Opinion: How tall Is Benjamin King, and does it matter?

The query has been nagging me for nearly 5 months. How tall is Ben King?

Let’s start with who Ben King is. He’s my chief of stuff (suppose first lieutenant), and he’s been on the job since January. I interviewed him for the function, and I at present spend about eight hours a day with him in digital conferences and on calls. You’d suppose I’d have a clue to his peak. I don’t.

Such is life in a pandemic. Such is life on Planet Zoom.

I’m going to satisfy Ben King in individual within the not-too-distant future and study the reply to my query, however there may be members of my prolonged group whom I’ll know and admire solely by advantage of digital. I’ve loads of pals who’re CEOs, CMOs and each different doable title, who’ve taken new roles and began to run completely different corporations previously 12 months with out assembly a single colleague within the flesh.

Maybe that is the way forward for work.

As vaccines hit arms and herd immunity strikes inside attain, the chance to shift past distant residing and dealing goes to be actual. Face-to-face will probably be possible and prudent once more, opening doorways (actually) to conferences and journey and dinners and occasions. I’m desperate to see which alternatives will compel us into eating places, airplanes, convention rooms and conferences.

Within the context of the work we do at MediaLink, the petri dish for post-pandemic enterprise conduct is the company overview. Final March, the whole search equipment was halted as model entrepreneurs put a maintain on pitches figuring out there was no means company groups may board airplanes to journey to chemistry checks or pitch conferences. Because the lockdown wore on, nonetheless, entrepreneurs began to tiptoe into Google hangouts, Zoom calls or Microsoft Groups to satisfy new folks, hearken to new concepts, and determine new partnerships.

Everybody acquired good at it. Excellent.

This phenomenon isn’t restricted to the pitch room. It’s turn out to be the best way of protected, good enterprise. Negotiations, offers, and engagements that when had been locked with a bodily handshake are actually solidified with a digital nod by screens and units. It’s tough to think about the pendulum swinging all the best way again in a post-pandemic world, with necessary in-person conversations and entrepreneurs stipulating that company personnel present up within the room for pitch shows. One factor we’ve discovered for certain is that digital works, and we additionally discovered that digital is fairly darn good for the planet. It’s cheaper. Extra accommodating.

I ask myself, am I ever going to journey to the opposite aspect of the globe to attend a gathering after I can present up nearly, well-lit, and rested for a similar dialog? I additionally ask myself, if a possible consumer offers an company permission to not present up reside throughout a overview, will the holding corporations attempt to up their ante by ignoring that corridor move and strolling into the pitch room reside? These are vital questions for us to reply, however I do know from Ben King that it doesn’t actually matter how tall the individuals are on the opposite aspect of the display. Or whether or not you already know their important statistics. Digital will get the job executed.

Having mentioned all of this, let me additionally calibrate my sentiments. I do intend to satisfy Ben King in individual very quickly and “dimension him up.” I’ll attend vital conferences and occasions. I used to be speaking to Joseph Jaffe not too long ago on his CoronaTV streaming present and he talked about the proverbial bear hug. He requested me how an extrovert like me offers with a hybrid existence, and if you already know me, you already know I’m up shut and private. I began my enterprise by working the room, and later loved the power of a room working me.

I’ll be again within the real-world room the place it occurs. Actually with much less frequency, however in all probability with much more enthusiasm.