Do you find yourself using emojis, GIFs and other electronic symbols in your writing more than you used to? Do you love them or hate them? Have you ever sent an emoji or GIF and it didn’t mean what you thought it meant? (Eggplants mean what?) Like it or not, the way we communicate is undergoing a change. Pros and cons of written communication You are part of an evolution in … [Read more...]
How Remote Leaders Can Promote Better Mental Health
The events of the past couple of years have brought mental health to the forefront of leadership concerns. What once was considered purely “personal business” is now (rightly) seen as something that not only affects individuals, but can have a significant impact on productivity and organizational performance. We also hear leaders issuing the disclaimer, “I’m … [Read more...]
Imposter Syndrome and the Long-Distance Leader
“I don’t know what I’m doing half the time,” “I have to look strong and in control for my team. If they ever find out I’m a fraud, it will all fall apart.” “Any day now, they’ll figure out I don’t know what I’m doing and fire me.” Odds are, most of us have said those very things to ourselves. Worse, we believe them. We shouldn’t. These thoughts and so many others are … [Read more...]
Learning in Cohorts for Hybrid Teams
How can you help new hires to a virtual or hybrid team connect and learn about the company culture faster? That’s a question we get a lot, and there’s no one simple answer. That said, one solution is to resurrect the idea of cohorts. How cohorts used to work By definition a cohort is a group of people banded together or treated as a group. It can also mean a supporter or … [Read more...]
Displaying Empathy While Maintaining Standards
A few weeks back, I was leading a class on How Leaders Create and Manage Remote and Hybrid Teams. Two of the participants got into a heated exchange that was very instructive. It raised a good question: When does empathy towards your team members get in the way of managing performance? One of the participants said how much he liked seeing people when they worked from home … [Read more...]