Is leading a remote team really that different from leading a team where everyone works in the same place? Of course: Informal communication with remote employees is not nearly as easy as it is with on-site staff. Technology plays a pivotal role in communication, and learning how to use it and maximize the benefit of

By Wayne Turmel Should virtual meetings be fun? I think so, and in fact, I think fun during meetings should be a priority. Not everyone agrees. In fact, some people downright hate that idea. After all, they say, meetings take too much time as it is. Fun just wastes time. People should do what needs to be done,

By Wayne Turmel One of the joys of email is the ability to send a single message to multiple people at the same time. I mean, it’s not like the “reply all” button invented itself. It’s often useful. Often… but not always. So the supposedly simple question is: When do you hit ‘Reply All’ and

This is the first post in an ongoing series where we interview experienced leaders of virtual teams and share their insight with you. First up, is Stan Kimer, founder and president of Total Engagement Consulting by Kimer and a long-time leader at IBM, where he managed virtual teams. Below we share four pieces of advice he wants

By Wayne Turmel We know that a big part of working remotely and managing teams is to set clear goals—people need to know what they’re supposed to do, by when, and to what standard. That’s great, but there can be an awful lot of drama before it’s all over. Between assigning tasks and checking them

 By Wayne Turmel One of your jobs as project leader is to keep all your team members (no matter where they are located) focused on the same team goals. That can often feel like herding cats. It’s quite easy for team members to lose sight of larger team goals because: They are so focused on the

By Wayne Turmel When leaders first experience working with remote employees (whether they are part-time teleworkers or full-time virtual team members doesn’t seem to matter much), one of their first concerns is: “How do I hold people accountable for their work?” While that seems like a reasonable question, it’s not what most people are really

Want to drastically improve your online presentations, meetings and training sessions? Count to five. But we’ll get to that in a minute. One of the reasons virtual meetings fail so miserably is that team leaders, that’s you, often don’t give people enough time to respond when they ask for  input, questions or comments. To encourage engagement,

By: Mark Miller Culture is important whether you have a remote team or not. It’s an intangible piece of every organization and its importance is often overlooked. Company culture is the formula that guides your team, inspiring and motivating them. It’s what draws and retains great talent and ultimately, it plays an important role in