Employers, wake up! How leaders need to support hybrid talent
(Note: This is part one of a three part series to share my thoughts on what leaders, managers, and HR teams need to know, consider, and implement when it comes to recruiting, hiring and retaining hybrid talent.)
Part 1: Leaders, Wake Up
Companies are neglecting hybrid professionals (workers who integrate multiple disparate work identities together) and their specific needs. No one is writing about this, and employers need a clue. Ahem, I'll lend a few thoughts.
Everyone can't do everything and they're not supposed to. Not even jacks-of-all-trades or hybrids. That's why roles, organizational structures and hierarchies exist. Divide and conquer.
Leaders need the right talent in the right roles to achieve big visions, and they need top talent to stay and remain productive in their roles. To do this, leaders need to treat hybrid professionals as a special category of workers, same as experts and generalists deserve different structures to perform their best.
If leaders want to be competitive, stay relevant, keep innovating, and have an advantage in their sector, having hybrid professionals on staff isn't a nice-to-have, it's a must-have.
Having hybrids is not something that just happens. It requires intentionality in how and where hybrids are placed across an organization to have the most ROI for the organization and for the hybrid themselves.
8 ways leaders can support hybrid professionals in their organization:
Understand hybrid professionals are here and why they matter: First, leaders need to build their awareness and knowledge about hybrid professionals and the value they bring to companies. Leaders need to expand their thinking beyond old constructs of only experts or generalists and understand where hybrids fit.
Place hybrids where silo busting is needed: If a leader is consolidating or combining two teams for better results, that's a space where hybrids belong and can thrive. When leaders notice a disconnect, functions need to be combined or silos need to be busted, that's a signal to assign hybrid talent because they're natural boundary spanners.
Start seeing hybrids for the sum of their parts: Recognizing hybrid professionals for their hybridity is one of the best thing leaders can do. This requires asking them questions about their hybridity and knowing why a hybrid's intersectionality matters to them. When a hybrid feels seen, they tend to stay longer in their roles and are more engaged.
Remember innovation and hybridity are close friends: Innovation occurs at the intersection of two unrelated things, and hybridity occurs at the convergence of two existing things. Notice a pattern? Leaders who care about innovation and how to spark more of it need to intentionally place hybrid professionals on innovation projects. Hybrid professionals already see the world through a lens of intersectionality, and they tend to recognize new opportunities quickly.
Be careful of the "I wear a lot of hats" statement: If a leader uses this phrase or hears staff saying it, it can be problematic. It may signal lack of role clarity, professional identity confusion, and that staff aren't able to express themselves accurately. If someone says "I wear a lot of hats," a leader should set a culture where team members ask each other why and what exactly they mean. Dig in, don't let it slide. Help staff feel seen instead of simplified.
Don't assume: Just because a leader thinks someone is an expert, generalist or hybrid professional, they shouldn't assume they are. A leader should ask them and have a conversation about why someone thinks they're a hybrid professional. At that point, a leader may have them prove it in some way to show it. This distinguishes generalists from hybrids because generalists won't be able to show integration between their work identities.
Know who's at the table: Diversity of perspective in any meeting is always best practice. Leaders should pay attention to the amount of diversity of professional identity at the table. Are hybrid professionals in the room? Why or why not?
Don't force fit or "mis-fit" hybrids: Leaders need to be careful of calling hybrid professionals misfits because they don't understand where they belong. Similarly, force fitting hybrid professionals into narrower roles is problematic. This is where awareness matters along with intentional placement of hybrids so they thrive in the business and in their roles.
What else do you think leaders need to know or do to serve hybrid professionals? Send me a note.