Has communicating over distance, especially since so many of us work remotely now, really changed over the past few years? Last week’s post about the use of emojis at work raised some hackles among readers. Some fell into the camp of “They’re cute and help create an informal, friendly relationship, stop being such a fuddy-duddy.” The other group (and I’m paraphrasing) believes … [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...]
Don’t Blame Your Boss for Your Poor Work-Life Balance
Are you having trouble maintaining a healthy work-life balance when you work from home? You’re not alone. It’s one of the most common complaints by remote workers. But if you’re tempted to blame your ogre (or ogress) of a boss for this, guess again. Many of these challenges are self-imposed. Over years of working with remote teams, we hear a lot of the same complaints: “I’m … [Read more...]
Listening to Your Email
Here’s a strange question for you: How does your email sound? On one hand, it’s kind of a silly question—there is no sound, email is just words on a screen. If you’re honest though, you know that you can often “hear” the other party in their email, almost as if they were speaking to you. In creative writing, we often speak about “voice.” Voice is the author's style, the … [Read more...]
Does Your Remote Team Know What’s Expected?
by Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator Remote work is becoming more common, but it's still fairly new for most organizations. If you're a remote leader, chances are this is your first time leading a remote team, and many team members may also be experiencing their first job away from the office. That means all of you are sailing in some uncharted waters. The good … [Read more...]