Teams365 Blog - POTENTIALS REALIZED

TEAMS365 #2527 - Stand Out Virtually Principle #3 - Things Get Magnified in the Remote Space

11/30/2020

Welcome back to another Stand Out Virtually weekly principle. This week I wanted to share the principle that “Things get magnified in the remote space”. That’s the good, the bad, and the not so great.

What are the things you want to showcase? When we have limited time together as teams or others, things become more pronounced.

If things are unclear, it’s likely that they will be even more unclear. If people feel disconnected, their sensation may be even more around disconnection.

What are the things you want to spotlight? What needs volume to be amplified around? To be minimized?

Enjoy the conversation,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2522 – Building Connection in Virtual Meetings

11/25/2020

Over the last few weeks, I have been undertaking a lot of speaking around virtual facilitation, as well as hosting a number of virtual groups, and virtual train-the-trainers. I’ve also been part of several online conferences, either as a participant, or as in the case of Running Remote, a community sponsor.

One of the key themes which has emerged is HOW do we BUILD connection across the virtual space?

When things are complex, it’s even more important to intentionally be building connections across a group.

Here are two ideas:

Have people introduce themselves by asking them to share something that they bring that’s unique to the group. After everyone has welcomed themselves, be sure to ask the group to consider the key themes which have emerged across the group.
Add a layer of BINGO to your next meeting – you can see it at play in our Remote Pathways Podcast call around Trust and Connection from May 2020. Check it out here.

Check out the November 17th blog post which includes links to the topic of trust and connection as well. You can read the November blog post here - TEAMS365 #2514 – Building Connection in Your Remote Team #remoteteams - POTENTIALS REALIZED

This is in addition to a couple of other ideas including:

Create a virtual co-working group of people inside, or outside of your organization, stating time to meet online.
Joining communities of like-minded people who are also exploring topic areas of similar interest.

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS354 #2520 - Stand Out Virtually Principle 2 – Take a Stand

11/23/2020

With so much noise in the virtual space, it is not only important to be consistent, it is also important to take a stand around what’s important to you?

What are you committed to creating in your work, no matter what?

What is the stand you are taking?

Late 2019, I put my stake in the ground for creating and holding the space for virtual and remote professionals globally to do their best work. Through training, coaching, the Remote Pathways podcast and my writing, my goal is to reach, and impact 795,000 remote professionals by the end of 2021.

My commitment has not just been shaped in the last year, but rather the last 3 decades of my career. From leading teams in the remote space from most of the 1990s, to establishing a virtual business back in 2004, working in the virtual and remote space has been a big part of my passion and my focus.

Well before this year’s pandemic, my focus on global connections and mitigating environmental impact where driving forces for my choices around virtual work.

My stand is that remote work and virtual conversations are an essential part of the fabric of work. Even when we can work in other ways, I do believe that these are here to stay.

As you consider your work and your calling, what is important for you to focus on? What are you passionate about taking a stand around?

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2515 - Celebrating our first season of the Remote Pathways podcast

11/18/2020

Next week signals of our first year of the Remote Pathways podcast. When my co-host Michelle Mullins and I started this journey a year ago of exploring the people, pathways and processes to remote work, we would have had no idea how the year would be placing such an emphasis on remote wok.

We’ve released 24 great episodes exploring the terrain of the remote workspace. From entrepreneurial pursuits to project managers, sales professionals, to virtual facilitators, the landscape of remote work is vast. We have also focused on helping people explore some of the key areas that help people thrive, for example, our episodes with:

Check out some of my other favorite episodes:

We are looking forward to having you join us for season 2!
Enjoy your conversations,

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2514 – Building Connection in Your Remote Team

11/17/2020

One of the challenges of today’s remote team is that of connection which has implications for results and relationships. When people don’t feel connected it has impact on productivity, teamwork and also results.

What are the ways you are connecting your team?

Many teams these days are incorporating some, or all, of these:

Weekly or daily huddles (as time zones permit)
Virtual Co-Working Sessions (Check out The Remote Pathways podcast episode on Co-working
Peer partners who meet around key accountability measures

What are the things you are doing to help people feel connected and aligned with your purpose?

What are the best vehicles for you as a team to stay connected?

