Mike Scott – Co-founder and CEO of Nona

Restrictions in almost all facets of life and particularly in relation to work arrangements have been rapidly adjusted to. Humankind has taken all related challenges within stride. As we generally do, as a species. CEOs are no different, today they are ‘Remote CEOs’. Some are acing it – in their own way.

Adjustment or choice

The conversation today is no longer about adjustment. This was just the initial knee-jerk response to suddenly being locked down and immobile.

As things relax and being locked down becomes more a choice rather than a directive, many remote CEO s are opting to continue with remote arrangements, having experienced first-hand the positives while being forcibly required to do so.

Most companies that are choosing to continue with remote work are doing so. Primarily doing so, for either productivity / cost reasons, or from the perspective of a duty of care.

Regardless of the rationale, when working remote, it is easy to fall into the mistake of assuming that everything is fine simply because work keeps ticking over, sometimes better than before.

Many locked down employees find themselves working longer and harder from home, than they ever did from the office.

Leading from remote

Business leaders, who today lead through screens, must deliberately invest in ensuring that their company cultures are not adversely impacted through remote work, whether remote is a chose avenue or otherwise.

As Mike Scott, CEO of Nona, says, getting things done is relatively easy, protecting the culture that has painstakingly been built, requires more effort.

Getting things done is relatively easy, protecting the culture that has painstakingly been built, requires more effort.

Humans are social creatures, even at work.

The best developed and implemented remote work systems cannot replicate the personal interactions that make work, work for most. A remote CEO should be well aware about this.

Therefore, the achievement of the same productivity levels from home, as was evident before our Big Lockdown, was simply the lowest common denominator. As the planet shifts into the next phase of this great shift, remote CEO s must focus on, what Mike Scott calls, human-ing better.

There is a very real potential for people to become disconnected, lonely and disengaged. All the while, they can still produce the goods. Without physical interaction, the cues for a leader to spot the warning signs reduce greatly.

To combat this, remote CEO s and leaders must start thinking in terms of spiritual, mental and physiological aspects of themselves, and their teams.

As important as meeting the quarterly numbers are, they must invest as much in ensuring that their positive energy and emotional impact lifts their teams as well.

For many, it will require introspection and the adoption of specific tools, processes, structures and routines that fit properly.

This is not a normal situation for anyone, so there will be no natural adaptation – it has to be conscious and deliberate.

Be human

Workplace culture is so delicate, so fluid.

A great company culture is at risk of being destroyed as a result of suddenly imposed remote arrangements. You need to take things by the scruff of their necks, see the opportunity for positive improvement in yourself, individually, and for your teams and ultimately your work culture.

Mike’s advice, offered first to his own people, is to be human as often as you can.

Weight up good human outcomes against good business outcomes (since the latter is driven massively by the former).

Deliberately lead to force interaction in the artificially connected workplace, and then reach out as a leader to people, for no reason but to just talk.

Communicate as much as you can, then triple it.

He isn’t  just dishing out advice, this is what he actually does with his own team. You should, too.

Catch the interview with Mike by our own Kyle Black here.

Again. Communicate as much as you can, then triple it