By Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator We're over 100 years removed from the assembly line and the industrial leadership mindset that came with it. That leadership model is best illustrated by the foreman in this classic Charlie Chaplin clip from Modern Times: That micro-managing style of leadership, standing over the worker barking orders to "work faster" … [Read more...]
How to Show Your Appreciation to Remote Employees
You know the old saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"? Well, when it comes to remote employees, that's not true at all. In fact, when you're managing a team of remote workers, a big hurdle to overcome is the feeling of isolation and all of the negative emotions that come with it. So while making sure your team feels appreciated is a good leadership habit in general, … [Read more...]
Does Your Online Communication Build Relationships?
By Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator One of the foundations of being a remote leader is effective online communication. As we've well documented on this site and in The Long-Distance Leader, this is one of the principle leadership challenges for those heading up remote teams. Simply put, communicating remotely just isn't the same as communicating in co-located … [Read more...]
History Shows Why Succession Planning on Remote Teams Matters
Here’s a question I bet you’ve never been asked before: What would happen to your team’s work if the boss suddenly wound up dead in a pickle barrel? This is kind of a morbid (okay, downright weird) question, but on remote teams we seldom have a good plan in place for who does what if something major happens. And there’s a historical lesson here for why succession planning is … [Read more...]
How to Delegate to Remote Team Members
If we ask managers, “should you delegate tasks to remote team members?” the answer is almost always a resounding, "Yes!" After all, they are smart, talented people and we’re paying them to add value to the team— of course we should delegate to them. The reality doesn’t always reflect this, though. Many remote workers complain that the plum assignments go to “those suck-ups in … [Read more...]