Jim Frawley is an Executive Development Consultant and Coach passionate about building resilient organizations by helping people plan for and respond to change. He is a TEDTalk speaker, author of “Adapting in Motion: Finding Your Place in the New Economy” and Host of the “Jim’s Take Podcast”. Host Mike Petrusky gets his perspective on how the post-pandemic workplace has fundamentally changed due to technological advances and the changing psychology of the workforce. Together, they explore how facility management and corporate real estate leaders must enhance their change management strategies and better communicate the significant value of in-person interactions in the workplace.
Agenda
- The importance of asking questions
- Conversation about the impact of COVID-19 on the workplace and change management
- The value of social interaction in a professional setting
- Practical advice for the future of the workplace
What you need to know: Workplace takeaways
Takeaway 1: Change is inevitable, and leaders need to adapt to it
The episode highlighted the importance of embracing change in the workspace and using it as a tool for growth instead of viewing it as an obstacle. Both Mike P and Jim Frawley emphasized the need for leaders to adapt to change, understand the difference between problems and circumstances, and respond to situations appropriately.
Frawley explains: “Problems you can solve, circumstances you have to respond to, and you cannot solve a circumstance. And change is a circumstance.” He also stressed the need for leaders to “build the capacity to make effective decisions in the moment and constantly asking: ‘How do we build a belief system to know that you’re making the right decision?’”
Mike P agrees that “Good leaders need to lead, and we all are leaders in one way or another, whether you’re the chief executive, all the way down to the individual. We lead ourselves in how we choose to operate in our individual environment.”
Takeaway 2: The importance of asking questions
The speakers stressed the importance of asking questions as a key tool for growth and development both personally and professionally. Asking questions allows for a deeper understanding of situations and promotes effective decision-making.
Frawley emphasizes, “The most important thing a person can learn right now, outside of being social, is to enjoy the company of other people. But if we’re talking to leadership or facility managers or meeting the needs of clients, the most important thing you can learn is the ability to ask questions.”
To illustrate his point, he further added, “The definition of a question is a request for information where you legitimately do not know the answer… Because when you ask a non-judgmental question of yourself or people around you, it changes the answer and the way people interact with you.”
Takeaway 3: The value of physical office space in the era of remote work
In discussing the future of work, the speakers acknowledged the benefits of remote work but also highlighted the value of physical office space. They emphasized the need for spaces to be valuable and conducive to social interaction and collaboration.
Frawley mentions: “How do you make your space have value? Coming to the office in person has to have value.”
He further elaborates, “What’s relevant to making this space really unique so that someone will sign on and say, that’s somewhere where I need my people to be, and you’ve got everything that we need and it’s just providing added value.”
This conversation reinforces the idea that while the future of work may be flexible, the physical office still holds value for collaboration, creativity, and social interaction.
Workplace management insights
- The ability to ask non-judgmental questions can change career trajectories and personal assumptions.
- There are significant mental health benefits to in-person social interaction, which can be lost when working remotely
- The physical office space should provide value to employees, including social events and networking opportunities.
- Change is a circumstance that can’t be fixed but can be responded to effectively with the right mindset and preparation.
Check out the “On My Way To Work” video series
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