With all the headlines about the wonders of remote work, and how everyone will be happier and more productive if we let them work wherever they want, it’s important to offer this little reminder: Virtual teams are not right for every company or every worker. There, I said it. This came to mind because an

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If you lead a remote team, here’s a quote about technology you should ponder. But maybe not for the reason you think: “Technology gives us the facilities that lessen the barriers of time and distance – the telegraph and cable, the telephone, radio, and the rest.”  Emily Green Balch, Nobel Prize Winning economist and sociologist.

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by Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator Have you ever had a stressful day at the office and thought about how much calmer and happier you would be if you worked from home? You’re probably not alone in that thought, but according to a recent Baylor University study, the “chill” remote worker may just be a

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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

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by Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator Kevin and Wayne spend an entire chapter (chapter 11 if you want to reference) in The Long-Distance Leader talking about the importance of trust with remote teams and unpacking their model (see below). Trust is one of those “squishy” concepts, however, that can make some leaders uneasy. While it’s usually pretty

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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”

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Engagement is one of the topics remote leaders lose the most sleep over. In a recent poll, we learned that “keeping the team engaged” is more of a concern for leaders than team communication, measuring performance or making sure people are working when they say they are. So, there’s no doubt today’s question is one

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by Chuck Chapman, Content Strategy Coordinator Remote work is becoming more common, but it’s still fairly new for most organizations. If you’re a remote leader, chances are this is your first time leading a remote team, and many team members may also be experiencing their first job away from the office. That means all of

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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

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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

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