On How to Make Hybrid Work Really Work

In this episode, Alexis Monville, Chief of Staff at Red Hat, shares insights and experiences on various topics related to remote work, collaboration, culture building, OKRs, and team incentivization. 

What you will learn

• The importance of intentional efforts in building connections and maintaining a sense of community in a virtual work environment.
• Red Hat's innovative approaches, such as "culture on a plate" and sales pods, to foster collaboration and enhance performance.
• The power and pitfalls of proxy measurements and the significance of impact mapping for prioritization and creativity are explored.
• The value of personal growth, habits, and impact maps in increasing individual and collective impact.

Show notes

• [00:01:27] The Dynamic Role of a Chief of Staff. Alexis Monville discusses the nature of their role and the challenges they face in managing the day-to-day operations. 
• [00:02:53] Red Hat's Remote Work Lessons: Building Connections in a Virtual World. Alexis shares insights on how the organization adapted to remote work during the pandemic. 
  • They emphasize the importance of intentional efforts in creating connections and maintaining a sense of community in a virtual work environment.
  • Alexis highlights the value of casual interactions and chance encounters that are often lost in remote settings, urging leaders to proactively foster meaningful connections and networks.
• [00:08:09] Cultivating Connections: Red Hat's Innovative Approach to Building Culture. Alexis Monville introduces the concept of "culture on a plate," facilitating spontaneous conversations during lunchtime to foster connections within Red Hat. 
  • The organization embraces flexibility in remote work and office attendance, providing options for employees to choose their preferred work setup.
  • Alexis also shares insights on using OKRs to enhance project clarity and alignment.
• [00:12:17] Red Hat's Recipe for Successful Collaboration: Alignment and Prioritization. Alexis emphasizes the significance of alignment and focus in fostering successful collaborations within Red Hat.
  • They discuss the challenges that arise when teams lack clarity and prioritize multiple tasks simultaneously.
  • Through one-on-one discussions and strategic tools like post-it notes, Red Hat aims to create alignment and prioritize objectives.
  • They highlight the importance of effective prioritization and decision-making for achieving productive outcomes in complex projects.
• [00:14:28] Impact Mapping: Unleashing Creativity and Prioritization for Effective Results. Alexis introduces impact mapping, a powerful technique for prioritization and unleashing creativity.
  • By visualizing objectives in four columns (why, who, how, and what), teams can identify actors, desired behaviors, and actions to achieve their goals.
  • This approach streamlines decision-making and prioritization, enabling teams to focus on impactful behaviors and innovative solutions.
• [00:19:55] Proxy Measurements: Tracking Impact or Manipulating Metrics? Alexis reveals the power and pitfalls of proxy measurements in tracking impact.
  • While these measurements can provide valuable insights, there is a danger of losing sight of the actual behavior change.
  • Alexis shares cautionary examples and emphasizes the importance of focusing on desired behaviors rather than obsessing over metrics.
  • Discover how organizations can strike the right balance and avoid the trap of manipulating metrics for short-term gains.
• [00:27:05] Customer-Centric Change: The Power of Team Incentives. Alexis shares a powerful example of how a customer support objective drove organizational alignment and behavioral change.
  • Teams collaborated across functions to enhance product features and support processes, resulting in improved customer experiences.
  • The conversation then explores Alexis’ advocacy for team incentives and the importance of fostering collaboration within organizations.
• [00:30:17] Team Incentivization: Unlocking Collaboration and Collective Success. Alexis advocates for team incentivization as a solution to address collaboration challenges caused by individual incentives.
  • By recognizing the impact of incentive systems on teamwork, organizations can foster a collaborative culture and align individual motivations with collective goals.
  • Alexis’ perspective highlights the importance of prioritizing collaboration to drive collective success and create a harmonious work environment.
• [00:31:18] Sales Pods: Transforming Onboarding and Performance. Alexis introduces sales pods, small teams of salespeople with individual quotas, to enhance onboarding and boost performance.
  • By forming collaborative groups with complementary skills, rapid ramp-up and customer engagement were achieved.
  • The experiment defied expectations, showcasing the power of teamwork and shared accountability.
  • Sales pods proved to be a transformative approach to incentivizing collaboration and driving outstanding results.
• [00:35:50] Quick-Fire Questions for Alexis:
  • Dream with a Deadline: Alexis believes that individuals have the potential to have a greater impact than they realize. By focusing on personal growth and leadership skills, people can increase their impact and contribute to solving big challenges facing humanity.
  • Habit-building goals: Alexis is working on two habits this year. The first is daily meditation, which has brought positive changes and is recommended for a 30-day trial. The second habit is writing morning pages, a practice of clearing thoughts and gaining clarity and creativity.
  • Advice for OKR beginners: Alexis suggests working on an impact map, which can be done individually or as a team. Sharing the impact map with others helps gain insights and identify collaboration opportunities. The key is to focus on the most significant impact and make it the key result, starting with one impactful goal.

Relevant links:

• “Changing Your Team From The Inside,” by Alexis Monville
• “I am a Software Engineer and I am in Charge,” by Alexis Monville
• “Impact Mapping OKRs” video by Alexis Monville
• “Collaboration by Design,” by Philippe Coullomb & Charles Collingwood-Boots
• “What is Hybrid Work and How Does it Impact Your Business?” article by Quantive