When it comes to working remotely, one of the biggest differences between successful leaders and those who burn out, making themselves (and everyone else) crazy, is how much time they spend worrying about “if people are working.” It’s not that we’re not concerned about how people spend their time, it’s just usually the wrong question. If we break that question down to what … [Read more...]
Don’t Let Long-Distance Performance Reviews Ruin Your Holidays
Tis the season… Relax, this isn’t another “prep for the holidays” blog post. It’s worse. Because while everyone around you goes into holiday mode, you have to prepare for the worst thing about the end of the year—performance reviews and development plans for yourself and your people. If you lead a long-distance or dispersed team, this can be even more stressful. As with most … [Read more...]
How to Make That Meeting an Email Instead
Ah, the wittiness of the internet. How many memes, pictures and snarky comments have you seen from people complaining that the latest assault on their precious time was “a meeting that could have been an email"? Especially when we work remotely, it’s easy to complain about the time spent in unproductive meetings. I feel your pain but here’s a question for you: Exactly what … [Read more...]
How Remote Leaders Can Manage Conflict from a Distance
We have heard a thousand times that conflict isn’t a bad thing. No match is lit without friction. Pressure turns coal into diamonds. The list of clichés is long. The fact that they’re true doesn’t eliminate a major sticking point: for many of us, conflict is uncomfortable, and we try to avoid it as much as we can. When we work remotely, conflict is just as uncomfortable as it … [Read more...]
How to Lead Remote Teams Effectively-Part 2
Recently, Wayne Turmel sat down with Tom Crea on his podcast “Your Evolving Leadership Journey.” Wayne and Tom discussed a number of challenges facing remote teams and their leaders today. You can catch the full episode here. This is the second part of that interview. You can read the first installment here. Tom: What are the biggest worries for remote leaders? Wayne: … [Read more...]