To many people, working remotely has one giant perk: we are free from the interruptions caused by other people. Of course, many people say that the biggest downside is the lack of communication with other people. (Honestly, some people are NEVER satisfied.) How you interact with others—because you want to, or because you have to—may make or break your business … [Read more...]
Do Remote Leadership Rules Apply to Contractors?
When talking about people who choose to work remotely we often make some (reasonable) assumptions: They crave human contact, they want to be in touch with their teammates and bosses more often, they need to feel like part of the larger organization, and they miss talking to live humans. These ideas sound rational...but what if it’s not true? Not everyone wants to work that … [Read more...]
Teaching People to Push Back
Do the people on your remote team do pretty much everything you ask, without asking questions? Do you get very little push back when you assign them tasks? That might sound like manager’s dream, but it can be a sign of a problem lurking under the surface. How can people doing what they’re told be a bad thing? Very often our requests have unintended consequences. If we aren’t … [Read more...]
Are You Frightening Your Remote Employees?
As a leader, you know how important communication is to a highly functioning team. As a Long-Distance Leader, you know that you need to communicate even more often, and in different ways, with your remote employees than you do the people in the office. You might also be frightening them a little. Our research with teams shows that there are a couple of ways that leaders … [Read more...]
There’s a Person on the Other End of That Email
When teams work together in one location, they see each other on a pretty regular basis. They see each other at lunch and in the break room. They pass each other in the hall, or when they walk by a person’s office or desk. They get frequent, visual reminders that other people are part of the team. This dynamic can change radically when people start working remotely. Without … [Read more...]