Boris is the wise ol’ CEO of TNW who writes a weekly column on everything about being an entrepreneur in tech — from managing stress to embracing awkwardness. You can get his musings straight to your inbox by signing up for his newsletter!

I think about this a quote lot these days when I observe politics, but also in terms of social interactions, and even in how I manage my company — which I realize can be quite paradoxical at times.

For me and the people I surround myself with, tolerance comes easy, but applying those values to a whole organization can be tricky. The reason is that for a company or organization to be truly tolerant, you’ll have to be a little intolerant.

As the person that defines a company’s culture and values, you need to set clear boundaries from the beginning and determine what type of intolerance you won’t tolerate — if you don’t, you risk your hard work being undermined.

Tolerance doesn’t work without intolerance, but this paradoxical thinking applies to so many other aspects of growing a company.

I firmly believe you’re most creative when you have clear boundaries or you face seemingly narrow restrictions. NOT being allowed to do something, pushes you to find innovative solutions — something you might never have thought of if you hadn’t been forced to.

I’ve found that if you want your employees to feel free, you’ll have to be very clear on rules and expectations, otherwise everybody will be anxious about misinterpreting how free they can really be.

The same goes if you want to be seen as a kind and compassionate person. Making it clear where the line is gives meaning to your compassion as it makes people understand it’s based on actual values rather than just a blanket response.

And if you’re seeking perfection, you’ll also have to start by accepting some things won’t be perfect. Striving to perfect something means focusing on it, while acknowledging that imperfections will arise in areas you aren’t investing time in. For a process to have perfect results, you’ll have to accept a lot of imperfect actions to get there.

So the next time you feel like you’re contradicting yourself, don’t worry — being a paradox is a good thing.

Can’t get enough of Boris? Check out his older stories here , and sign up for TNW’s newsletters here .

The ‘five whys’ will make returning to the office less awful

Boris is the wise ol’ CEO of TNW who writes a weekly column on everything about being an entrepreneur in tech — from managing stress to embracing awkwardness. You can get his musings straight to your inbox by signing up for his newsletter!

I was talking to a woman the other day about how much she liked the company she worked for. It’s fun and modern in most ways, but there was one big catch — the management team is still stuck in the past when it comes to this year’s biggest challenge for employees and companies… returning to the office.

Their CEO had recently announced that they expect employees to work from the office again five days a week as soon as things return to normal.

She was dismayed and annoyed and told me most employees don’t want to return to the office five days a week. Some are fine with three days. Others would prefer two days, and a few are happy with just one day a week at the office.

Now faced with a forced five-day week back at the office, the employee told me she and her coworkers are ready to revolt. They thought about going to the office and spending less time working and more time drinking coffee and chatting. Performance would drop, and management would be forced to allow work from home again.

The response? Management took the position of look, you’re being paid to work from the office, so if you don’t like that, you can quit and find a different company to work at.

Both responses are incredibly human and understandable knee-jerk reactions — but they won’t lead to a solution. And I truly believe that in the end, both employees and the company will be worse off.

So how do you solve it…?

I don’t have the perfect solution to this problem (I never do), but I think it’s important to realize that frustrations with decisions like these are usually just the tip of the iceberg, while there’s so much more going on below the surface.

In this situation, I think it would’ve made more sense for the management to ask themselves, “Why exactly do we want people to work from the office? Why really?” And the answer can’t be “just because.”

To me, the answer would most likely be “because I want people to perform” and the logical follow-up would be “and I can’t ever be sure if they work from home because I can’t check up on them as easily.”

Now that’s a trust issue — and it’s an indictment on management and its approach. But trust is also something you need to earn, so both management and employees need to think hard about how to build that trust.

The logical next step is to look at performance. If you’re an employee and can show you’re more efficient and reach your goals faster while working at home, then surely that should be a persuasive reason to allow you to work from home.

So despite the fact we’ve all seen that we can work and be productive from home, I think we should never underestimate the magic that can happen when you get people together in the same place.

That’s why if you’re an employee, you need to be honest when asking yourself this question: “Does working from home really make me more efficient, or is it just slightly more comfortable?”

Now, these questions won’t resolve the issue on their own, but they’re a good start of getting into the habit of asking yourself the ‘five whys.’

Try solving issues with the ‘five whys’ technique

In my mind, if you want to solve a problem, you’re going to have to stop looking at it superficially and look for its root cause. Just thinking about it a minute longer might help, but I’m quite fond of the ‘five whys’ technique .

How does it work? You just need to ask ‘why?’ five times.

Why do you want to work from home?

1st why — because I like it

2nd why — because I can focus better

3rd why — because there are fewer distractions

4th why — because the office is too loud and I’m pulled into too many meetings

5th why — I need silence and no interruptions to do my work more efficiently

All of these reasons are completely understandable, but using the five whys forces you to see that working remotely might not be the only solution.

These issues could, for example, be addressed with a quieter office space and a rule that limits the number of meetings throughout the day. So you staying at home or coming into the office might not be the root cause, but rather the company’s culture.

