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...]
Why Technology Fatigue Sets in So Fast
When we work remotely, technology is our lifeline. You’d think we’d be grateful for the ability to see each other when we’re not in the same office, or send our written messages around the world at the speed of light. Instead we tell anyone who’ll listen that the volume of email is interfering with our work. Most of us have only been using Zoom for three or four months, and … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Develop Greater Internal Motivation
by Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator One of the basic rules of remote leadership laid out by Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel in The Long-Distance Leader involves intentionally building trust. While that's true for leaders of co-located teams too, remote leaders simply cannot micromanage from a distance. As shutdowns have forced more teams to work remotely, many … [Read more...]
Combatting Potential Health Risks of Working from Home
by Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator When you think industrial accidents or work-related illnesses, we usually think about miners in coal mines or mishaps on a construction site. But working from home is not without its hazards. We need to be aware of how we work and take care of ourselves. You’d think it would be less stressful than going to the office all the … [Read more...]