August 29, 2023

Episode 56: Futuristic Thinking: An Opportunity for Teams to Shift & Thrive with Andrew Freedman

Andrew Freedman stops by The Future of Teamwork to chat with host and HUDDL3 CEO Dane Groeneveld about practical wisdom and research-backed frameworks for driving performance culture, adapting to hybrid work, and harnessing technology to enhance team dynamics. Andrew is a managing partner at SHIFT, and author of the book “Thrive,” a resource for creating more efficient, empathetic teams. During their conversation the two touch on several issues affecting the workplace today, including selecting from the wealth of HR SaaS platforms available, culture as a differentiator in the modern workplace, and the indications and implications of burnout on your employee base.

Guest Bio

I believe that people want to do good work, achieve, grow, and be part of something bigger than themselves. For over 25 years, I’ve worked with hundreds of leaders to build thriving cultures – ones where people can be and do their best every day. Through human-centered and practical approaches, I translate individual, team, and organizational talent and potential into tangible business growth.

As Managing Partner of SHIFT Consulting, I bring my expertise in culture, leadership, talent strategy, organizational design, employee engagement, and design thinking to bear when addressing our clients’ biggest opportunities.

As the author of THRIVE, my goal is to transfer practical and battle-tested approaches for transforming workforce engagement and performance to leaders, so they can set and achieve new standards of excellence at scale.

As an affiliate faculty member of the University of Baltimore in Strategy and Leadership, my goal is to inspire and equip new generations of business leaders through the art and science of creating and executing successful, people-focused business strategies.

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Recap & Takeaways

Key Takeaways

[00:11 – 02:31] Andrew Freedman, author and managing partner at SHIFT
[02:31 – 03:35] Bouncing out of bed and dialing back the energy, excitement to help
[03:35 – 04:37] Decompression time in transit and at home, rebooting
[05:06 – 07:08] Thrive, a result of transformative work and impact on teams
[07:06 – 09:03] Frameworks and practical wisdom (backed by research) for living, performing, and growing
[09:04 – 09:43] Refreshing team best practices
[09:40 – 11:32] Different realities in the wake of Covid, accommodating different methods of communication for different neurotypes
[11:34 – 13:39] Hybrid work and defining success for a connected culture
[13:39 – 14:53] 2023 State of Workforce Burnout and organizational issue that correlates with hybrid work
[14:54 – 16:37] Intentionality and asking whether or not the culture is worth it
[16:38 – 18:42] Six measures for driving performance culture, reinforcing behavior and skills development
[18:43 – 21:57] Skills development’s context in high-performing team cultures
[21:58 – 23:59] Many people think of skills and knowledge in a static way, and thinking about adaptability
[24:07 – 25:41] Tools that can fragment efficient workflows, navigating options for HR SaaS and CRM
[25:42 – 28:14] Harnessing technology so that the best tool is the member of the team utilizing it
[28:15 – 30:05] The dark side of AI, protecting trade secrets, and culture as the one irreplaceable element of your business
[29:53 – 31:40] Culture is the differentiator, $1.3 trillion in investments, and hasty implementation strategies
[31:42 – 34:19] The pandemic as an accelerator of asynchronous communication and innovation (Latch as a use case)
[34:20 – 37:21] Indicators of burnout, the cost and strain on employees
[37:26 – 39:06] Data to substantiate the benefits of psychologically safe human experiences at work, understanding what not to tolerate any more
[39:06 – 41:37] A natural attrition of leaders stuck in the past, and the coming shifts in culture thanks to technology
[41:41 – 44:35] Skills development, “futuristic thinking,” embracing disruptive thinking and empathy in assuming positive intent
[44:37 – 45:45] Connect with Andrew