The Leader Mindset #4

Table of Contents

• Did We Miss Our Best Opportunity to Change Leaders …

• Free Resouces

  • Stay Interview Guide

Did We Miss Our Best Opportunity to Change Leadership Forever?

*This post is a bit longer - I have been thinking about this one for a while.”

For over a century, leadership has been stuck in a time loop. Ever since Frederick Taylor’s scientific management took hold during the Industrial Revolution, companies have operated on a command-and-control model of leadership, where leaders monitored, measured, and maximized efficiency. Employees? A cog in that efficiency flywheel.

While leadership has evolved in some ways, the actual transformation has been slow, inconsistent, and met with resistance.

Then came 2020. And suddenly, the system cracked.

The Great Leadership Experiment: What the Pandemic Proved

Practically overnight, remote work wasn’t a luxury; it was the only way to survive. Millions of employees were beyond the watchful eyes of their managers. This was going to be a disaster, right?!

Before 2020, conventional wisdom said remote work simply wasn’t possible. If employees weren’t in the office, how would leaders know they were actually working? Clearly, productivity would crater, and collaboration would collapse.

Except… none of that happened.

Productivity Didn’t Tank—It Grew

Turns out, employees didn’t need a manager hovering over their desks to get work done.

•  A Stanford study found remote workers were 13% more productive due to fewer distractions, fewer sick days, better efficiency, and less commute time.

• A 2025 study on government workers found a 16% productivity boost with remote work.

•  Great Place to Work analyzed 800,000 Fortune 500 employees—productivity was the same or higher than pre-pandemic.

• 61% of employees say they get more done at home than in an office (Forbes).

More Engagement, Less Burnout

Remote workers reported higher job satisfaction, better work-life balance, and hire retention. (meta-analysis findings).

• Gallup found hybrid employees were more engaged than their in-office counterparts.

• 63% of job seekers are less likely to apply for jobs without remote options (Forbes).

• 81% of employees reported improved well-being working remotely (Forbes).

Remote work wasn’t just a viable option; in some instances, it was better.

What Actually Changed in Leadership?

Remote work didn’t just change where we worked. It forced a shift in how leaders led.

For years, we’ve known leadership is about trust, empowerment, and results. But the pandemic forced leaders to actually practice these principles.

✅ Empowerment & Autonomy – Leaders had to trust employees to manage their time and complete their work.

✅ Results-Focused Leadership – The real measure of success? What you accomplish, not where or how long you work.

✅ Empathy and Well-being mattered – Mental health and work-life balance became business priorities, not just HR buzzwords.

✅ Intentional Communication – Communication technologies (e.g., Zoom) replaced impromptu office chats. Regular check-ins to establish clarity and alignment were essential. 

For the first time in 100 years, we had a chance to break free from outdated leadership models. Finally, we had leaders focused on the right things.

Taylorism was dead. Mission accomplished! We had entered a new era of leadership.

Or so we thought.

Inertia Strikes Back: The Push to Return to the Office

Despite the overwhelming success of remote work and years passing since the pandemic's start, the “return to office” drumbeat began.

Some of the most famous CEOs (you know their names) claimed "culture was suffering" and "people were less productive at home" despite convincing evidence proving the opposite.

Companies rushed employees back to their cubicles and commutes, citing vague concerns about "collaboration" and "innovation" as if Slack, Zoom, and TEAMs had suddenly stopped working.

 The Real Problem? We Failed Our Leaders.

Remote work wasn’t the problem. We just never taught leaders how to lead in a remote world.

• We provided them with new communication technologies (Zoom and Slack) and expected them to be great virtual communicators (or communicators in general).

• We told them to "trust their teams" but never taught them how to lead with trust rather than control.

• We said, "measure results, not hours," but never explained how to do that.

• We put them in charge of remote teams without teaching them how to coach, engage, or build culture in a virtual world.

Instead of redefining leadership for the future, we treated remote work like a temporary inconvenience.

When leaders struggled or felt performance stress, they did what any human would do: resorted to what they knew.

The old ways. The familiar. Return to the office!

And just like that, our greatest opportunity to reinvent leadership was slipping through our fingers.

So, Did We Miss Our Best Chance?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Despite the missed opportunity, nearly half the workforce still works remotely at least part-time. So, the need for strong remote leadership isn’t going away.  

How to Lead Remote Employees Like a Pro

If remote and hybrid work are here to stay, we need to redouble our efforts to teach leaders new skills.

 1. Set a Remote Leadership Playbook

A strong remote team doesn’t happen by accident. It needs alignment and clarity.

✅ Set team norms – How quickly do we respond to messages? Are video calls preferred? When are focus hours? Make expectations crystal clear.

✅ Standardize tools – Too many tools = chaos. Pick one project management tool, communication platform, and file-sharing system.

✅ Clarify decision-making – Who needs to be involved? What requires a meeting vs. an email? Remove ambiguity.

2. Lead with Intentional Visibility

In an office, visibility happens naturally. Remotely, you must intentionally create it.

✅ Hold weekly “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) sessions so employees can raise concerns.

✅ Record a 2-minute Monday video outlining priorities and wins.

✅ Set leadership “office hours” for quick check-ins. Eliminate unnecessary meetings.

✅ Hold regular 1:1s and team meetings to align and engage.

3. Provide Growth & Development in a Remote World

One of the biggest remote fears of workers? Feeling stuck and invisible.

✅ Create career roadmaps - discuss growth in quarterly development conversations.

✅ Launch virtual mentorship programs - pair junior employees with senior mentors.

✅ Invest in developmental experiences - provide stretch assignments, exposure to Sr. Leaders, and high-impact training. Keep your team members visible.

4. Keep Meetings Short & High-Value

Remote meetings shouldn’t feel like punishment.

✅ Start some meetings with small talk breakout rooms to allow for personal connection.

✅ Start with a clear agenda - stick to it, end on time.

✅ Implement a “No-Meeting Half-Day” each week for deep work.

5. Measure Results, Not Hours

Stop tracking an employee’s green light status in TEAMs. Start tracking results.

✅ Create a team scorecard so everyone knows if the team is winning.

✅ Use data, not gut feelings, to measure performance—output matters more than online status.

✅ Use 1:1s for feedback and goal tracking.

6. Build Collaboration from Anywhere

Collaboration isn’t about proximity. It’s about intention.

✅ Create space for organic connection - virtual coffee chats, structured collaboration days, or occasional in-person retreats keep relationships strong.

✅ Set expectations for sync vs. async work - not everything needs a live call.

Final Thought: The Leadership Reset We Still Need

We had an opportunity to change leadership forever.

And we fumbled it. But it’s not too late.

The future of leadership isn’t about where people work.

It’s about how we lead.

So, the real question is:

Are we ready to build the skills leaders actually need? 

Free Resouces

Stay Interview Guide

I included free stay interview guide that can help you re-engage your team. If you would like a customizable version of the stay interview, send me an email - [email protected].

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I appreciate you reading my newsletter. I look forward to seeing you again next week.

Andy