Leadership Skills for a Future Hybrid Workforce

It’s undeniable that we’re entering a new era of hybrid work. While many leaders seek to run business as usual, why settle for the usual when virtual or hybrid teams allow us to work even better? The research shows that employees can be more productive and engaged when we break silos across distances and build a culture where team members can thrive from anywhere.

Which means leaders need the skills to succeed from anywhere.

In this meticulously researched, refreshingly practical talk, top business thought leader Erica Dhawan provides leaders with a complete guide to what she calls "Connectional intelligence" - a playbook to leading a hybrid culture, packed with everyday examples and insights. As radical a concept as Emotional Intelligence was in the 90s, Connectional Intelligence is turning people into superconnectors who accelerate innovation, break down silos and foster breakthrough bottom line impact in a hybrid world. This event provides everything you’ll need to survive, thrive and innovate across a hybrid workforce—which is something all leaders and team members will need to consider themselves part of from now on.

Key Takeaways:

• Address common challenges from adding new members virtually, to communicating effectively and quickly, managing performance and strike the right balance to avoid isolation and burnout
• Discover how to break down silos and keep teams motivated and aligned beyond in person meetings
• Build a hybrid culture where team members can thrive from anywhere
• Master how to market, sell and engage clients or customers in our changing marketplace

Stand Out From Anywhere: The Power of Digital Body Language

Email replies that show up a week later. Video chats full of “oops... sorry no you go” and “can you hear me?!” Ambiguous text-messages. Is it any wonder communication takes us so much time and effort to figure out? How did we lose our innate capacity to understand each other?

Humans rely on body language to connect and build trust, but with most of our communication happening from behind a screen, traditional body language signals are no longer visible - or are they? In her keynote, Erica combines cutting edge research with engaging storytelling to decode the new signals and cues that have replaced traditional body language. In person, we lean in, uncross our arms, smile, nod and make eye contact to show we listen and care. Online, reading carefully is the new listening. Writing clearly is the new empathy. And a phone or video call is worth a thousand emails.

In this keynote, Erica will help you stand out and supercharge your teams with collectively understood rules that foster connection, build trust and drive innovation.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand your collaboration style and the digital body language signals you may be broadcasting (even if you don't intend to!)
• Create cultures of maniacal clarity across email, phone, IM, text, video and even live meetings
• Develop a collaboration or sales strategy that fosters valuable relationships, both in-person and online
• End cultures of useless meetings, missed deadlines, and digital misunderstandings

Digital Communications Skills for a Modern Sales Team

 As we transition to a world where virtual sales, marketing and engagement is the norm rather than the exception, sales and service professionals are realizing that there is an intangible missing factor without in-person body language. In this conversation, learn the art and science of using Digital Body Language to enhance virtual engagement, marketing and selling tactics, make the most of phone and video visits, and stand out in the current marketplace. Learn the 4 laws of Digital Body Language, how to apply the trust equation in a virtual world and leave with an action plan to improve the buyer experience, no matter the distance.

Outcomes Include:

• Understand the new signals of the "trust equation" in a virtual context and what cues you broadcast (even if you don't intend to)
• Gain new, research-based strategies to improve marketing tactics, incorporate powerful digital visual aids and generate buyer engagement
• Make a great first and last video, phone and email impression and mobilize potential or existing buyers to take action
• Most importantly, discover specific ways to improve buyer urgency and build trust using Digital Body Language, with the goal of driving loyalty, referrals, and revenue.

Concrete Empathy: A Playbook for Modern Day Inclusion and Wellbeing

We live in a culture defined by a distinct empathy deficit: The boss who expresses displeasure without giving valuable feedback. The mansplaining colleague who has no interest in the opinions of others. The team member who spends most of the meeting texting and answering emails.

Why is empathy today at such a low point? Fewer face-to-face interactions, an ever-accelerating pace of change, and an increasing number of matrixed teams working remotely.

In this keynote, attendees will learn practical ways to activate true inclusion and wellbeing to create cultures of psychological safety, employee engagement, and innovation.

Learning Outcomes:

• Discover simple ways to signal understanding and empathy across difference, diversity and distance
• Learn rules of thumb to avoid misunderstanding, ambiguity, and conflict
• Gain tools to foster authentic engagement and create lasting relationships both within your organization and with clients, customers and other key stakeholders

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