It’s never been “work at the office” versus “work from home”.
It’s about giving people the possibility to choose where they are more productive and can deliver their better job. And most likely, for most people, that will end up being a healthy combination of the two.
Not everything is a war and the most beautiful stuff is often found in the middle.
It’s normal to want others to change.
Our kids should behave, our friend should quit smoking, our colleague should be more productive, our partner should be more like yourself, our boss should be more available.
But for as noble as our intentions might be, the reality is that others don’t see the world through our eyes.
The only thing we can hope for is to help them find their way.
A problem needs a solution.
A hunch needs clarity.
An idea needs execution.
An opinion needs an audience.
The point is, you can’t treat them all in the same way. If you share a hunch with an audience, most people will find it pointless and fail to understand. If you try to execute on a opinion, most of the times you’ll end up going alone. If you give your audience a problem, they will look at you for a solution.
If you are unsure what you are about to express, it’s ok to take some time to think it through.
Silence is not a sign of weakness.
There might be many wrong aspects in these emails (and some good too), but the key thing here is that they reflect a bias – or a series of bias – that many founders fall for.
It’s the idea that just because they do work (successfully in this case, but that is not necessary) in a certain way, then everybody else is supposed to do that too.
It’s the idea that by doing more of the same they will automatically scale the results.
It’s the idea that in order for their employees to show they care, they need to conform and comply.
This is typically building an enormous blind spot for founders and their companies. And that’s very dangerous in the long term.
For any recipe you have found that has worked, there are at least other ten that go in the exact opposite direction. And still work.
That’s why it is so important to find a way that matches who you are and what you stand for. A way you are absolutely and completely comfortable with. A way you would use even if no one would be watching.
In any other cases, you are just drifting.
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