‘And the third major challenge of a remote working environment identified by business leaders was the lack of observational learning.’

“I wouldn’t be chief executive of Dexus today

if I didn’t have the learnings over a 30-year period. And that’s just simple things like being in meetings with people, watching how they interact and dealing with problems or how they change plans working through a development,” Mr Steinberg said.” The above vignette is from a 29/6/20 Australian Financial Review article entitled Bosses, staff out of sync on home work. The Mr. Steinberg quote is from Darren Steinberg, CEO of property group Dexus. How would you address the lack of observational learning or (tacit knowledge) posed by a remote working environment? I don’t have any silver bullet answers to this question, but in my view, it’s an important issue to address, which will become more important over time. Here are some top of mind ideas: Brainstorm with your leadership team, how you might provide opportunities for observational learning. Put an extreme effort on making team members feel safe to come the office to participate in group meetings, and make sure the venues and procedures for those meetings are of a high standard. Educate the team about the importance of observational learning as a pretext for organising face-to-face meetings. Do walking meetings with two other people so they can observe how you communicate. Find a park or reserve where there is a picnic table (maybe in a suburb near a team member) and have an appropriate social distanced meeting with three people.

Own the Conversation

Do this. Review the above ideas and choose one or think of your own idea to provide your team members (especially younger team members) with opportunities for observational learning.