Speaker 1: Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office,
Speaker 1: the podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the
Speaker 1: new world of work where location and hours are more
Speaker 1: flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to get
Speaker 1: in the habit of asking how you can help when
Speaker 1: you're not face to face. You want to over communicate
Speaker 1: in general. One nice way to do that and to
Speaker 1: stay top of mind for people is to ask how
Speaker 1: you can support others in their work. When you're working
Speaker 1: in physical proximity to your boss, your colleagues, and your
Speaker 1: direct reports, you can pick up on a lot. You
Speaker 1: overhear phone conversations. You notice body language and facial expressions,
Speaker 1: You see who's meeting with whom. All this gives you
Speaker 1: insight into whether people are happy or whether they're struggling.
Speaker 1: And this isn't the case when we're working remotely, as
Speaker 1: many people are these days. We don't have the same
Speaker 1: opportunities to see for ourselves if others are making progress.
Speaker 1: It's slightly harder to have those casual how's it going
Speaker 1: interactions that then paved the way for real requests for help,
Speaker 1: and let's face it, many of us need help right now.
Speaker 1: People are being called upon to do their work in
Speaker 1: new ways and often without the usual supports. You may
Speaker 1: have worked in youth developments since your first job as
Speaker 1: a camp counselor, but your teens have always been right
Speaker 1: in front of you, not scattered in apartments throughout the city.
Speaker 1: You may have worked in corporate training for decades, but
Speaker 1: you've always had an I T. Person sitting right next
Speaker 1: to you to manage the technical aspects of webinars. Or
Speaker 1: maybe you started a new job in February you've not
Speaker 1: really even met the people you're now working with virtually,
Speaker 1: so you're basically figuring out everything from responsibilities to corporate
Speaker 1: culture on the fly. You'd probably appreciate someone reaching out
Speaker 1: to ask how they could help about now, right, So
Speaker 1: do unto others as you'd have them do unto you.
Speaker 1: Reach out to people in your professional circles and especially
Speaker 1: those you supervise, to ask how you can help. Don't
Speaker 1: assume that others will ask. Asking team members what they
Speaker 1: need is the most efficient way to get them the
Speaker 1: right resources. It's also an efficient way to keep them
Speaker 1: happy and productive. Someone might not volunteer that he and
Speaker 1: his wife are splitting childcare duties and that you're asking
Speaker 1: for ten am calls is a huge source of tension
Speaker 1: in the household. But if you ask about scheduling, you
Speaker 1: can figure out that setting calls at noon is perfectly fine,
Speaker 1: and if you're neutral between ten am and noon, well wow,
Speaker 1: big win. You can build time into any conversation to
Speaker 1: ask about how you can best support people's work. Your
Speaker 1: interest in helping is also a great reason to reach
Speaker 1: out to people in general. You can build connections and
Speaker 1: make existing one stronger. As you reach out to your
Speaker 1: network to offer help. You might learn that a former
Speaker 1: colleague has started a project to build face shields for
Speaker 1: medical workers with a three D printer. You can then
Speaker 1: contribute through the go fund me page. A former client
Speaker 1: might be looking for a new job, and this gives
Speaker 1: you the opportunity to personally pass along the resume to
Speaker 1: the right person. Of course, if you ask how people
Speaker 1: can help, people will probably ask the same of you,
Speaker 1: so be prepared with an answer even if you don't
Speaker 1: need anything immediately. You can ask for people's practical tips
Speaker 1: for virtual work, or recommendations for good books or podcasts
Speaker 1: to listen to. As you're isolating. We're all in this
Speaker 1: together and when we reach out openly and generously to
Speaker 1: find out where others are struggling, we can troubleshoot challenges together,
Speaker 1: find resource is when we need them, and get better
Speaker 1: outcomes for everyone. In the meantime. This is Laura, Thanks
Speaker 1: for listening, and here's the succeeding in the New Corner Office.
Speaker 1: The New Corner Office is a production of I Heart Radio.
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