This week’s Team Building Tip gets you to consider the PITFALLS you may be facing – as a team or organization.

One of my current writing projects is the Daily Remote Guide. Recently we explored some of the pitfalls to remote work including:

• Different types of social Interaction than what we experienced in the in-person space - While we can’t meet at the water cooler, what is the virtual watercooler you have access to?
• Visibility - Several recent studies have found that many younger professionals are concerned about their visibility during this session. Out of Sight Does Not Mean Out of Mind. If you are concerned that no one knows what you do, consider how you can create more opportunities for sharing across the team?
• Many items get magnified - From glitches to where there are gaps, consider how things get magnified in the remote space.
• Collaboration - As I like to say, “no person is an island”. What’s going to help you collaborate across distance and space?
• Myths - Many of the myths around remote work have been busted in recent months. From previous myths such as “if people work from home they will just sit around in pajamas” to “we really can’t connect virtually”. What are the myths which exist in your organization or industry? What’s going to help to dispel them?

What is going to support you?

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

This week’s Team Building Question is “what’s getting in the way?”. Success in today’s business context is about ongoing evaluation of what’s working and what’s not. What worked this time last year may not be the thing that works right now.

As you consider the question “What’s getting in the way?” consider what this might be as it relates to process, teamwork, communication, meetings, projects etc.

Taking a hard look regularly at what works, and what doesn’t will help you as a team keep moving and adapting.

As an old mentor of mine once said “In times of disruption, there can be no sacred cows”. This was a mantra I led by for many years, being involved in post-disaster rehabilitation and regrowth along with many other key programming areas including educational reform and environmental initiatives.

What’s getting in the way of your success right now?
What are the roadblocks you are facing?


What can help you get over (or around those roadblocks)?

What resources do you need – people? Technology? Change of process? New information? Different skills or expertise?
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What’s needed to make a change?

Enjoy the conversation,
Jennifer

The remote workspace is varied, and we don’t always see the context of our colleagues. For any of you who have a copy of my remote working whitepaper, you will know that in it I explore the 7 Enablers of Remote Work. You can read more about these 7 essential elements here.

Recently I have started sharing more about the layered nuances of remote work. Some of these are skills, some components that are standalone.

In today’s article I wanted to dig deeper into the 8 Layers of Remote Work, which interestingly turn out to be the 8 Ds.

Let’s look at each one of them in turn:

1. Digital
2. Decisions
3. Delegation
4. Distractions
5. Design
6. Dialogue
7. Do
8. Depth

The digital economy has existed for several decades, having been jettisoned into exponential growth this year as part of the 2020 pandemic. I recently came across an old edition of a book by Dan Tapscott who wrote the book Digital Economy back in 1995. I’m thinking I must have picked up the copy when I was a grad student. In one of next week’s blog posts, I’ll be going into the 12 hallmarks of a digital economy. The digital space is one of the important layers which is impacting business, teamwork and leadership. Whether all work is virtual, or some components have reverted to face-to-face, how are things different than at the start of the year (or decade)?

Decisions are the second layer of remote work. There is a cost to making decisions, and as we discussed earlier this week in the September Remote Pathways podcast community call (link to https://youtu.be/Fb_FQdR3Ifk ), decisions are a critical part of getting things done in the remote space. Given that we usually don’t operate in isolation, making decisions remotely may take more time.

Another significant shift that we’ve been seeing happen is people’s comfort in making decisions without having as full, or complete, information as they might have had in a face-to-face context.

Delegation is another critical component of remote work. The nuance with remote work is that we may need to be more proactive in delegating and may need to be more strategic in getting people to focus. For the foundations of Delegation check out this Linked In Pulse post I wrote a few years ago on delegation here.

Distractions is another key layer of remote work. In fact, distractions have the potential to really derail professionals of all kinds in the remote space, particularly if our motivation levels are low, or we are not motivated. What are the distractions you want to take note of? For more on digital distractions check out this recent Teams365 blog post - #1480 on Minimizing Distractions here. 

Tomorrow’s post is going to pick up with the last four of the 8 Layers of Remote Work. From these first four, what’s important to note?

All the best,
​Jennifer

Welcome back to another Weekly Journaling Prompt. This week the prompt for you to journal around is “Resilience Means”.

What has resilience meant for you?

What has it meant for you in recent months?

What has helped you be more resilient?

What have you learned along the way?

My hope is that you will take some time today to reflect on the topic of resilience and consider how it can inform your future actions.

