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...]
What If You Just Want to be Left Alone?
You hear a lot of negative things these days about working separate from everyone else on your team. We’ve all heard the complaints (heck we’ve written enough about them here). Remote workers sometimes feel isolated. They don’t interact with their team members enough. People who work remotely sometimes go down the wrong trail and spend a lot of time on tasks that don’t add … [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...]
Choose Your Words Wisely
by Kevin Eikenberry, co-founder The Remote Leadership Institute We all know words matter. Too often, we are too sloppy with them. Right now, I believe sloppy language is part of our problem. Here is my perspective. I believe what we all need is a perspective that acknowledges the current situation without settling for it or giving in to it. If you agree with me (and as … [Read more...]
What Role Can a Leader Play in Employee Mental Health?
by Kevin Eikenberry, co-founder The Remote Leadership Institute Distress comes in many forms and from a variety of causes. As leaders, we want to help our team members be successful, and distress can be a serious barrier to successful outcomes. That is why we must understand the sources of distress before we can help people as they deal with it. Major Types of … [Read more...]