The Future of Team Leadership Is Multimodal | MIT Sloan Management Review

COVID-19 continues to spur a shift to hybrid work. And as leaders lead their teams both virtually and in-person, this article suggests four multimodal leadership roles for leaders to adopt 1) Conductor. This role can be mostly virtual and requires leaders to harmonize their team by sharing and coordinating plans, decisions, and information. 2) Catalyst. When teams come together in person, leaders will channel this role to stimulate collaboration, creativity and innovation, and create a shared culture and purpose. 3) Coach. Whether in-person or virtually, this role calls on leaders to work one-on-one with their reports to help them achieve peak performance, well-being, and professional development. 4) Champion. This role requires leaders to advocate for their teams, secure team resources, tap into essential information sources, and communicate team accomplishments. Each of these roles requires leaders to build trust, enabled by a culture of psychological safety. The article also provides ideas for determining team tasks best served through in-person interaction and offers a framework for leading in a post-pandemic world.