21st Century Business Edge With Quantum Leadership And Asynchronous Collaboration

BY: Barbie Layton

Post-pandemic, have you noticed that old business practices no longer work the same? Those who have shifted and continued to be successful, or even more so, have pivoted their business into new ways that have been wonderful for upgrading morale and the bottom line. 

In 2021, I was nominated for the inaugural Tony Hsieh Award. The award was named after the beloved CEO of Zappos, who turned the company into a billion-dollar business. Though he tragically passed away, he was famous for treating his employees with values that brought the best out of them. 

The award winner was Mountain View, and billionaire CEO Ahmed ElMouray spoke of how, by taking care of the 275,000 people they serve in Egypt, they went from seven billion to twenty billion in profits in 2020 during the pandemic. They are an example that while these methods are different, they are highly profitable by capitalizing on the combination of human talent and technology. 

Their story is a classic case of Quantum Leadership, which is a relatively new term that refers to an approach using a hybrid of human qualities fused with technology. It embraces principles and concepts from quantum physics, such as factoring in uncertainty, non-linearity, and interconnectedness, whether remotely or in person, and applies them to leadership and organizational management in theory and practice.

In quantum leadership, the traditional hierarchical and linear models of leadership are challenged, and leaders are encouraged to adopt a more flexible approach to maximize team output. Today, many lucrative companies are embracing Quantum leadership and asynchronous collaboration with the newly available artificial intelligence programs, like ChatGPT, Dall-E, Midjourney, etc. 

Quantum leaders recognize the complex and unpredictable nature of today's busiest environments and understand that traditional command-and-control methods may no longer be effective. These leaders embrace a mindset that goes beyond either-or thinking and is comfortable with paradoxes, contradictions, and multiple perspectives. They also encourage creative and holistic approaches to problem-solving, knowing they lead to innovation.

In the Tony Hsieh Award asynchronous collaboration group, we are spearheaded by Keith Ferrazzi. Keith works with Fortune 500 groups, pioneered hybrid work pre-pandemic, and wrote best-sellers like "Never Eat Alone." When our group meets in person, this consortium of business leaders challenges each other and the norms that were true before, collaborating on best practices in a creative and collegial way looking future-forward. 

Many companies and leaders have embraced principles aligned with quantum leadership or incorporated aspects of it into their leadership practices. IBM has been at the forefront of exploring quantum computing, integrating some quantum-inspired principles into its leadership development programs and customized artificial intelligence options. They emphasize the importance of collaboration, embracing ambiguity, and fostering a growth mindset. 

Google is another company with a reputation for fostering an innovative and creative work culture, encouraging employees to think outside the box, experiment, and take risks. According to Vishen Lakhiani, the CEO of MindValley, "Fifty percent of all projects for Google are intentional failures that are built into their business model as that allows innovation and allows top minds to cultivate those winning ideas." These aspects align with some quantum leadership principles, such as adaptive learning and embracing non-linearity. 

This brings us to the second successful paradigm shift of asynchronous collaboration: doing business as a hybrid with in-person and online options has become the norm for most entrepreneurs and companies. The Tony Hsieh Award community now uses a platform with remote teams signing in to daily videos, reflections, and threads to collaborate without losing steam on other projects. 

Platforms such as Latch, Monday, and Slack are forerunners and help teams stay organized. Asynchronous collaboration is a way of working together in which team members can contribute and communicate without being required to be present at the same time or location. It involves exchanging information, sharing ideas, and collaborating on tasks without real-time interaction.

Overall, asynchronous collaboration offers a range of benefits, including increased flexibility, improved productivity, enhanced teamwork, better knowledge sharing, and support for work-life balance. By leveraging digital tools and embracing this approach, companies can effectively collaborate and leverage diverse skills and perspectives. 

Firstly, it allows global and remote team members to work on their own schedules and overcome the limitations of time zone differences. It also provides flexibility and productivity, enabling team members to work at their most productive times and manage their schedules. 

At the same time, it reduces the need for constant meetings and interruptions, giving people the opportunity to focus on deep work and accomplish tasks more efficiently. Teamwork is enhanced as well, since employees are encouraged to think and contribute independently, and team members are empowered to take ownership of their work and make meaningful contributions without relying on immediate feedback or input from others.

Likewise, a sense of autonomy and self-responsibility is fostered within the team as it shows the amount of contribution through analytics. A record of conversations and document sharing is created within the team so that teammates can catch up quickly on past discussions, and there is no information loss. 

Inclusive and diverse participation is facilitated even though some members might not be able to join real-time meetings due to language barriers, introversion, or time constraints because everyone can participate at their own pace. It also fosters work-life balance - a massive topic today - as it reduces the need for constant availability, providing more flexibility to accommodate personal responsibilities and interests outside of work. 

Companies like GitLab, Automattic (the company behind WordPress), Zapier, Buffer, InVision, and Basecamp are exclusively remote successful models. We're in a new era that we will look back on as this time is as relevant as the Industrial Revolution, and we are only on the fourteenth iteration of the iPhone. With new A.I. offerings, things are moving at the speed of light, and those who are on the cutting edge and willing to pivot to new business practices even with their previous products and services are the ones that are currently thriving. Embrace the change! 

About the author:

Barbie Layton is a scientifically verified Quantum Healer/Executive Coach,  international best-selling author, TV show host of "You Are Amazing!", as well as a speaker that works with CEOs, elite athletes, and individuals to help them re-fall in love with themselves, re-animate their dreams, and become the VIP of their own lives. She now works as a leader of leaders to help shift organizations to optimize their harmony and increase their monetization. 

She has been on multiple platforms and stages, including The Los Angeles Tribune summits with some of the top names in the personal growth and development industry, and will be featured in four upcoming books and just filmed a movie for Amazon Prime.

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