Many managers complain that they feel like they have to be Mom or Dad to their teams. Of all the similarities between leading remote employees and being a parent, the most obvious is that you’re not supposed to have favorites. SPOILER ALERT: you probably do. It’s not intentional, and if you’re wise you’re on guard against charges of favoritism and bias. But we display our … [Read more...]
Helping Remote Employees Cope With Perfectionism
Do you manage remote employees? Whether your company is remote by choice or not yet back in the office due to Covid-19, having a remote team can throw up some challenges as well as some great opportunities. While you might worry that remote employees won’t work so hard when they’re not in the office, the truth is that most people are more productive when working from home. … [Read more...]
Planning for Remote Work in 2021
I don’t want to alarm you, but for most organizations we have entered the dreaded Q4, the Fourth Quarter. The Year-End. Crunchtime. If you didn’t have time to create a work from home plan before COVID hit, now’s the time to plan for next year. In our work with people and their organizations around the world, we are often asked what 2021 will bring. If the last six months has … [Read more...]
Get Your Remote MBWA
A client of mine recently started talking to his project managers about getting their “Remote MBWA.” I had never heard of this particular degree, so I asked him what that was. He said it wasn’t some new kind of MBA, rather it means Management By Walking Around. Here’s how he described it to me: "Management By Walking Around" is the term used for the kind of manager who walks … [Read more...]
How’s Your Team’s Six-Week Report Card?
Depending on where in North America you are, you’ve probably been working from home for six weeks now. We know it feels longer than that, but most of us experienced the reality of the COVID-19 crisis sometime between March 12 and 16th. So here’s an important question: How's it going? Six weeks is 42 days. You know what can happen in 42 days? Chipmunks, ferrets, gerbils, … [Read more...]