One of the unintended consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on teams is that even people who have worked together for a long time are seeing differences in how they work together now. And they seem surprised by that. We’re not. In The Long-Distance Leader, rule number 3 is this: “Know that working remotely changes interpersonal dynamics, even when you don’t want it to.” While … [Read more...]
How Remote Work Can Help Your Outside Sales Business
by Austin Stevenson The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every one of us, transforming both personal interactions and business transactions. Not only is it heart-wrenching to worry about the safety of friends and family, but it can be incredibly difficult to watch your business suffer for months on end. For sales teams, a shelter in place order presents its own set of unique … [Read more...]
Going Back to Normal? Why It’s Neither Possible nor Enough
If you lead a team, odds are you’re exhausted. Helping your people stay productive when working from home or under other kinds of constraints hasn’t been easy. Add to that here in the US (and in large cities around the world) more than a week of protest and civil unrest and the flood of news and social media that goes with that, and it is no wonder your stress level is … [Read more...]
Planned Spontaneity
We hear all the time that the hardest part of being a connected, engaged member of a remote team is the lack of spontaneous communication. We say it an awful lot ourselves. And it’s true. When you work from home, every communication requires at least a little planning and effort. You don’t just bump into someone at the coffee machine, or see Alice walking down the hall and make … [Read more...]
How to Create a Virtual Water Cooler
How often have you leaned across your desk or paused in an office doorway to ask a colleague a question? Or made eye contact with a team member and raised your eyebrows, a show of silent, supportive communication in the face of a tricky client? Along with water cooler conversations, these small confidences and day-to-day interactions are the building blocks of great working … [Read more...]