Voice + Choice in the Digital Age

When I first entered the workforce, you very much had to be in the office. You had to be seen at your desk. You were considered valuable if you knew how to use a computer so you could help the senior executive in the office connect to his dial up internet. Today, everyone in the corporate workforce knows the basics behind using a computer, it’s expected. But the pandemic has helped democratize digital knowledge on a higher level, across generations, empowering every employee at each level to go beyond email and search engines to communicate via instant messaging and even social media. The widespread access to information and the simple fact that we have been isolating ourselves for months now has proved how effective we can be on our own. While this could have made us less interested in interacting with our colleagues, I’ve found it to mean quite the opposite.

While we’re not dependent on each other to be efficient in our day-to-day tasks, we still look to our colleagues for support, encouragement, and insight. As the Director of Lifestyle at Hickok Cole, a lot of the conversations I’ve had with my team lately have been more reflective. Even though we’re spending less time together physically, we’ve become more aware of each other’s living situations. Video chat has given us a rare glimpse into the homes of our colleagues and prompted us all to speak candidly with each other. As designers, we’re constantly acting as fortune tellers, trying to predict the trends of the future yet this slowed down pace —  no commute, no late nights at the office, no missing birthday celebrations or milestones — has made us think and live more intentionally. We’re realizing what is actually essential to bettering our lives and our relationships.

And what’s interesting for me, beginning my career as part of a generation of traditional office workers and entering this strange period of work-home limbo, is how much I’ve learned from my junior team members. From their technological savvy, adaptability, and agility, the opportunity for a more lateral leadership style blossomed. Half of my team is working in a different city from me. Some of them don’t work full hours. We’re all working on a million different projects at once. And yet the work gets done. My team has taught me to let go of the corporate boundaries of a traditional 9-5 work day and accept something I have always believed true deep down: creativity cannot be prescribed. It’s no wonder we’re seeing a trend towards neurodiverse design. I see it in how my ten-year-old’s teachers guide their students — During one of her Zoom classes, I overheard a teacher say to the class, “You have “Voice and Choice” in the kind of work that you can do during this class. Who wants to work on the etymology project and who wants to work on the Fibonacci series?” — That’s a stark contrast to my 5th grade experience. But I’m thrilled that some public schools are evolving to acknowledge and nurture the creativity and autonomy of young minds. We all have different approaches to work and requirements or strengths that allow us to work better in various conditions. So, my role as Director, as the leader of our team has become that of facilitator. I facilitate their creativity, support their design process, and I help open doors. My role is to figure out a way to make things work for them so that their creativity, energy, and passion is brought to the forefront. The definition of leadership becomes broader and more fluid when a corner office doesn’t physically exist.

Technology, especially when paired with global commerce, is rapidly changing our societal perspective, making the demand for leaders who can deftly navigate across different cultures, generations, and situations, higher than ever before. As leader of the WLI Committee Engagement Group, I co-founded a monthly mentorship program with the Maya Angelou Charter School that pairs young high school scholars together with experienced commercial real estate and hospitality professionals. Our goal is to create a deep and sustained relationship with these students and the school so that we can serve as mentors for them from their junior year of high school until they enter the workforce. On a personal note, I want to elevate diverse voices and expose these students to the various forms leadership and success can come in — just as I hope to within my firm and my own team. We all have unique backgrounds and experiences. That is where our strengths lie and what we should lean on and celebrate the most.

Rhea Vaflor,
Lifestyle Director, Hickok Cole
Member, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group
Member, WLI Steering Committee

In ULI Washington’s new Leadership Insights column, ULI Washington will regularly feature member leader’s thoughts and insights as we adjust personally and professional to a “new normal.”