What’s your “preference”?

Do you like sweet or salty snacks? What if you could only have the one you picked for the rest of you life? How would you feel? This silly question is no different than people who want to be “fully remote” clashing with bosses who want “everyone to return to the office.”

Let me explain.

If you asked me if I liked sweet or salty snacks, I would quickly respond “salty.” I love chips and popcorn and pretzels. I love hummus and salsa and guacamole. I love french fries and tater tots. But then there are times when only a cookie or ice cream will do. There are situations (and even seasons) when sweet foods are just the thing I want.

So if you told me that I could “only” have salty snacks, we would probably end up in a fight. I wouldn’t be willing to make that all or nothing decision. I wouldn’t accept your ultimatum although I have a strong preference for one over the other.

Now let’s take this to the workplace. Just like snacks, we all have a preference but often when we express that preference, what other people hear is a finite statement. Sure, your employee may prefer to work from home, but a mature teammate knows that there are times when being in person is important. Sure, your manager may prefer to have everyone in the office, but a savvy leader knows that trusting and supporting their team is often more important than your own preferences.

If we could all start to think of work as a continuum instead of two points on either end of a vast space of nothingness, then I think we could begin to have more productive conversations about the future of work. Just like we can have sweet and salty snacks (sometimes if you’re lucky, even in the same bowl) we should be able to envision solutions for work that allow the right work to be done at the right place at the right time.

Isolated, heads down focused work no longer should have to be done with noise canceling headphones hoping to not be interrupted as you sit in a cubicle farm, but instead done at the optimal time for the team members brain in a location that allows them to flourish.

Team building and planning shouldn’t have to be done virtually because we are unwilling to get together in person, but instead done in a way that builds memories, connections, and alignment even if that is outside of the traditional office.

For years, executives at Fortune 500 companies have built team with their peers around the world in a hybrid style environment, doing most of their work virtually and getting together a few times a year to do the hard and important work in person. Based on business performance and stock price, I would say that those teams have been very effective at leading corporations as a hybrid team. I now challenge leaders at all levels to think differently about how work can be done, not just their preference or the way it was as we attempt to change the world or work!