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A post-COVID mixed model of remote working and in office can foster corporate culture, synergy, and brand value internally and externally.

Recently, tech giants such as Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter have told staff that remote working would be a permanent option, prompted by COVID-19.

In the early months of the Pandemic, many found working from home was more productive with less commute time to the office.  Half a year later, people began to realize that not having a clear boundary between work and life can have a negative effect. People are now missing being together in the office working environment, to some extent. 

Bonding is key for a brand, internally and externally

To brand is to bond.  A successful brand not only bonds EXTERNALLY with their followers, buyers, and loyal fans, but also INTERNALLY with employees, management and staff at all levels. 

Bonding is a contact sport: People must be sharing physical space and time, seeing and talking IN PERSON instead of virtually.

A brand is what people believe in, as the essence of the brand. What the brand stands for is the reason why people choose to work for the brand or buy the brand. Brand values are an organization’s hiring and firing criteria as well as its culture.  Bonding is key for fostering SHARED brand values, experience and culture within a company.  

Externally, bonding is also important for a brand’s customer experience:  Going to the Apple Store has an EXPERIENCE element that a delivered package cannot replicate. Christmas shopping is an EXPERIENCE where our eyes and ears are feasted with holiday colors and music on the streets and in stores, rather than merely clicking items on a computer.  That’s why the Germans were adamant about keeping their traditional Christmas open markets this Christmas Season, after the German government was about to ban them due to COVID. Wear masks please!

The work place is not merely an organizational machine where each individual is a mechanical part. It should be a place where support, teamwork, motivation, and discipline drive both the organization and all its human resources to grow.

We humans have a primordial need to be in a community, in work or in life, to feel whole.

Synergy, community, and teamwork are part of remote working experience

People need people, physically next to each other, to support, inspire, and motivate each other. Working on your own for a prolonged period of time can lead to more frequent trips to the refrigerator and adding to your waistline.  People can experience depression, isolation and mental illness after working alone in an isolated environment.

What is Zoom fatigue? 

To many, it’s just another way of saying: “I feel isolated.”

Zoom meetings and other types of virtual virtual conferencing cannot substitute physically sharing an office space with team members.  It is just not the same. 

It’s okay to wear masks and be near each other to get work done. People still can talk to each other and work together on a project or a task.  The synergy is in sparking inspiration and drawing on each other’s energy as a collective whole.

Zoom meetings and other types of  cannot substitute being physically sharing an office space with team members. 

Before COVID, I tried to use a virtual assistant.  I concluded then that I’d rather train a local assistant who comes in and sits in the same office with me regularly.   By sitting next to each other and seeing what we are doing  on our respective computer screens, we can instantly exchange ideas and information, ask questions, and get feedback.  During breaks, we chat about exercise tips, share jokes, snacks, treats.  As his duties grow, I groom this “real” person into a higher level position as my company grows.  Virtual assistants can handle tasks, but I want my employees to share, bond, and synergize with each other and with the leadership, for the brand, with the brand, of the brand. 10 Plus Brand.

A mixed model of office working and remote working

The post Coronavirus world is most likely a balance between office working and remote working from home.  How many days at home, how many days in the office per week is up to each organization.  It is unrealistic to expect either to return to pre-COVID model or completely work from home every day of the week.  Having a company office environment and schedule is vital for incubating a brand’s internal bonding experience, loyalty and culture, which will in turn maintain the brand’s external value and glamour for its customers, followers and fans. 

Written by Joanne Tan, CEO and Brand Strategist of 10 Plus Brand. 

© Joanne Tan, all rights reserved.

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When working from home with loved ones in a pandemic, prioritize communication, listening and dealing with conflicts improves relationships.

EACH OTHER IS ALL WE HAVE, especially in prolonged crises like this Coronavirus pandemic. 

In Part 1, we talked about taking care of ourselves physically, mentally and emotionally. Here I am focusing on relationship tips, as we are all working from home 24/7 with our loved ones for many weeks or maybe even months. That can be a strain on relationships.  Conflicts, healthy or unhealthy will arise. Unless we prioritize and invest in communicating the right way, conflicts can become arguments and tension that hurt relationships when we need each other the most. Part 3 adresses telecommunity issues.

1 ) Prioritize relationships

Everyone has at least two major stressors right now for ourselves and loved ones:  Coronavirus and financial losses (or fear thereof.)  

If you have lost money in the stock market or lost your income (or are worrying about it) due to the Coronavirus crisis, but you and your loved ones are Coronavirus free, think of yourself as blessed.

Focus on the loved ones, not money. In a crisis we cleave to each other to get through the tough times. Handle relationships with extra care, understanding, and compassion.

Steve Jobs said this famous deathbed speech: “…God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth. The wealth I have won in my life I cannot bring with me. What I can bring is only the memories precipitated by love. That’s the true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on…”

2) Share your vulnerability.

Here is a story about how Nelson Mandela dealt with fear:  Mandela was riding on an airplane when it was starting to violently shake from turbulence in the clouds – everyone was scared to death. People looked at Mandela and saw him reading a newspaper while all those around him were in a panic.  The mere act of him holding a newspaper had calming effects on those around him.  After the plane landed, people asked him if he was scared. He said, “Of course I was scared! I was pretending to read the newspaper.”

Claim your fear, – it is a BRAVER thing to do than hiding it.  A better way of dealing with fear and anxiety is to name it, acknowledge it, and share with your loved ones.  

It takes more courage, not less, to share one’s vulnerability.  It is an act of trust and love. So the listener must not judge, slight, admonish, or lecture.  Honor that trust. Show compassion.

3) Embrace healthy conflicts instead of avoiding or suppressing them.

