Remote-work is a fundamental shift in the way businesses operate, touching every aspect from communication, team dynamics, to the delivery of projects. But what does this mean for businesses aiming to innovate at speed? Steli Efti, the man behind the success of Close.com, a leading CRM platform, provides some rare and insightful answers to this question.
Steli notes, “faster also means some of those struggles or things that were inherently broken about remote work. We might have been able to ignore these because they’d be under the hood and now they’re so exposed that we might find really great solutions for them and real innovation around them.” At its core, embracing remote work brings challenges to the forefront, compelling companies to address them head-on. This, in turn, drives faster innovation as companies are forced to adapt or fall behind.
While the world marvels at the benefits of remote work, from flexibility to tapping into global talent pools, there’s another angle to it. The increased visibility into the challenges of remote work means that there’s a constant push to innovate solutions for these challenges. Think about it: the very act of working remotely requires the constant use of technology, tools, and platforms, many of which are still evolving. As challenges arise, so does the need for better tools, which in turn drives technological advancement.
Moreover, Steli draws an intriguing parallel between the progression of societal norms and the current evolution of work, “if you think about a couple of 100 years back, if you had told somebody that there would be books that tell people how to eat food, it would have seemed ridiculous… And I think that in the same way in the future, teaching people how to go offline and teaching people how to not work or think about work, I could see that becoming a massive industry and a massive challenge.” This comparison highlights the unforeseen outcomes and industries that arise from shifts in societal behavior. Just as the food and fitness industries emerged out of abundance and sedentary lifestyles, the remote work revolution might give birth to industries catering to the “always-on” work culture.
One significant implication of Efti’s insights is the potential industry dedicated to helping people disconnect from work. In his words, “teaching people how to not work or think about work, I could see that becoming a massive industry and a massive challenge because work and being connected to work is going to be so available and so addictive that it’s going to come with some issues.” The future might see businesses offering solutions not just for better productivity, but also for better work-life balance.
So, for companies aiming to stay ahead of the curve, what’s the takeaway here? It’s simple yet profound: Don’t just adapt to remote work; embrace it fully. Dive deep into its challenges, leverage its opportunities, and innovate at every step. As Steli Efti’s insights suggest, the remote work revolution isn’t just about working from home; it’s about reimagining how businesses function, innovate, and grow in this new era.