But let’s see how it works for management:

Why do you want your employees to come to the office?

1st why — because I don’t think they work as hard from home

2nd why — because I believe they will be too distracted at home

3rd why — because their cat demands attention, the dishwasher needs to be emptied, and their kids are running around

4th why — because that means they won’t spend all their time on their work

5th why — and that means I’m paying 100% and only getting 50% work back

‘Butts in seats’ isn’t a solution to not having control over productivity. Instead, just focus more on output rather than hours or being physically present.

Implement a clear KPI and OKR system and make sure you’re happy with those goals, and then when employees meet those goals… who the hell cares about hours worked?

And if you’re worried about morale being low due to lack of face-to-face interactions — or see more confrontations and criticism happening — then organize more events at the office or create other reasons to entice people to get together and interact more with each other.

If we break it all down, I think the primary reason people want to work from home is comfort. And the reason managers want their employees close to them is control. But both comfort and control can be achieved by other means if we’re all able and willing to look at the root cause of our desires.

Can’t get enough of Boris? Check out his older stories here , and sign up for his newsletter here .

Here’s how to keep you and your team motivated — even remotely

Are you feeling demotivated at work or worried that your employees aren’t feeling as motivated as they should? Do you even know what signs to look out for or how to boost motivation across your workforce ?

We spoke to Emma V Jackson , a consultant and coach for the tech and creative industries, to find out what causes demotivation at work, what managers can look out for, and how best to address this.

So, read on to find out how you can motivate yourself and your team, depending on whether you’re a manager or an employee.

If you’re a manager

As a manager you have a responsibility to motivate not only yourself, but your employees as well — and there are identifiable signs that suggest when your action is necessary.

Aside from discrimination, bullying, or feeling alienated due to a lack of diversity, or some other serious breach of trust, Jackson says she’s observed two leading causes of demotivation.

One big factor is purpose, or lack thereof. Often, Jackson says the problem can be twofold:

“They might not be connected to the company’s or department’s purpose. Humans adore purpose; it’s crucial to a satisfying or happy life. Connect an individual’s sense of purpose to a company or product purpose (you might call it mission), and you’ve got an unstoppable force.”

Not having clear, achievable goals is another cause of demotivation.

“There is a sweet spot in everyone’s spectrum of comfort, between being very comfortable and mad panic that is called the stretch zone. This is the highly engaging and ideal learning and performance zone that won’t result in burn out,” Jackson explains.

So if you’re a founder or in a managerial position, it’s your responsibility to create this dynamic. To do so, the company as a whole will need to identify its purpose and communicate it as an engaging mission to staff, while also tailoring metrics and goals around this for employees.

Jackson says it’s always a good idea to retrospectively ask people what’s worked to date and why and this is even more important during the coronavirus pandemic .

If your team has nothing good to say, then you really do need to start worrying — Jackson says there should always be something to commend, even when times are tough.

Another symptom to look out for is seeing whether team rules — both spoken and unspoken — around meetings, breaks, courtesy, reporting, etc. erode. It’s important to address these issues because they can have a huge knock on effect on respect, team interests, and overall performance.

If you want to motivate your staff, Jackson urges you to:

Be authentic: show a bit of yourself and connect as human beings.

Demonstrate that you care deeply about your team‘s wellbeing: what makes them tick, prioritize physical and mental health, are they psychologically safe at work. Ask yourself what their personal pressures are.

Use data and logic to govern your team: remove bias, favoritisms, and create equal opportunity for everyone to shine.

If you’re an employee

Demotivation sucks and it can literally turn into a downward spiral of self inflicted pain: you aren’t motivated, your productivity falls, and you’re left feeling even more demotivated as a result.

So, what exactly can you do? Well, motivating oneself isn’t easy but it’s by no means impossible.

First, you need to convince yourself that you actually want to do a specific task or job. This can take some time, so just be patient, and if you’re really struggling figure out a way to reward yourself once you’ve completed the task.

Then you need to take control of your responsibilities and actions. Create a to-do list and work your way through it. Aim to get everything done by the end of the day — letting stuff spill over from one day to the next can make you feel even more demotivated.

If you can surround yourself with other hard working people. If you’re working from home and can’t do this, listen to a playlist that helps you focus or tune into this nifty office noise generator which will simulate the office‘s hustle and bustle to spur you on.

If you’re demotivated because you’re overwhelmed then break up your tasks into smaller ones and remember why you are doing what you’re doing. Purpose and objectives will help you stay motivated.

Tell your manager if you’re struggling to stay motivated. Your demovitation is often due to an underlying reason and speaking to someone else can help get to the bottom of this.

Stay positive but acknowledge that you can’t give 150% every single day.

Remember:

Convince yourself that the task or tasks are worth doing

Take control of your own actions and motivation

Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with work

Speak out if you need help seeing things in perspective

Be OK with having less productive days

How do you keep your team motivated? Share your experience with Growth Quarters community .