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...]
The Old-School Skill All Remote Workers Should Learn
When we think about the skills remote workers need to be successful, a lot of things come to mind: mad web presentation skills, the ability to sail through SharePoint like a swallow at Capistrano, and knowing how to appear on webcam without looking like the shadowy informant on a TV show are among them. But there is one old-school skill that seems to have been forgotten, and it … [Read more...]
How to Combat Information Overload on Remote Teams
One of the great paradoxes of working remotely is this: getting good information out to all the team members in a timely manner is a time-consuming challenge, but rumors, gossip and bad information spread faster than hot butter. If you’re a manager, this can be frustrating. If you’re a remote employee, it can be tempting to take the first information you get and react … [Read more...]
Getting Along Isn’t Rocket Science
Because next year is the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon, (and because I’m old enough to remember the actual event) I recently read James R. Hansen’s terrific biography of Neil Armstrong, First Man. It was fascinating on many levels, but one of the most intriguing things for someone who studies team dynamics is that the crew of Apollo 11 were not particularly … [Read more...]
Working Remotely, Playing Nicely, and Getting the Job Done
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...]