Jeff Frick’s Post

Research consistently shows that the intelligence of a well-functioning team can match or exceed that of the smartest individuals. This was especially evident during Covid, when remote work allowed for real-time analysis of team interactions through tools like Zoom, Google Docs, and Slack, which is exactly what Vivienne Ming and her team did. From their research, they were able to boil it down to 3 qualities of the "smartest teams": 1️⃣ Small Team Size "Optimal teams are small, usually between 3 to 5 people. Fewer than that, you lose the power of collaboration; more than that, people might start to slack off." 2️⃣ Complementary Diversity "It's not just random diversity but complementary diversity that makes a team effective. Team members should bring unique skills and perspectives to the table. Homogeneous teams can actually perform worse than individuals because they become overly trusting and less critical." 3️⃣ Flat Hierarchies "Flat hierarchies work best. Teams where everyone takes turns leading and contributing are generally smarter and more productive. Switching from a hierarchical to a flat team can even double an individual's productivity." Link to the full episode in the comments. ________ 🔔 Want more MPL content? Follow our page or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts. #HR #humanresources #chiefpeopleofficer #CHRO #headofpeople #vpofpeople #headofhr #hrleader #peopleteam #peopleleader #hrpodcast #modernpeopleleader #remotework #hybridwork #dei #diversity #productivity

Here's a brilliant excerpt of Vivienne Ming explaining what makes a well-functioning team. ⬇ If you're too lazy to click through, these are the 3x qualities of the "smartest teams": 1️⃣ Small Team Size "Optimal teams are small, usually between 3 to 5 people. Fewer than that, you lose the power of collaboration; more than that, people might start to slack off." 2️⃣ Complementary Diversity "It's not just random diversity but complementary diversity that makes a team effective. Team members should bring unique skills and perspectives to the table. Homogeneous teams can actually perform worse than individuals because they become overly trusting and less critical." 3️⃣ Flat Hierarchies

Just finished listening 🎧 to this great podcast from Bailey & French . The discussion was around making virtual (and hybrid) workplaces truly collaborative, inclusive, and nurturing a sense of belonging. As virtual vs hybrid vs office-based work discussions continue it's well worth a listen, here are some key takeaways that resonated with me:   💡 Watch out for team members being left out of conversations across other platforms they might not have access to or know about. It can impact inclusivity and belonging. 💡Consider individual preferences, especially among neurodiverse team members, and ensure everyone’s needs are being met. 💡Prioritise psychological safety by using chat functionality during meetings to encourage participation. 💡Don’t assume anything about tech access or knowledge; be prepared and sensitive when pushing boundaries. 💡Embrace the use of GIFs for humour and human connectiveness in virtual teams. 💡As hybrid models become the norm, prepare for inclusive and effective meetings with both in-person and virtual participants. #virtualteams #inclusivity #teamsuccess #remotework #collaboration

I think meetings are largely a habit and a tough habit to break - Adrienne Rowe Look at academia, they've been mastering asynchronous collaboration for decades - Adrienne Rowe ------- Short and to the point. No reason to waste time on the 'is it viable' discussion Instead, focus on leveraging best practices to free up blocks of uninterrupted work time, the best place to start, cancel some synchronous, in-person meetings. Covert an existing meeting to a project on a digital platform supported with async collaboration and communication, in the project, in the application, not via meetings, not email, not text. Adrienne's been working in workplace since before workplace was cool. From the happiest place on earth to Wall Street, Pharma to Defense, she's helping to create the conditions where people can do the best work of their lives. Full-Length Interview  Adrienne Rowe: Crossing the workplace rubicon, practice purposeful presence | Work 20XX podcast with Jeff Frick  Spotify - https://lnkd.in/gBW8HrK7 - YouTube - https://lnkd.in/gVKQZTDZ - transcript and show notes - https://lnkd.in/dFTXubjP - WebexAhead https://lnkd.in/gGbENevT or wherever you podcast. #Meetings #Habit #async #tough #Break #breakthehabit #Collaboration #Academia #Asynchronous #Work #fow #FutureOfWork #Workplace #habit #digital #webexahead #office #hybrid #distributed #interview #podcast #work20xx 

Every time my team run an offsite, our first day is walks. Not work, not whiteboards, we've not got marker pens, I wouldn't even call it team building. We're going for a walk because we care about each other - Dominic Price It's ingrained in my head. If I have a complex task, don't start with a task. Start with the safety. Make sure the room feels comfortable first - Dom Price We now trust each other to have an argument - Dom Price ----------------------------------- Create trust to unlock points of view and real exploration of alternatives, pros, and cons, without fear of retribution or feelings being hurt. Great strategy for better decisions, more contributions, deeper engagement. Win, win, win. From across the Pacific, an enlightened hour of pragmatic behaviors everyone can try. Thanks again Dom. Full-Length Interview  Dominic Price | Experiment, Feel, Safety, Learning | Work 20XX podcast with Jeff Frick YouTube - https://lnkd.in/gr2hpxK2 - Spotify - https://lnkd.in/gNaqBNgX - Transcript and Show notes - https://lnkd.in/grqagxXC - or wherever you podcast #leadership #trust #culture #bond #connect #human #team #walk #atlassian Atlassian #walkabout #takeawalk #freshair #exercise #empathy #safety #security #host #TeamBuilding #PsychologicalSafety #Connection #rto #office #fow #futureofwork #work #decisions #interview #LIVideo #LevelUpYourLI #TopVoice #Connections #workplace #digital #distributed #hybrid #remote #podcast #work20xx 

