The Human Philosophy of Hybrid Work: A Call for Transformative Leadership

In an era of relentless change, deliberate hybrid work isn’t a fleeting fad — it’s now an existential requirement for many businesses. Understanding (much less mastering) hybrid work feels like trying to hit a moving target from the back of an angry bull thrashing in a wave pool while the onlooking crowd cheers alternatingly for a) the bull, b) the target, and even c) the waves. But never for you.  

In a word, it feels hard. Because it is. 

But like so many other things in this life, that challenge is pointing us toward the goal. And I’m here to help us all embrace the mess along the way. 

At Intuit, where I’ve steered teams through the complex learning journey of post-pandemic work plans, I came to see that hybrid work isn’t simply about deciding whether a meeting is on Zoom or in person, but rather an inextricable part of an organization’s culture. Success in hybrid requires a genuine mindset shift and a renewed focus on core virtues of empathy, humility. Most of all it requires a profound commitment to face the ever-multiplying complexities which leaders juggle today.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing more details about the process I used to develop and execute a team focused hybrid work strategy for a 17,000 person global company, insights on what worked and what didn’t (and why), and my personal frameworks for creating a successful hybrid work culture in teams and organizations of any size.

Before I do, I want to ground us in some critical self-reflection work, as well as what I believe are the pillars of a successful hybrid work approach.

Debunking the “Us vs. Them” Myth in the Hybrid Landscape

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

-Author Unknown

I am keenly aware of the risk that I am just pandering to an instagram crowd with a quote often (incorrectly) attributed to the brilliant psychologist Viktor E. Frankl, but hear me out. 

When it comes to hybrid work, I all too regularly see debates starting from an oversimplified, almost tribal, mentality: the workforce believes management wants people in chairs at the office, while management believes the workforce has gone soft and isn’t willing to do hard work. This dichotomy is bunk for many reasons, but most crucially because it overlooks the collective emotional and logistical upheaval we’ve all undergone. 

The modern workforce has undergone a significant transformation, marked by a collective trauma that has shifted our lives. Whether in knowledge-based roles or as essential workers, the pandemic era has been a time of uncertainty, loss, and growth. Everyone in the workforce has shared in the collective shock of a world turned upside down. Everyone in the workforce faces not just a changing work model, but changing life models: combating burnout, juggling family needs, and feeling adrift on an uncertain sea. Everyone in the workforce wants to feel a sense of normalcy and relief and satisfaction that they are doing enough.

Deliberate hybrid work models must recognize everyone as a person with a rich life, striving to fit work and life together seamlessly because everyone was affected and experienced this catalyzing event. Paul Bennett, co-chair of IDEO, recently talked about this in a conversation with Charter, calling out the need for both a carrot (vs stick) approach and a clear call to approach this seriously: 

“Hybrid is real, yes. Don't fight it and don't be a jerk about it. Everyone is trying to figure out how to deal with childcare and how to deal with going to the gym and how to deal with elderly relatives and not getting Covid. All that stuff is real. That's not just millennial angst. You've got to actually genuinely listen to the stuff that's behind all of that. That's a real cry for a different way of working.”

The tendency to divide ourselves into camps often stems from a sense of overwhelm, a common feeling post-pandemic. But division won’t help us. We are on a collective journey, and the road ahead requires shared labor, emotional and otherwise. I implore anyone attempting to navigate this path to find the space, choose your response, and make that choice about hearing the people who you are leading or by whom you are being led, and ultimately finding the growth and freedom that lies at the heart of the promise of hybrid work.

Pillars for a Hybrid Success Model

The best hybrid work models are developed to fit the teams and organizations which live and breathe them. That being said, I believe that the most successful models share the following pillars to their approach (if not the final details of their model. 

Hybrid is about Culture; Culture is about Relationships

One foundational element is to recognize the value of both weak and strong tie relationships. Through studies and data—like the Microsoft study—I’ve found that when we pay attention to the emotional architecture of our teams, the structural architecture often falls into place.

Who is leading the change also matters. Many companies stood up strategy teams to own hybrid, and oftentimes the priorities and principles for the change can be predicted based on which function owned these teams. If there was a heavy finance or facilities presence, hybrid strategies skew toward efficient use of spaces (flex seating, downsizing real estate footprints, etc). When HR owns the work, we may see significant attention to talent planning (hiring strategy, location focuses, and broad engagement efforts). And when companies embed those with execution and business unit experience, we likely get a clarity of focus which helps teams incorporate hybrid work to materially improve their working relationships and dynamics. All of these are important and need to be considered, and recognizing the potential biases of change leadership are crucial to fostering a deliberate culture.

Purpose-Driven Interactions

Concerns about pervasive meeting culture existed long before the pandemic forced so many of us to have all our meetings virtually. Fortunately we’re not limited to only solving new problems with hybrid. The best hybrid work models are willing to re-evaluate long held assumptions and look at regular meetings, rhythms, and ways of working with fresh eyes and a curiosity to re-imagine. Our highest functioning teams are jointly coming to agreements on how they will interact to maximize value for all parties. At a minimum, even when leaders make a decision about an interaction on their own, they do well by themselves and their teams to have and share the purpose behind their decisions. 

When in doubt, especially in the case of demanding in-office time, remember this simple mantra: Earn the Commute!

Flexibility and Predictability: Understanding Unmet Needs

Successful hybrid work depends on balancing people’s desires for flexibility with those of predictability. This equilibrium accommodates both ends of the spectrum, recognizing the equal value of everyone's time. The types of flexibility that are most important to people go beyond the physical location where people work and truly consider priorities, schedules, purpose, and with whom they collaborate. This is where empathetic conversations come in. 

Empathy has evolved from a ‘nice-to-have’ to a ‘must-have’ as a core competency in the hybrid world. The most successful teams take the time to understand individual needs and engage in supportive discussions about what works for the team. This delicate balance demands continuous attention, and building a culture and habit of compassionate, cohesive team conversations will pay dividends in hybrid and beyond.

Beyond Metrics: Define First Principles

Assume that you will see behaviors solving for the shortest path to success and ground the goals in First Principles that are specific to your organization and desired culture. Consider these when defining success metrics; data points can show trends, but they can’t capture the emotional nuances that make or break a team dynamic. Data is critical to building and understanding the narrative, leaders must think very carefully about what behaviors we want to incentivize.

Executing a change like this, which often feels adjacent to the work individuals and teams are trying to get done, most people will solve for the metrics on which they will be measured. Lean into this by ensuring precision for desired outcomes.

Embracing the Humble Path

Adopting a hybrid work model is a learning journey more than a project rollout. Humility enables us to embrace this journey by fostering a willingness to experiment, fail, learn, grow, and to welcome curiosity and surprise. In order to cultivate a culture not just of continuous improvement (where feedback is valued and change is embraced) but also one of empathy, leaders must over index on humility. We must be humble enough to override our instincts to appear knowledgeable and embrace a learning approach grounded in the understanding that no one has figured this out yet.

Closing Thoughts

Hybrid work, when understood deeply, reflects broader shifts in our society and psyche. It demands virtues like empathy, flexibility, and humility, and amplifies our capacity for meaningful leadership.

We stand at the threshold of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redesign not just the future of work, but the future of human interaction and societal wellbeing. But this means embracing the complexity, the messiness, and the unknowns.

Stay tuned for more in-depth discussions on the complexities and opportunities of hybrid work. Together, we will navigate the uncertainties and celebrate the possibilities.

Let’s seize this moment to shape the future of work.