Building Connection Across Distance
Feeling like you’re “leading ghosts” on Zoom while trying to keep culture alive across office days, home desks, and time zones? We dig into the real reason hybrid feels hard: it’s not a scheduling problem—it’s a leadership evolution.
Across this candid, practical conversation, we break down the habits that no longer serve us and share the ones that do, so your team can feel connected, clear, and engaged wherever they work.
We start by challenging the old belief that proximity equals connection. Those hallway cues and desk drive-bys created a comforting illusion; hybrid has stripped that away and revealed the gaps. From there, we lay out three pillars you can apply immediately.
First, intentional presence: short, sacred connection cadences and “visible thinking” rituals that surface energy, blockers, and learning in real time.
Second, trust through clarity: over-communicate expectations, make decision-making explicit, and share the why with regular, human updates that reduce anxiety and align action.
Third, deliberate culture building: move beyond pizza perks to shared experiences—innovation days and learning circles—mapped to values so people feel meaning, not mandates.
We also explore relationship resilience: the capacity to sustain strong ties across distance. When leaders invest in presence, clarity, and values-led rituals, hybrid teams often outperform their old in-office baseline because connection no longer relies on chance.
You’ll leave with three sharp reflection prompts to guide your next week: have a non-task conversation with each person, test your team’s clarity on expectations and decisions, and design one experience that demonstrates your values in action.
If this resonated, share it with a leader who needs a clearer path through hybrid, subscribe for the next episode, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.
Got a question for our special Q&A?
Email Lois at LoisBurtononline.com or DM on LinkedIn—we’d love to include it.
Leadership Horizons - Helping You Lead Beyond Boundaries
