One of the growing concerns for people who manage and lead project teams in any industry is the issue of remote workers.
It has become an increasingly important topic of conversation when people contact me about speaking to their organization or delivering a team building event as part of a retreat day they are planning…
Why?
Because they recognize that their people NEED CONNECTION to work more effectively.
This reality was further confirmed by a book I just finished reading… it is titled The Long Distance Leader, and is authored by Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel.
In case you haven’t heard of the authors, their accomplishments in growing and improving organizations through their previous books and training programs are impressive.
Far more relevant and important to you, though, is this most recent book they co-authored and the information and suggestions they provide to help you be a more effective leader when working with team members who are not in the same location that you are.
One of the ideas they share early on in the book is something I have believed for years – that “challenges for remote leaders very closely mirror those for managers in any situation.”
So, effective leaders understand the same stuff that traditional same-site teams experience as issues are also issues for a remote team.
The difficulty is in HOW to address and overcome those issues, because when face-to-face is not a possibility…
The WAY YOU LEAD has to change…
That is where the value of this book is found.
Kevin and Wayne provide an explanation of their 19 rules for remarkable remote leadership… and it includes suggestions for how and when to delegate, the “Three-O Model” of leadership, a discussion of synchronous and asynchronous tools you can use to better connect and share feedback with your people, and a “head, heart, hands” method of sharing information with clarity… and these are only a few of the things I highlighted as I read through my copy.
As a team building speaker and author myself, I passionately agree with their claim on page 32 that “as a long-distance leader, it gets harder – and perhaps even more important – to intentionally nurture relationships…”
If you are looking for a way to effectively manage your remote team, there is tremendous value in investing time to intentionally build trust and improve communication skills among and between your remote working group.
And whether you choose to kick off your project with a professionally facilitated custom team building event or not, The Long Distance Leaderis a book that you will appreciate having on your shelf.
