Management & Leadership
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How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams To Do The Best Work of Their Lives
Unlock the power of flexible work with this practical "how-to" guide from the leadership of Slack and Future Forum
The way we work has changed. The era of toiling from nine-to-five, five-days-a-week in the office is now a relic of the past, and is being replaced by a better way-flexible work. But flexibility means a lot more than a day or two a week to "work from home": 93% of your employees want more flexibility in when, not just where, they work. They want choice and they are leaving their roles to find it. The most successful leaders will go much further than offering occasional remote workdays-they will redesign every aspect of how work gets done, from defining how they measure organizational success to training their managers to make it happen.
How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to Do The Best Work of Their Lives offers a blueprint for using flexible work to unlock the potential of your people. The book offers the steps necessary to building the new principles and guardrails to empower flexible, high-performing teams. And it teaches readers to lead with purpose, to manage and measure differently, and to believe that by letting go, they'll get more back than they thought possible.
How the Future Works explains how to:
Establish leadership principles, commitments, and outcomes for truly flexible teamwork Measure and assess productivity in a flexible workplaceReskill managers to ensure a level playing field for all employeesImplement the infrastructure necessary to make flexible work successfulUsing original research from Future Forum, a consortium by Slack, and global case studies from leading companies such as Levi Strauss & Co., Genentech, Royal Bank of Canada, and IBM, How the Future Works offers concrete solutions and practical steps for building high functioning teams of talented, engaged people by providing them with the flexibility and choice they need to do their best work.
The way we work has changed. The era of toiling from nine-to-five, five-days-a-week in the office is now a relic of the past, and is being replaced by a better way-flexible work. But flexibility means a lot more than a day or two a week to "work from home": 93% of your employees want more flexibility in when, not just where, they work. They want choice and they are leaving their roles to find it. The most successful leaders will go much further than offering occasional remote workdays-they will redesign every aspect of how work gets done, from defining how they measure organizational success to training their managers to make it happen.
How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to Do The Best Work of Their Lives offers a blueprint for using flexible work to unlock the potential of your people. The book offers the steps necessary to building the new principles and guardrails to empower flexible, high-performing teams. And it teaches readers to lead with purpose, to manage and measure differently, and to believe that by letting go, they'll get more back than they thought possible.
How the Future Works explains how to:
Establish leadership principles, commitments, and outcomes for truly flexible teamwork Measure and assess productivity in a flexible workplaceReskill managers to ensure a level playing field for all employeesImplement the infrastructure necessary to make flexible work successfulUsing original research from Future Forum, a consortium by Slack, and global case studies from leading companies such as Levi Strauss & Co., Genentech, Royal Bank of Canada, and IBM, How the Future Works offers concrete solutions and practical steps for building high functioning teams of talented, engaged people by providing them with the flexibility and choice they need to do their best work.
Editorial Reviews
"We have arrived at a moment where we can backslide into the status quo or transform society for generations to come. How the Future Works makes the latter possible-providing us with a blueprint to deeply consider the future of work. It is a must-read for today's leaders."
-Indra Nooyi, former CEO, PepsiCo and author of My Life in Full
"We know flexibility is the future of work-the big question is how it's going to work. This book combines the latest data with actionable advice on giving people more freedom without settling for less excellence."
-Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
"How the Future Works uncovers the key principles for building a culture that connects, supports and inspires every employee in this new all-digital, work-from-anywhere world. It's an essential guidebook for transforming the way people work and unlocking their potential."
-Marc Benioff, Chair and Co-CEO, Salesforce
"I pay attention to the Future Forum. And if you're interested in folks who take in gobs of data, listen, ask useful questions, and make helpful judgements on how we might work now, you might too."
-Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters
"CEOs confront few topics as complex, urgent, and strategically important as the future of work in a post-pandemic, increasingly digitized world. Brian, Sheela, and Helen highlight pitfalls, provide insight and practical advice to help guide leaders through these choices, and put us on a path to improve work for the benefit of our people and our organizations."
-Rich Lesser, Global Chair, Boston Consulting Group
"The disruption to work ushered in the era for flexible work forcefully. This insightful book provides a framework with examples for successfully implementing flexible, diverse, and inclusive cultures."
-Tsedal Neeley, Professor, Harvard Business School and author of Remote Work Revolution and co-author of The Digital Mindset
"How the Future Works ...
-Indra Nooyi, former CEO, PepsiCo and author of My Life in Full
"We know flexibility is the future of work-the big question is how it's going to work. This book combines the latest data with actionable advice on giving people more freedom without settling for less excellence."
-Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
"How the Future Works uncovers the key principles for building a culture that connects, supports and inspires every employee in this new all-digital, work-from-anywhere world. It's an essential guidebook for transforming the way people work and unlocking their potential."
-Marc Benioff, Chair and Co-CEO, Salesforce
"I pay attention to the Future Forum. And if you're interested in folks who take in gobs of data, listen, ask useful questions, and make helpful judgements on how we might work now, you might too."
-Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters
"CEOs confront few topics as complex, urgent, and strategically important as the future of work in a post-pandemic, increasingly digitized world. Brian, Sheela, and Helen highlight pitfalls, provide insight and practical advice to help guide leaders through these choices, and put us on a path to improve work for the benefit of our people and our organizations."
-Rich Lesser, Global Chair, Boston Consulting Group
"The disruption to work ushered in the era for flexible work forcefully. This insightful book provides a framework with examples for successfully implementing flexible, diverse, and inclusive cultures."
-Tsedal Neeley, Professor, Harvard Business School and author of Remote Work Revolution and co-author of The Digital Mindset
"How the Future Works ...
Readers Top Reviews
Mark Twain
This book is a handbook of flexible workplaces. Which we all favor. But how do we actually make it happen? This isn't simply an announcement of the new workplace -- it's a fine source of ideas, tips, and techniques. The authors have wrestled with the issues raised by flexible work and have found other managers who have done the same. If you manage people -- or want to -- check it out.
Pasha Massih
Interesting read and very relevant content for the working the in the new model of work.
Sam Frederick
The authors have done an amazing job of synthesizing so much research and perspective from across the the working world to provide a definitive account of where we are and where we're going. Essential reading for anyone who needs to make decisions about building work culture in this day and age.
Phil Simon
I've long been an admirer of Future Forum and its research. It's timely, important, and well done. Being able to access it all in one physical entity is invaluable. I also enjoyed the case studies, as they personified the research. What's more, the book is brimming with resources to help leaders make sense of the brave new world of work. Well done, authors! Disclaimer: The publisher sent me a copy gratis and one of the authors appeared on my pod.