For more on the topic of building trust and connection, check out these other Teams365 blog posts:

Enjoy your conversations!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2496 - Flashback Friday – #1533: Empathy and Building Connection in Virtual Teams

10/30/2020

It’s Friday which means it’s time to take a look back at an older blog post. Today’s post brings us back to a post from 2018 - #1533: Empathy and Building Connection in Virtual Teams. I think it’s just as relevant today as it was when it was first published. What do you think?

One of the skills which is important to develop in the virtual world today is empathy. One of the challenges is that we don't get to see beyond the screen. What are some ways we can be building more empathy and understanding with other virtual team members?

What comes to mind in terms of ways you can boost more connection and understanding amongst team members?

Empathy is a skill set critical for teamwork and leadership. In fact, I probably could do a series of post on this topic. In today's post I want to zoom into the question of "what are some practical ways to build more empathy across virtual teams, while also boosting connection?".

There have been some great writings by others on the topic of empathy. Consider these articles -Empathy in Leadership - 10 Reasons Why It Matters by Tanveer Naseer. Read it here.
Matthew Taylor's Empathy in Leadership: Coaching Leaders to Manage Their Stories. Read it here.
Center for Creative Leadership: Empathy in the Workplace. Find this here.

As virtual teams, what are some ways we can build our skills in empathy while building connection:

1. Provide opportunities for team members to get to know each other - online and offline. While some virtual teams will never meet, building in time for "getting to know" each other is critical. This could entail dedicating some time to sharing "What's outside your window?" or "…on your desk" as I describe in Chapter 7 of my new book Effective Virtual Conversations.

2. Create formal learning partnerships with others on the team. Many virtual teams benefit from having peer partners to meet with on a regular basis. This helps us to learn more about each other, what projects we are working on. As we listen and learn more trust, connection and understanding is created.

3. Be present and listen. We continue to see how important the ability to focus on virtual conversations is. Nothing will destroy trust and connection faster than hearing other person on the end of the phone or streaming typing away, writing an email while you are speaking together. What will it take to be present, focus, and deeply listen in your virtual conversations?

4. Listen for the deeper layers - Typically in listening we may be staying at the surface. Hearing with one ear and thinking about what we are going to say back to the other person. In the deeper listening needed by virtual teams today, listen to what the person is saying. Notice the pace, pitch of the conversation. Notice what is the emotion behind the words? What is being said?

5. Take time to share more about your world, your work, your priorities. An important part of empathy is understanding. It's a two-way street - being open to share, and being receptive to listening. how much are you sharing about your world, your work and your priorities?

There are multiple ways be can be focusing on the skills of empathy as we build connection on teams. What are some approaches you as a team want to focus on?

With best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2493 - Four Things Remote Teams Need In The Last Few Months Of The Year

10/27/2020

As an organization who has supported remote teams and leaders for more than fifteen years, we’ve had a lot of conversations around what makes remote work, work. This year has seen an increase in volume in the number of conversations we are having with teams around what they need, given that many are not “remote by choice” but “remote by chance”.

As you step into the last couple of months of the year, it’s likely that remote work, or hybrid work (part remote, part in-person) may be the norm. Be sure to:

Build in time for connecting in with others on the team and other key stakeholders - Connections are critical for remote professionals. We don’t operate in isolation. We need others to grow, get results and income. What is important for you? What amount of time are you spending in CONVERSATION with others?

Build in time to acknowledge the efforts of others - What amount of time have you spent acknowledging the efforts of those on the team? Are you dedicating time in your meetings to focus on acknowledgements within your team? Have you “been catching people doing things right”?

Build in time for feedback - How much time has been spent this year on feedback across the team? One of the downsides to remote work, is that we don’t have the same opportunities to get feedback – both constructive and positive feedback. Stay tuned for more on feedback during Thursday’s post.

Build in time for team development - Teams are the engines of many businesses and while teams have not been able to get together regularly, it’s key to provide teams with time to focus on what’s important for them.

Build in time for renewal – It’s been a long year, and many are feeling the impact of too much time on the screen. What are you doing to inject some fun and renewal?

What else is needed?

Enjoy your conversations!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

TEAMS365 #2473 –The Different Bells and Whistles of Engagement for Zoom Calls

10/7/2020

It is not uncommon to hear at the end of my training sessions – “WOW, the time really flew!” “That was amazing.”

