Did You Create Even More Professional Silos Virtually?

Have you considered that you created even more professional silos virtually, over the past year?

Before you re-enter a physical, hybrid, or continued virtual work environment, consider the virtual habits you consciously or unconsciously developed. Because these habits, created in partial or total isolation, impact how you show up for work, moving forward.

Plus, the pandemic wardrobe of business casual on top and sweatpants on the bottom became your preference, didn’t it? 😉

First, how many of you will be able to move effortlessly across both in-person and virtual settings within the new hybrid work environments? Then, will you regret (or even resent) dividing your time, energy, and professional equilibrium between these two operating modes? Or do you even have a choice?

Evaluate whether you created even more professional silos virtually. Which virtual – and siloed – professional habits best meet your needs, moving forward?

In the “before” workplace, did you enjoy being buried deep within the organizational chart? People left you and your team alone to do your jobs. Your professional silo was professionally comfortable. When other employees contacted you when things went wrong in process, output and outcomes, you showed up virtually first. Unless you needed to show up physically to measure, fix, control and lecture so whatever was broken this time was not rebroken next time. Then, you retreated back to the comforts of your professional silo.

What changed over the past year, as you gradually found more reasons to work increasingly on a virtual basis? Did you tell yourself you were more productive and impactful? Is that true? Rather, did you become a professional hermit and lose your collaborative skills, especially when it relates to interpersonal engagement?

What is your plan to deprogram yourself moving forward, as you adapt to a hybridized or completely in-person work environment? Let’s create that plan, one millimeter at a time, together. Contact me here.

Perhaps even more importantly, how will you communicate the importance of what you learned about working virtually to employers still bound by legacy mindset and pre-pandemic business models? Because employer mindset creates even more professional silos virtually, as well.

Is it time to create your professional plan to negotiate your professional trajectory, moving forward? Then take these next steps.

Planning your next team, corporate or association meeting? Searching for a one-on-one catalyst to get you unstuck? Engage me to present a One Millimeter Mindset ™ program! Delivered virtually or in-person. Contact me here.

Babette Ten Haken | Change Catalyst | Purpose-Driven Professional Innovation | Cross-Functional Team Leadership | Trust-Based Client Retention | In Person & Virtual Speaker, Consultant, Coach, Author |

Babette Ten Haken, Founder & President of One Millimeter Mindset™ Speaking & Consulting, catalyzes trust-based, purpose-driven, cross-functional leadership. She leverages Voice of the Customer and storytelling to translate across communication and collaboration disconnects impacting successful business outcomes across people and professional disciplines. Babette is a cross-functional business-oriented STEM professional, qualitative Voice of the Customer facilitator, and Six Sigma Green Belt (Quality). She is a member of the ASQ, SHRM, PMI, the National Speakers Association. Her playbook of cross-functional collaboration, Do YOU Mean Business?is available on Amazon.com. Contact Babette here. Image source: Adobe Stock.