You might not have a favorite Greek philosopher, but I do. And you might not think someone who wrote at the time of the Roman Emperor Nero would be relevant to leading a remote team, but you’d be wrong. My boy Epictetus is still relevant. Particularly relevant today is this quote: “Practice yourself, for heaven's sake in little things, and then proceed to greater.” Yes, good … [Read more...]
Remote Leaders Must Adapt to Modern Times
By Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator We're over 100 years removed from the assembly line and the industrial leadership mindset that came with it. That leadership model is best illustrated by the foreman in this classic Charlie Chaplin clip from Modern Times: That micro-managing style of leadership, standing over the worker barking orders to "work faster" … [Read more...]
How to Show Your Appreciation to Remote Employees
You know the old saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder"? Well, when it comes to remote employees, that's not true at all. In fact, when you're managing a team of remote workers, a big hurdle to overcome is the feeling of isolation and all of the negative emotions that come with it. So while making sure your team feels appreciated is a good leadership habit in general, … [Read more...]
Does Your Online Communication Build Relationships?
By Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator One of the foundations of being a remote leader is effective online communication. As we've well documented on this site and in The Long-Distance Leader, this is one of the principle leadership challenges for those heading up remote teams. Simply put, communicating remotely just isn't the same as communicating in co-located … [Read more...]
History Shows Why Succession Planning on Remote Teams Matters
Here’s a question I bet you’ve never been asked before: What would happen to your team’s work if the boss suddenly wound up dead in a pickle barrel? This is kind of a morbid (okay, downright weird) question, but on remote teams we seldom have a good plan in place for who does what if something major happens. And there’s a historical lesson here for why succession planning is … [Read more...]