These comments are a contrast to the negative press we hear about zoom fatigue and yet another “talking head” experience. Just last week a group member indicated that my virtual session with their organization was the first one that they had not fallen asleep in since March.

So, what can we do to keep virtual calls as they are intended – a deeper way to connect people to the content and each other?

Watch your pace change! Keeping things moving. A pace change every 7-10 minutes provides enough time for content and information, and then shift it up. A shift might involve:

Asking a question and having people respond
Doing a poll to take the pulse of the group
Moving people to breakout rooms for discussion
Using annotation to have people engage on the screen
Incorporating an energizer
Getting people to turn to chat and share their ideas

Provide time for people to do things real-time. Is there a process you can take people through, working on step by step? Is there something people can draw out and work on?

Being clear with the end result. What is important? What are the questions that will help you get there?

Plan it. We can’t “wing things” in the virtual space like we could in-person. Take time to plan and prepare for the conversation.

Want more tips? Listen into the 60-day series of Effective Virtual Conversations Daily Author Readings I hosted this spring over at the Effective Virtual Conversations website.

Enjoy your conversations!
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!

TEAMS365 #2472 - Another 5 Day Stand Out Virtually Challenge

10/6/2020

This week I am hosting another 5 Day Stand Out Virtually Challenge, this one focusing on supporting organizational or corporate initiatives.

With many organizations realizing that their training, and team development, is going to need to be extended into the virtual realm for the distant future, being able to serve large groups, teams and even entire organizations in engaging virtual conversations focused on boosting relationships and enhancing results.
There are many options for virtual conversations in the corporate space including:

Virtual Retreats (Yes, organizations and teams moving their retreat process online.)
Team Meetings
Team Building Sessions – From escape room experiences to team development, team building is of great need. Prior to the pandemic about 1 in 4 remote teams had virtual team development. Given that teams are often the engines of business, what’s possible in your organization? Contact us to learn more about our team days.
Strategic Planning Sessions – One of my favorites, strategic planning sessions are a must as we move into Q4. Be sure to leave enough time for discussion and working on the plan.
Micro-learning – Short video-based learning modules which people can fit in
Virtual Round-tables – Time dedicated to bringing people together for discussion and dialogue.

What are the different virtual formats you want to explore? What’s going to help teams and groups work more effectively in the virtual space?

Be sure to return back to read tomorrow’s blog post on “The Different Bells and Whistles of Engagement for Zoom Calls”

Best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!

TEAMS365 #2468 - Flashback Friday - #1976 - Teamwork in Uncertainty - Synergy

10/2/2020

Many teams globally are needing to continue to redefine how they operate, and one thing is clear; collaboration is essential. Part of collaboration is learning how to synergize. How to blend skills and fuse them together. How to break things down into different packets and weave them together.

This week, I wanted to reach back to a post I originally shared in 2019 – Teamwork in Uncertainty – Synergy. Let’s take a look at what I wrote then:

When situations are complex and uncertain, it may be difficult to bring all the skills required for success. Therefore, being able to focus in on leveraging the skills that are available to you as a group or team can help maximize your skill base as well as what is available to you.

As I wrote in yesterdays’ post, knowing our strengths is important on the individual and team levels.

In synergy, we are looking at how 1+1 equals more than 2.

If you have completed some strengths-based work, some additional questions to explore as a team are:

What the core strengths we bring as a collective?
What can we harness as a team?
Where might we be over-developed?
What is missing?
Where are the gaps?
When we think about current projects what strengths would benefit them?
Who is best suited to support which project?
What else is important to note?

In situations of uncertainty, it can be important to consider risk, and also contingencies. Given that contexts may be changing rapidly leading from strengths allows us to do things quicker and with less energy expended, freeing up focus and energy for other items.

What is important to note around synergy?

All the best,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time™ in the Remote Space
Contact us to discuss leadership, coaching or performance needs for your and your team
Phone: (416)996-8326

Join us September 17th for the one-day Stand Out Virtually! STtdio Day Masterclass - Learn more about creating exceptional virtual presentations, meetings and programs, and leave the day with your next one sketched out!