Enjoy the pause!
​Jennifer

Did you have your annual theme earmarked as Pivot back in January? If you had, you would have foreseen what we were to experience. For several months, the number one word I heard was PIVOT. How do we PIVOT the way we work? How do we PIVOT the way our team operates? How do we PIVOT how our busines operates?

This week’s Weekly Journaling Prompt gets you thinking about this week’s prompt – I’ve had to pivot by…
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Enjoy the reflections!
Jennifer

Welcome back to another weekly Team Building Question, which I hope you will bring into your conversations. This week’s question gets you to consider the question “What would the devil’s advocate say?”.

The devil’s advocate is the person who typically goes against the grain, perhaps even to the point of stirring “the pot” around team issues.

This voice can be very unpopular and even vilified in a team context, however, it’s important, especially in times of change and disruption to explore this perspective. There may be some real value and new insights when we slip into this perspective.

What would the Devil’s Advocate say in your team? What learning and insights can that provide to you?

Enjoy!
​Jennifer

In this week’s Flashback Friday post, I am reaching back to one of the earlier posts from January 2020 – Five Focus Areas for Team Leaders. In hindsight, with all that we have moved through in recent months, it’s interesting that I chose these five areas back in January. Take a look at think about what you might want to continue to focus on going forward. Here’s what I wrote in Teams365 blog post Teams365 #2213.

This week I came across a note I had made myself late last year and never got posted. Having worked to support team leaders for a number of years, I often get asked, “what are some of the key conversations they are having with their teams right now”? Here are five areas team leaders today may be in conversation around:

#1 - Focus - With so much occurring in the workplace today – flavors of the month, shiny red objects, interruptions, course changes, external events, etc…helping our team members focus on what is important RIGHT NOW, today, can be an important message to keep reinforcing. Helping team members with prioritization skills and being able to continue to focus on what’s important without adding to the interruptions and divergence is also key. If you are operating in a team context, the impact of one team member slipping may have a domino effect. What are the things that are going to help with focus?

#2 - Connection - What are the things you can do to help people feel connected? Connected to others in the team? Connected to the resources they need? The information they need? What is important about this topic right now for the team?

#3 - Disruption and Change - Disruption and change is becoming more commonplace across industries. Global events can have local impact. Disruption in a related industry can have a trickle effect. What are you doing to help people understand how they react to change, and also build capability in the areas of strategic thinking and/or contingency planning? Having worked for many decades in the areas of strategic planning, critical thinking and contingency planning, I often take it for granted that people are using these tools. What’s important to explore and have conversation with your team?

#4 - Building Trust - As Stephen Covey wrote - and I paraphrase – “Trust is the currency of business”. What are you doing to build trust, and erode trust? In today’s fast, and sometimes remote, business context, we may only see people in “small windows” of time.  Comments, and reactions, may get magnified. Certain activities or patterns of behaviors might be perceived as the norm. What are you doing to build trust, particularly in terms of creating an environment where people can be heard, and listened to? Where follow through is modeled? Where communication fits the needs of the team? What behaviors are visible?

#5 – What can people on the team do to be able to do their best work? Finally, we know from strengths-based research that when people are able to do their best work and use their strengths, there’s greater productivity, engagement and quality of life. Check out Gallup’s Strengths Center for the latest research on this.

Asking the team what they can do to do their best work, as often as possible can be a great conversation. It may also open up a debate point of “Why can’t I do this all the time?”. While we may not be able to use strengths EVERY DAY and EVERY HOUR on every PROJECT, what can we do to magnify or expand this?

Enjoy the conversations and let us know what you are exploring in your team. 

Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program

Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.

Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar
​
PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here. ​

With the tsunami of professionals who have had to shift over to remote work this year, many are getting into the groove of remote work. Whether remote is your new normal or still something temporary, even with the best of intentions, distractions can get in the way.

As someone who has worked in the remote space for several decades while leading virtual teams and a virtual business, I’ve been writing on remote productivity on a regular basis at the Teams365 blog since 2014, and thought that it might be useful to dip into some of my older posts.

Here are four areas I shared back in 2016, in Teams365 blog post #797 about four ways to minimize distractions when working remote. They are:

1. Clear a dedicated space for your work. Whether our workspace is a small table which folds  back into the wall when we are done, or we have dedicated office space, clearing the clutter can be an important step in creating space to focus and be productive.

Consider where you work - what needs to be cleared? Spend 15 minutes this week clearing yourself more space.

