By: Jay Feldman
In early 2020, no one could have imagined how a global pandemic would change the world forever. Yet, only a few months into the year, the entire globe stopped in its tracks. Economies shut down. Work subsided. People didn’t leave their homes. Schools canceled classes.
At one moment, everyone was carrying on with their lives as usual. In the end, their lives were forever changed.
Though it’s hard to see a silver lining in a cloud as dark as the pandemic, some things did come out of it that brought about positive and innovative change. For starters, putting a pause on human development helped the physical environment improve significantly. People have developed healthier lifestyles, new skills, and hobbies to pass the time. At-home delivery for groceries, restaurants, and other essential businesses became the norm.
Out of all of these positive changes, one likely still stands out from the rest — the rise of remote work.
A changing work landscape
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person work in office spaces was the norm. Monday through Friday, millions worldwide commuted in the early morning to their 9-to-5 job in a physical office space, took an hour off for lunch midday and commuted back home in the early evening.
The pandemic completely upended this model. Suddenly, almost any work that could be done on a computer was then performed at home. In-person meetings could be held virtually over Zoom, and people no longer had to commute to work, freeing up more time during their workdays.
Benefits for companies were also multifaceted. Office space no longer needed to be rented, non-essential jobs could be eliminated, and travel costs for business trips were slashed as people could meet with each other from anywhere in the world. Remote work also allowed for greater flexibility for both employees and business owners.
By 2025, 36.2 million Americans are projected to work remotely, marking an 87% increase from pre-pandemic levels. The transition from in-person to remote work highlights the benefits of working from any location but fails to highlight some of the issues with remote work. Companies and employees alike have reported improper behavior, lack of productivity, and decreased motivation due to this remote transition, demonstrating the negative consequences of remote work.
From the business consulting perspective, remote work has added a new set of variables to the business environment. No one understands this better than John Bentley of Power 2 Transform Consulting (P2T).
John Bently’s people-centered approach
As a new leader, John Bentley managed a multimillion-dollar restaurant — and failed. A natural people-pleaser, he struggled for quite some time in his subsequent career endeavors due to undeveloped leadership skills. Following the restaurant industry, he embarked on a military career, only to experience many of the same issues he experienced while in the restaurant industry.
Bentley was at a loss after being denied promotion after promotion and consistently excluded from special assignments. Quick to point the finger at others and defer blame, he was ready to end his military career until a senior leader in the Air Force gave him advice that was frank, transparent, and honest but also life-changing and exactly what Bentley needed to hear.
In his conversation with Bentley, the Air Force senior leader told him that, under pressure, his leadership style was similar to someone opening a Coke can after it had been violently shaken. This was Bentley’s “eureka” moment that set him on a path of self-understanding, personal growth, and professional development.
After retiring from the USAF as a Senior Master Sergeant, Bentley spent the next 20 years with the U.S. Army as a Workforce and Human Resources Development Expert and a Leadership Coach and Trainer. Concurrently, he started his business consulting firm, P2T, and now devotes all of his time, energy, and resources to the firm after spending over 40 years in public service.
P2T specializes in business consulting with an emphasis on personal leadership development in individual and team settings, whether helping clients grow through strategic consulting or assisting organizations to communicate more effectively through intuitive and captivating workshops. Bentley’s people-first approach has helped companies across various sectors, from banking to non-profits, achieve incredible results in building human and monetary capital.
As companies transition to giving their employees more remote work opportunities, Bentley has been at the forefront of helping businesses and individuals become more productive than ever before. His person-focused approach has not only identified problems with remote work but also how to mitigate and solve those problems for employees and companies alike.
Seven strategies for remote work success
Recognizing the rapidly evolving workplace from in-person to digital, Bentley has conducted extensive research by working with companies and individuals to identify and solve common problems within the digital workplace. Developing the “Remote Work Survival Guide,” Bentley stated that the seven strategies in this survival guide “offer practical steps for enhancing self-leadership, helping individuals boost productivity, resilience, and communication—essential for remote team success.”
The seven strategies center around self-leadership, which Bentley defines as “intentionally influencing your thinking, feelings, and behaviors to achieve your objectives.” Essentially, it is “being your own boss, even when you have a supervisor.”
With increased autonomy and little supervision from bosses, distractions and the disappearance of work-life boundaries become exceptionally prevalent in remote work. Self-leadership helps individuals exercise greater self-control, exhibit better time management skills, and encourage proactive communication, which is vital in any work environment.
The “Remote Work Survival Guide” divides these self-leadership strategies into two groups: self-leadership for remote team members and self-leadership for remote team leaders.
For remote team members, much of these strategies center around changing and maximizing one’s habits and mindset. Effective time management is incredibly important, with frequent, short breaks to let the mind rest and reset. Additionally, mapping out time for mindfulness activities that keep one’s mental health in check is also crucial for increased well-being and productivity. Proactive communication is also vital, as staying connected can be challenging when virtual work environments have no way to talk to coworkers in person.
Whereas effective habits and an improved mindset are the themes of team members, many of the tools for effective leaders are learned skills that improve outcomes.
Centered around building trust and accountability between the team and the team leader, Bentley focuses on learned skills and techniques that make the team an effective, cohesive unit. As a leader, effectively delegating tasks and empowering employees to complete those tasks will yield positive results. Maintaining team unity and engagement is critical in boosting morale and improving communication channels.
Arguably, though, the most important action of being an effective virtual leader is being adaptable to a virtual environment since leaders of in-person teams must approach their role differently than those who lead virtual teams. By developing adaptive leadership skills through development and feedback, effectiveness expands exponentially.
Business leaders and individuals must adapt to the new reality as the modern world continues to push toward working remotely. As prospective employees look to work remotely for freedom and flexibility, companies will continue to offer increasing numbers of remote positions.
Though there are some drawbacks to having a remote workforce, many companies and employees have found that the mutual benefits outweigh the cons. Simply put, remote employees are working more hours, and companies are cutting costs on office spaces and travel compensation.
That said, the transition to remote work must still be economically sustainable. Employees and employers should ensure they can remain increasingly productive. This is where Bentley’s “Remote Work Survival Guide” comes into play.
Using the self-leadership strategies Bentley has developed in the “Remote Work Survival Guide,” working virtually can be just as — if not more — productive than working in a physical office environment. If done sustainably, remote work is a win-win for all.
Published by: Martin De Juan
