If you have a hybrid team—one where some of your folks work in a central location and some are teleworking or off-site—you have probably heard your share of whining that you’re treating one part of the team differently than the other. It might sound something like this: “The people who work from home, have it made. They don’t have to commute, can wear what they want, and don’t … [Read more...]
Are You Taking Too Many for the Team?
As leaders we know we are expected to work at least as hard as the people we work with. That’s a given. But today we want to talk about costs of constantly sacrificing yourself. This is relevant to any leader, but when you lead remote teams, there are additional stressors and reasons managers wind up burning out by “taking one for the team.” Ironically, those who take the role … [Read more...]
How Long-Distance Leaders Can Simplify Learning
A good teacher must be able to put himself in the place of those who find learning hard. -Eliphas Levi, French educator 1810-1875 One of a leader's most important jobs is to help develop the skills of their team members. For many of us, this is why we became managers or leaders in the first place: we love helping others learn and succeed. But remote working … [Read more...]
Building a Culture of Trust
by Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator Kevin and Wayne spend an entire chapter (chapter 11 if you want to reference) in The Long-Distance Leader talking about the importance of trust with remote teams and unpacking their model (see below). Trust is one of those "squishy" concepts, however, that can make some leaders uneasy. While it's usually pretty apparent when … [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...]