Last week, we launched our Future@Work podcast in collaboration with Letswork! Our CEO Danielle Blizzard joined by co host Hamza Khan spoke with our own talentX {growth through people} A-team advisor Dina Mohammad-Laity as she unlocked the secrets of remote work best practices and cultivating a high-performance culture, all without a traditional office!🎙️If you're a leader and struggling to navigate the complexities of remote work with your teams, then this episode is for you! 🗝️Our key takeaways: 1️⃣Human Interaction: Working remotely doesn't mean you never meet in person 2️⃣Design Matters: Be intentional about your culture and design your operating system, including communication and feedback mechanisms 3️⃣Hire for Remote: Seek self-managed, accountable team players with strong communication skills who know when to ask for help 4️⃣Right Tools, Right Results: Prioritize tools that enhance information sharing and accessibility for all such as Notion, Trello, & Slack Tune in on Spotify to uncover how these key takeaways and strategies empower you to build thriving remote teams that lead to success! 👉🎧https://lnkd.in/d374JTrK #talentX #people #culture #talent #highgrowth #growththroughpeople #futureatwork #letswork #podcast #leader

We have organizationally over-indexed on meetings as the way to communicate - Jeff Frick There is real opportunity in fewer meetings, move as much work into async as we can, and then free up this valuable synchronous time for more important things - Jeff Frick ------------------------------------------- So much productivity just waiting to be reclaimed from wasted meeting time. And of course we know how to do better, but we don't for many reasons that have nothing to do with operating an agenda. Need a place to start? My interview with Shani Harmon from Stop Meeting like this is a good start. Thanks again for the conversation Richard. Fun to set in the other seat. Full-Length Podcast  Jeff Frick, CEO of Menlo Creek Media and Work 20XX - Hsu Untied interview with Richard Hsu https://lnkd.in/gYwEhdng or wherever you podcast Shani Harmon: Barriers, Signaling, Untapped Productivity | Work 20XX with Jeff Frick https://lnkd.in/gT_ne5WP or wherever you podcast #communication #leadership #meetings #async #synchronous #why #mission #OneOnOnes #ServantLeadership #ServiceLeadership #hybrid #digital #distributed #remote #teamwork #team #cxecution #workplace #meeting #change #remote #hybrid #distributed #digital #HSUuntied #turnthelens #talent #hr #cxo #work20XX #interview #work #office #futureofwork #fow #podcast 

Most people are creatures of habit. The challenge is remembering everybody else's routine, how this team does it versus that, and in larger companies it becomes impossible. It's just too much cognitive overhead - Rob Sadow We created snapshot, an update on what's on in a way that's relevant to you. The inspiration is the executive assistant who prints out your schedule and is like, hey Jeff, at 10:00, you're going to go be here with this person and then you need to go do this or that this is kind of like a digital version of that - Rob Sadow And so we can take that routine information and also digest it and push it out to you in a way that allows you make better decisions.  ------ Automate the tedium. Use Save As, and exception handling rather than micro management. Use the tools. These are great task for the machines. Thanks again Rob Full Length Conversation Rob Sadow: Flexible, Policy, Match, Benchmark | Work 20XX podcast with Jeff Frick  - YouTube - https://lnkd.in/g2vWZgkv - Spotify - https://lnkd.in/gNMMKGKQ - Transcript and show notes - https://lnkd.in/gvU-Ncjy - or wherever you podcast #Leadership #Adapt #Balancing #Benchmark #Challenges #Collaboration #Coordination #Cre #Cxo #DecisionMaking #Digital #DigitalTools #Distributed #EasyButton #Effortless #FlexIndex #Flexible #Fow #FutureOfWork #HabitFormation #Hybrid #HybridWork #Interview #LevelUpYourLI #LIVideo #Match #Office #OfficeLife #OfficeRoutine #OneClick #Podcast #Policy #ProductivityEnhancements #Remote #Research #Rto #Routines #Scoop #Software #Solutions #Team #TeamCoordination #TopVoice #Visibility #Wfh #Wfx #WhoElseIsInTheOffice #WhoIsInTheOffice #Work #WorkFromHome #WorkflowOptimization #Workplace #Work20XX 

Remote vs. in-person work. Which is better? This argument plays out hundreds of times a day here. I found my favorite summary of this debate this week and had to share. Sid Yadav was on Chris Do’s podcast recently and was asked for his opinion on remote vs in-person work. This was his response. Remote is amazing for execution. In-person is amazing for collaboration and ideating. It’s so simple, but echoes so much truth. I really think he hit the nail on the head with this summary, and it really resonated with me after coming back from a successful collaboration week in San Francisco with my company. The core of this debate isn't about choosing one over the other. It's about recognizing the strengths of each type of work and how to balance them to achieve more, faster, and happier. Don’t forget to brew an extra cup of coffee for daylight-savings time ☕ #remotework #worklifebalance #uxdesign

Last week, we launched our Future@Work podcast in collaboration with Letswork 🎙️ 🎉 I was joined by my co-host Hamza Khan and our wonderful talentX {growth through people} A-team Advisor Dina Mohammad-Laity, as we unlocked the secrets of remote work best practices and cultivating a high-performance culture, all without a traditional office! 🌍 If you're a leader and struggling to navigate the complexities of remote work with your teams, then this episode is for you! 🗝️ Our key takeaways: 1️⃣ Human Interaction: Working remotely doesn't mean you never meet in person 2️⃣ Design Matters: Be intentional about your culture and design your operating system, including communication and feedback mechanisms 3️⃣ Hire for Remote: Seek self-managed, accountable team players with strong communication skills who know when to ask for help 4️⃣ Right Tools, Right Results: Prioritize tools that enhance information sharing and accessibility for all such as Notion, Trello, & Slack Tune in on Spotify to uncover how these key takeaways and strategies can empower you to build thriving remote teams that lead to success! 👉🎧https://lnkd.in/d374JTrK #talentX #people #culture #talent #highgrowth #growththroughpeople #futureatwork #letswork #podcast #leadership