Because next year is the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon, (and because I’m old enough to remember the actual event) I recently read James R. Hansen’s terrific biography of Neil Armstrong, First Man. It was fascinating on many levels, but one of the most intriguing things for someone who studies team dynamics is that the crew of Apollo 11 were not particularly … [Read more...]
Do Remote Leadership Rules Apply to Contractors?
When talking about people who choose to work remotely we often make some (reasonable) assumptions: They crave human contact, they want to be in touch with their teammates and bosses more often, they need to feel like part of the larger organization, and they miss talking to live humans. These ideas sound rational...but what if it’s not true? Not everyone wants to work that … [Read more...]
Relationships Still Matter on Remote Teams
by Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator Think of all the people who have "remote" roles in our lives. It doesn't matter if they're celebrities who deliver us entertainment through our screens, people we've "met" via social media, or customer service reps we only talk to over the phone. These are people we've never locked eyes with or spoken to face to face. It's very … [Read more...]
How Leaders Can Encourage Positive Remote Team Relationships
by Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel No matter where your team members are located, good, strong working relationships are critical in order to have a high performing team. Remote team members don’t have to be “best friends.” They don’t even necessarily have to like each other all the time, but there has to be enough of a relationship to serve as a foundation … [Read more...]
How Not to Micro-Manage Remote Employees (And Still Know What’s Going On)
Nobody wants to be a micro-manager. We want to trust our employees (even when they’re remote and we can’t always know what’s going on). We know they’ll do a great job, and we want to be seen as supportive but not over-bearing. It often comes as something of a shock when we’re accused of being micro-managers. The problem may well be how your hard, well-intentioned work is being … [Read more...]