Of all the jobs a leader has, coaching their team members is at the top of the list, yet one they feel the least comfortable with. This isn’t surprising, since even under “normal” conditions, it’s part of the job we always feel we could do better. Coaching at a distance can seem even more intimidating.

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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

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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

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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

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If you lead a team, odds are you’re exhausted. Helping your people stay productive when working from home or under other kinds of constraints hasn’t been easy. Add to that here in the US (and in large cities around the world) a year full of elections, protest and civil unrest and the flood of news

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We hear all the time that the hardest part of being a connected, engaged member of a remote team is the lack of spontaneous communication. We say it an awful lot ourselves. And it’s true. When you work from home, every communication requires at least a little planning and effort. You don’t just bump into

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If you’re already working from home, and not going into the office, why do you need to take time off? This was a real question a reporter asked me the other day.  My response was a carefully crafted list of reasons taking time off is important, no matter the circumstances. What I really wanted to

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Forced to work from home? It’s not perfect, but hey, there’s always Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and any number of webcam apps to help you stay in touch with your teammates. Then, just when people start using these tools and getting used to them, we learn about “Zoom Fatigue.” This is a perfect example of why,

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Did you think this work from home thing was going to be easier? Are you feeling badly about the way you’re feeling? Well, don’t be. Even the most experienced remote workers have been stressed out by this crisis. Give yourself a break and recognize this hasn’t been an easy time for anyone.

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