDougall St, Milton Qld 4064

Office also in Melbourne

John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd 2022

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

ISBN: 978-1-119-89833-7

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.

Cover design: Wiley

Disclaimer
The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

Scott Stein has worked with thousands of leaders from around the world, helping them to become better leaders by fast-tracking their thinking and their approach with their people, in person and virtually. Scott is a highly sought after international speaker and mentor who has worked with a range of global and Australian businesses including American Express, Carlton & United Breweries, McDonald's, REA Group, City of Sydney, Westpac, Link Group, Toyota and Habitat for Humanity, to name a few.

He is based in Sydney, Australia, and travels the globe to help leaders identify and implement strategies that inspire their people to do the things that matter in less time to achieve greater success. This includes face-to-face events as well as delivering online across the globe. (During the pandemic he delivered over 100 virtual presentations!) As the CEO of an international learning and development company, Scott understands the challenges that leaders face when trying to manage a hybrid workforce. In addition he is a Thought Leaders Global Mentor, assisting the community to help clever people become commercially smart by improving the capturing and communication of their ideas.

His previous roles included National Operations Manager for a leadership development company based out of Atlanta, Georgia, that used the outdoors to accelerate learning. He was also the Learning & Development Manager for five manufacturing plants in Detroit, Michigan. Both of these roles gave him an opportunity to hone his practical business skills as he assisted in turning leaders and businesses around by improving communication and lifting performance.

Scott has a Master's Degree in Communication and taught Communication and Public Speaking at Central Michigan University. He has also received the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation from the Professional Speakers Association, which recognises him as one of the top speakers across the globe.

He is an author of five books including Leadership Hacks: Clever shortcuts to boost your impact and results, the smart leaders guide to achieving more in less time, from which this book is excerpted.

Scott believes successful leaders need to build community and give back. He is a founding board member of Hands Across the Water, an Australian charity established after the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami that has raised over $25 million and cares for more than 600 children across seven homes in Thailand. Supporting Scott's philosophy of hacking ways to boost impact, donations the charity receives go directly to the Thai projects without funds being spent on administration staff or marketing in Australia.

Over the years before and during the global pandemic I have been fortunate enough to work with amazing clients and colleagues, who have inspired me and allowed me to see firsthand how leadership hacks can boost results for leaders and their people. Thank you.

To my wonderful wife, Natalie: I want to thank you for all your support and encouragement. You continue to be the amazing person I met many years agofull of life and energy that you unselfishly give to so many people and the community.

To my incredible children: Jazzy, your wonderful smile always lights up a room and your quiet determination continues to impress me; Bella, your passion and commitment to push yourself to new heights inspire me; Luca, your cheeky laughter and can-do approach remind me to appreciate the important things in life. I would also like to thank my parents, Larry and Lorene, for inspiring me and telling me that I could do or be anything.

To Helen Macdonald for being a wonderful business partner and friend and to The Learning Difference team for helping us lift performance for so many people and organisations for over 20 years.

To Matt Church, thanks for being a true friend and mentor and helping me stick to my path. To the TL Mentors, Black Belts and the rest of the Thought Leaders Global tribe, thank you for your support and brilliance.

I would also like to thank each of the case study and contributing leaders: Ben Day-Roche, Greg Barnett, Amit Chanan, Ian Macoung and Michael Rosmarin. It is incredible to have such wonderful leaders willing to share their updated insights and hacks with others.

In addition, I would like to thank the team at Wiley, including Lucy Raymond for her belief in this book, Chris Shorten, Leigh McLennon and Ali Hiew for her incredible editing skills, which improved the overall flow of the book in this new edition.

Once again, my awesome business manager, Katrina Welch, also needs to be recognised. Year after year you keep me organised, make incredible things happen behind the scenes (through lots of hacks pre and post pandemic!) and can switch directions at a moment's notice. Thank you for your patience, friendship and commitment.

I would also like to thank you, the reader, for following your intuition and picking up this second edition of my book. My wish for you is that you can use these leadership hacks to boost your impact and results, working in person or remotely.

When the global pandemic hit the world, leaders had no choice but to change the way their people operated. With lockdowns being used to reduce the impact of COVID-19 many people had to quickly shift to working remotely. This created an entirely new way of working, with kitchen tables becoming the new desk and back-to-back Zoom meetings becoming the new norm. Leaders had to deal with isolation, staff mental health challenges and a massive amount of uncertainty that stretched them beyond typical business practices, and most had to make it up along the way.