Getting to know your global team as a team – What is their history? What have been their past successes? What accomplishments are they most proud of? What geographic span do they cover?
Getting to know your global team as individuals. Consider the following:
Meeting each individual team member – who are they, how long have they been on the team, what do they see as their contribution? How would they like to be supported? What should you know about their work style preferences? This might include working hours, best way to be contacted, type of support they prefer, communication channels.
Location: Where are they located? What offices are they connected to? What are regional priorities? What are regional opportunities? What type of office is it that they are connected to (Large/small, rural/urban, other)
Team member other supports:
Many global teams have matrix management structures. Who are the other supervisors/leaders this person connects into? What are their priorities?
Team member individual roles:
What are their roles? How does their work connect with others on the team you are leading? How is it different? What history do they bring? What is unique about their role?
The global cultural element: Understanding the distinct cultures of each of the locations your team members operate, along with their cultural background is a key area to learn more about.
Projects:
What major projects are they involved with? Globally/nationally. How are they connected to team goals?
These are some initial areas global team leaders should consider familiarizing themselves with, in addition to the more standard areas of on-boarding during the first 90 days. You can read other posts I've written on the first 90 days here.
Have a great Wednesday,
Jennifer
Jennifer Britton
Potentials Realized | Coaching Team Leaders
Coaching Skills Training | Leadership Development | Teamwork
Growing Team Leaders, One Conversation at a Time(TM)
Contact us to discuss coaching or performance support you or your team
Phone: (416)996-8326
About Jennifer: Jenn is the founder of Potentials Realized a Canadian based performance improvement company. We provide customized training and coaching supports for leaders and their teams in the areas of teamwork, coaching and mentoring skills, and leadership development. Jennifer is the author of From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (Jossey-Bass, 2013) and has helped develop leaders and teams globally since the early 1990s, first as a team leader herself, then as Program Director and internal consultant, and for the last 11 years through Potentials Realized as a trainer, consultant and coach. Jennifer offers both public programs for team leaders (The Teams365 Coaching Groups and Teams365 Leadership Foundations programs) and also works with organizations to build their own internal programs