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
Geographic distance can lead to psychological distance. Generally, the further away colleagues are, the less connected we may feel. Cultural differences may also lead to psychological distance because we feel closer to people who are similar or who work in a way that makes sense to us. If we feel psychologically distant from our colleagues,
