A New Competency

I came across a term recently that describes the plight of so many professionals attempting to figure out how to work and live in the same space. It’s called being “hybrid competent.” As I thought about it, my mind went to all the struggles and complaints that professionals have had over the last couple of years.

It is true that there are some who thrive in a remote or hybrid mode. They enjoy the flexibility, autonomy and personal control that it provides. They are as productive and focused as they ever have been. Their freedoms have allowed them to work when they want to.

But there are some who want those same freedoms but have not been as focused or productive.  They want to work remotely but haven’t acquired the skills and disciplines necessary to make it an effective alternative. This is a significant stressor and why so many are burning out and leaving the profession.  It’s not the work itself, it’s their inability to work and live in a hybrid environment.

Required Skills

For those who are productive and enjoy their freedoms, they have mastered the following skills.

• Organization. They take the time to regularly create priority lists, monitor their progress and make adjustments because they know what they have to do. No last minute, I forgot… They have disciplines and systems that keep them on top of things.
• Follow through. This skill is related to the trait of credibility—you do what you commit to. That means meeting the expected deadlines and quality requirements. There will always be interferences that prevent you from meeting expectations. Those who are committed to following through seem to find ways of delivering as promised.
• Consistent communication. Those who take initiative will fare better than those who prefer to sit back and wait to be contacted. Any time your manager or partner has to track you down to find out the status of your progress, it is an indication you aren’t regularly communicating well. Find out the communication expectations they have and meet them. Don’t use your freedoms to be irresponsible.
• Disciplined boundaries. In a hybrid environment, meaning that your personal space and work space are the same, you will experience many distractions and competing obligations. Carving out dedicated boundaries that separate your work-time and personal-time is hard to do anyway. But to fend off the distractions of one while in the space of the other is really a challenge. It takes conscious effort to discipline yourself. You must remain focused on what you should be doing at the moment and avoid being lured into the other space. And remember, there is no such thing as multi-tasking. In any moment, you are doing only one thing and one thing only.

As you become hybrid competent, you will experience less stress and more career satisfaction. Learn to be fully present and enjoy the work at hand, knowing that the time will come to engage in other activities at their appropriate time.