“During the pandemic, our Company Purpose has strengthened,” explained an HR Director of a multinational consulting firm with more than 20k employees. I nodded, knowing that this could be a result of virtual working. I have focused on virtual collaboration since 2013 and know how the team or organizational purpose is essential when working virtually.
As we review and give labels to 2020, I nominate Year of the Remote Leader. During 2020, the number of leaders of remote teams increased exponentially, as many tried to determine what that meant. The first phase felt like whiplash as leaders tried to locate their team, ensure they were ok, and learn how to
Research from Microsoft shows the value of one-on-one meetings between the remote manager and employee. One-on-ones have always been valuable meetings between manager and employee, but even more so in a remote context. Microsoft found: – the topics were holistic and covered more than work – employees appreciated the attention to their unique situation –
If you want to be creative with your remote team, this article has ideas to consider. Some ideas challenge standard ways of thinking about creativity. For instance, being far away from each other activates a bigger picture focus so that we do not get lost in the details. Also, consider anonymizing ideas to overcome biases.
For years I have been the lonely isolate on Thanksgiving in my geographically dispersed family. I live in the Netherlands and the rest of my family in the US. At the beginning of our virtual holidays, I would try to get their attention by calling or sending emails, but these efforts were futile as my family