It is not realistic to always have harmony in any relationship. When there is discord, disagreement, and healthy conflict, the only way to resolve them is through thoughtful communication, genuine understanding, and respectful listening.

Avoiding or suppressing conflicts will accumulate more misunderstandings and resentments, and can lead to explosive eruptions that hurt relationships.

4) Do not make it into “I’m right, you’re wrong”.

No one likes to be wrong. Even if you are truly right, acknowledge the other’s point of view nonetheless, and if possible, complement it as a different perspective, to show that you understand them and where they came from.  Having differences is not a situation with winners or losers.  Make it into an opportunity for empathetic understanding of each other’s points of view, and calmly agreeing to disagree, with respect.  

Leave your ego and assumptions out of the conversation. 

Bring your curiosity for his/her points of view into the conversation.  

It does not matter if you are right; what matters is respecting many ways of looking at facts. 

Whatever the disagreement, remind yourself that your loved one(s) may not be around some day.  Death can happen to any one of us in a pandemic. Is it truly paramount that you have to win the argument?  Appreciate what you have in common. Respect the differences.

5) Ask questions that are not provocative.

We are all wired in different ways, and we don’t think alike. When working from home, relationships operates best when when everyone feels understood.  To find out what’s on another’s mind, ask questions that make the other person feel respected. Here are some samples:

(Yes:) “I’m confused ….can you help me understand?”

(No:) Assume that you know what the other person is talking about without clarification.

(Yes:) “I value your perspective … what do you see that I don’t?” 

(No:)  “What you said makes no sense.” “I know better than you.”

(Yes:) “What do you see as the downside in my perspective?” (inviting others’ input and opposing viewpoints.)

(No:) “I am absolutely right; you are totally wrong.”  “Don’t tell me what to do.”

Be the big-minded person, be the humble person, be the “stupid” person with questions. Don’t let your ego get in the way when you genuinely listen to others.

Continue asking questions until you’ve heard and understood what’s going on in another’s head, even if you will not be persuaded. The other person will feel that s/he is heard. If you both are trying to make a decision, try to understand where the other’s point came from first; then you will understand each other better and get down to real issues and root causes, thus making better decisions. 

6) When working from home, be a good listener.

Sometimes people just want to be heard, they don’t want advice. They are not seeking any resolutions.  Then be a good listener and just nod your head, and say “I hear you.”  Don’t shut anyone off or interrupt constantly showing impatience and disrespect. Accumulated hurts will end any loving relationships. Value the relationship, not the subject matter. 

Think first what the OTHER person would feel, before you open your mouth.

“Being present is a selfless activity.  We are not present until others say we are.” Simon Sinek.

7) When you get on each other’s nerves, think of each other’s best traits.

We all have our quirks and do things differently, when we spend time around the clock in the same place with our loved ones during weeks of sheltering in place, small things can be irritating to each other, especially when the big daily horror news reports are fraying our nerves already.

When we find our loved ones’ quirks annoying, try to think of his/her best personality traits, or let him/her know about it in a thoughtful and humorous way, so you both can laugh about it. Ask your loved ones to let you know what your own habits or behaviors are that bother them. Communicate.

Respect each other’s personal space and privacy.  Assume nothing. Ask first.

I am NOT very good at all the above.  I regretfully get my button pushed and lose control.  I am deeply thankful to my loved ones for their forgiveness and love.  We are all on the same journey to be better at communicating with respect, empathy, gratitude and love.  If we keep practicing these 7 tips through trial and error, while we are hunkering down with our loved ones, this crisis may bring us closer. That will be a great silver lining in this dark cloud.

As a branding expert, getting my clients’ message across as music to the ears of their target audience is the key in telling their stories on websites, videos and social media.  

To be continued in Part 3: “A wakeup call for Americans to think like a community.”

Many thanks to Glenn Perkins, President Executive Forums Silicon Valley, for his insights and wisdom related to the above.

By Joanne Tan, March 21, 2020. Edited by Glenn Perkins.  © Joanne Tan 2020.

About the author:  Joanne Tan is the CEO at www.10PlusBrand.com, a full-service brand marketing agency helping businesses decode the DNA of their brands, create differentiating verbal and video content for websites, and amplify their brands’ impact with social media, content marketing and SEO.

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Valentine’s Day Relationship Advice for Couples and the Lonely Hearts

Whether you are in a loving relationship, or yearning for true love, or lonely at heart – enjoy today by giving extra love to those you cherish, including yourself.

The one good thing about Valentine’s Day, is that it reminds us all to value relationships. 

Relationship means stepping outside of yourself, outside your comfort zone, NOT for yourself but for OTHERS, for the one you love.

Relationship means courage. The courage to trust that you are love worthy, and the courage to love another even though you might end up getting hurt. 

Relationship means tolerance, mostly from trivial annoyances and quirks.

Relationship means respect, especially when you disagree. Respect and accept the flawed and erring human being in you, and in your loved one.

Relationship means communication, open, candid, non-judgmental, listening with all your heart and understanding with empathy what the other person feels and thinks. 

Relationship means forgiveness, forgiving others and yourself. 

Relationship means habit, that takes daily efforts to form, and in persistence and consistency, thoughts become actions, actions become habits, and habits become destiny.

Relationship means learning and growing together, and bringing out the best in ourselves and inspiring others to do the same.

Relationship means devotion, singularity, as if your entire world, the universe, is through the prism of that one person you love. In good times and bad, your loved one is always as important or even more important than yourself. In truly loving one person with all your life, is the eternity.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8:

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”

Love makes the world go around. Hope that relationship advice helps. Happy Valentine’s Day, from 10 Plus Brand. Stand for Something.

For the Relationship Advice Video, Visit 10 Plus Brand Youtube

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