Robert C. Pozen, a senior lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management and renowned corporate speaker on productivity, discusses his latest book, “Remote Inc.: How to Thrive at Work Wherever You Are.” He explains how employees should decide which days to come to the office and what challenges managers will face leading teams in a hybrid model.

The Take 15 Series is a collection of illuminating, short conversations with noted economists, best-selling authors, leading researchers, and successful practitioners on topics ranging from geopolitics and whistleblowing to irrationality and outlooks.

Episode Transcript (PDF)

Episode Breakdown:
2:43 Thrive: what the word means to Robert and a time he felt like he was thriving in his career
6:21 How Robert thrives in his personal life
7:15 Robert’s most satisfying course that he teaches and what he enjoys most in his teaching career
10:03 The financial innovation that Robert is most excited about for this year
11:08 How to boost your productivity? 
15:27 Can your thinking time be part of your work out time?
16:45 Saying “no” to more things
17:59 How did Roberts new book come about
20:20 How to decide which days to come to the office and what are the challenges that managers will face when they have a hybrid team model?
25:13 Robert’s recommended strategies for team manager to be more effective leader
29: 14 Advice to those who aren’t the best at communication
32:35 Closing questions

• What is one positive long-lasting change resulting from the pandemic?
• What one item would you take with you on a NASA flight?
• Flight v. invisibility: which would you choose?

• Robert's Book, "Remote Inc: How to Thrive at Work Wherever You Are"
• Robert's Book, "Extreme Productivity"
• Goldilocks plan: “After the pandemic ends, most employees will prefer a Goldilocks plan of not too much and not too little remote work. Very few employees want to return to the office five days a week, but most employees also do not want to stay at home all the time. How should employees decide which days to come to the office? What challenges will managers face in running teams under a hybrid model?” The Hill article: How to Design The Hybrid Workplace