2. Make sure you have what you need in order to do your work. Small issues can become big issues when working remote. An old laptop which crashes regularly, taking with it your hard work, becomes a liability. Slow internet speeds can also take a toll. While these issues might be minor pain when working remote once a month, if you need to work remote several days a week, the cost adds up. Consider what you might be tolerating in terms of equipment/resources that just aren't cutting it.

What's the cost of replacing them? What's the cost if you don't?

3. Consider when you are at your peak for different types of work. Some of us like the early morning to get our thoughts down on paper, while others like to tackle calls first thing in the morning. Consider your style and preferences in terms of when you would like to get different tasks accomplished, and SCHEDULE IT IN. We know that as Peter Drucker said, “What doesn’t get scheduled, doesn’t get done”.

4. Distractions can occur when we don't allow ourselves time for a break, or we don't allow ourselves to get into the flow of one activity at a time. While there are many approaches to time management (check  out all of the Teams365 time management tips here), one favorite I’ve shared with many professionals over the years is the Pomodoro approach. The Pomodoro Technique recommends you set a timer for a set amount of time (i.e. 25 minutes) and work until the alarm goes off). Other time management gurus recommend a 10-minute break every 50 minutes.

What is going to keep you focused and at your prime in terms of productivity?

As you think about your current working situation, what distractions are getting in the way? What’s going to help you be most productive? What’s going to help you do your best work, when working from home?
​
This was originally shared as Teams365 #797 https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-797-four-ways-to-minimize-distractions-with-remote-work

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program

Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.

Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar
​
PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here. ​

Finding better focus in the remote space was a big theme for those working remote in the months of March and April 2020. Many may have already found their groove in working remote by now, but many professionals may find that it’s useful to look at what continued adjustments will help if you are Working From Home. Today’s post takes us back to a 2015 post – Teams365 797 – Four Ways to Minimize Distractions with remote work.
 
Today's post looks at four ways to minimize distractions when working remote.
They are:

1. Clear space for where you are going to work. Whether our workspace is a small table which folds back into the wall when we are done, or we have dedicated office space, clearing the clutter can be an important step in creating space to focus and be productive.

Consider where you work - what needs to be cleared? Spend 15 min this week clearing yourself more space.

2. Make sure you have what you need in order to do your work. Small issues can become big issues when working remote. An old laptop which crashes regularly, taking with it your hard work, becomes a liability. Slow internet speeds can also take a toll. While these issues might be minor pain when working remote once a month, if you need to work remote several days a week, the cost adds up. Consider what you might be tolerating in terms of equipment/resources that just aren't cutting it. What's the cost of replacing them? What's the cost if you don't?

3. Consider when you are at your peak for different types of work. Some of us like the early morning to get out thoughts down on paper, while others like to tackle calls first thing in the morning. Consider your style and preferences in terms of when you would like to get different tasks accomplished, and SCHEDULE IT IN.

4. Sometimes we get distracted because we don't allow ourselves time for a break, or we don't allow ourselves to get into the flow of one activity at a time. While there are many tips to time management that we've covered (check out all our time management tips here), months ago I wrote about the Pomodoro approach where you set a timer for a set amount of time (i.e. 25 minutes) and work until the alarm goes off). Other time management gurus recommend a 10 minute break every 50 minutes. What is going to keep you focused and at your prime in terms of productivity?

Let us know which tips you try out and what you find useful!

Best, 
​Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program

Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.

Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar
​
PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here. ​

The last month has been full of disruption for most of us around the world. It may be at moments like this that we need to activate our metaphorical “jet fuel” to move us to the next place.

It’s been commonplace for organizations, teams and businesses to be stuck, shut and simply out of gas this month. Coronavirus has impacted everyone.

Next steps for many after this passes may look very different than what you expected and had envisioned earlier this year. Is it time to revisit your vision and think about what you want to create? What if you had some "jet fuel" to move you into the next stratosphere? What if…?

If you are interested in making a shift, today’s question of “What could jettison you forward?” might be of interest to explore and consider.
​
Enjoy your conversation,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders | Remote Pathways Podcast
Team and Leadership Development | Coaching | Everything DiSC
Phone (416)996-8326

Get your Q2 planning on with the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner or Coaching Business Builder

Looking to enhance your virtual conversations? Webinars? Pick up a copy of Effective Virtual Conversations at Amazon, or join me for the Virtual Facilitation Essentials program

Contact us to discuss how we can support you and your teams and organization with remote work.

Check out upcoming virtual programs on our calendar
​
PDF copies of PlanDoTrack now available! Get yours here. ​