Remote Working & Virtual Management

The very core of this theme, the remote working wheel takes you through the four key areas needed to ensure success - focused, connected and happy remote teams working well together.

Download the document, which outlines the Remote Working Wheel's different structures, as well as the 'Additional Resources' supporting document.

Keeping connected, staying close to the people you work with and maintaining a strong sense of community are key elements that make remote working a success. This lecture shares a range of practical tip and tools to keep engaged.

The Remote Working Wheel

Download the document, which outlines the Remote Working Wheel's different structures.

Individuals are at the heart of this approach to remote working. Remembering that every one of us will have different needs, challenges, preferences and distractions. It’s often helpful to think about the different aspects of this through the lens of a character.

Remote Working Character Cards

We’ve developed five ‘character cards’ which can act as a prompt for some different thinking in yourself, and some honest conversations with your team, about these differing needs and realities.

Remote Working Blank Cards

Download the 'Remote Working Cards' and the 'Remote Working Blank Cards'.

Following on from the remote working characters, we also suggest you spend some time thinking through each person in your team/group and use what you know about their situation to better understand their status. To assist you in this, we've created a simple Red, Amber, Green tool that you can populate to give you some guidance on what each person will be facing.

Team Status Analysis Tool

Download The Team Status Analysis Tool Spreadsheet.

The download is a pre-designed smart Excel sheet that will ask you to categorise each of your team members. It is not a full assessment, but a guide to steer your thinking. None of the questions should be taken as judgements, and the Red, Amber, Green assessment is based purely on scoring - we advise you to follow up the tool with more conversation and appropriate discover.

Instructions:

1. Download the excel sheet

2. Read the instructions and guidance on the first worksheet

3. Add the names of your team/group into the second sheet

4. Work across the questions for each person, answering as much as possible

5. Review the outcomes and consider what your next actions are for each person

N.B. We do NOT advise that you share this with the wider team. Also, you should keep in mind any specific data protection guidelines that your organisation follows.

Appreciation Podcast

This is an audio recording of Chris Preston and Jane Sparrow sharing a framework and some great stories about the art of appreciation when we give it the required thought and effort, the impact of it, and some top tips to dial up your own appreciation effort.

How To Use It:

Find a time to listen - either over a tea/coffee first thing in the morning, during your break, or while enjoying your daily exercise/walk. Listen and see what strikes you, what stands out as the key learning.

Think about the times someone has shown you some appreciation that has had a big impact on you - what did they do? Why did it have that impact? How can you make the people around you feel that way?

Appreciation Starters

Sometimes it can be hard to find the right words to properly appreciate someone, especially if we’re trying to make it meaningful.

This is a simple set of starter sentences to help you think about how you appreciate different people, and what you appreciate them for.

How To Use It:

• Think them through and see what comes up that you should appreciate in someone else…

• Make a list of people that matter to you at work and at home, what do you appreciate in them/about them/about what they do that you haven’t properly thanked them for or don’t thank them for enough?

• When you’re about to say ‘thanks’, use one of these instead to prompt you to go into more detail.

• Proactively plan to use one of the above each day for a week and reflect on what happens (for you and others)

Additional Resources

Download the 'Remote Networking Tips - Keep Your Contacts Growing', the 'Feelings Wheel', the 'Human Needs - Five Quick Tips', the 'Action Planning - Human Needs' and the 'Additional Resources' supporting documents.

Jane introduced you to the Team Connection section of the course.

Download the 'Four Levels of Listening' supporting document.

The four levels of listening outline the different levels of human interaction with a focus on listening. It takes us from the bottom, where we’re not really listening at all, up to the top, where we are truly listening to someone else.

We all like to think we’re good listeners, but without conscious effort, we often don’t make it to that all-important fourth level - this despite the fact that we know how good it feels when someone else truly listens to us.

In this short audio clip, Chris Preston talks through the four levels and explains how they work in more detail.

Virtual/remote working is an environment that needs a different approach when it comes to conflict – there isn’t the same human interface and we can more easily ‘hide’ behind our lack of presence physically.

This short presentation will help you better understand how you approach conflict, what your preferred stance is, and how to better plan difficult conversations that will give you more effective outcomes and ensure you protect relationships, even when it’s tough.

Additional Resources

Download the following supporting documents:

'Remote Networking Tips'

'Social Connection - Seven Ideas To Try'

'Team Connection: Five Quick Tips'

'Action Planning: Team Connection'

'Additional Resources'

Success doesn't happen by accident – it takes hard work, focus and, above all, a plan. This module focuses on practical ways to build the 'third culture' that's needed to keep remote teams together – building shared practices, actions and guidelines.

Team Of Teams

Download the 'Team Of Teams' supporting document which explores how a remote working set-up can help you stay connected as a team of teams.

Additional Resources

Download the following supporting documents:

'Timezones - Connecting Effectively Across Them'

'Personal Schedules - Taking A Wider Perspective'

'Personal Schedules - Examples'

'Decisions & Deadlines - Structuring Your Conversations'

'Working Structures - Five Quick Tips'

'Action Planning: Working Structures'

'Additional Resources'

This module is absolutely packed with practical ways that you can build your own good practices, routines and attitudes that will support you in being a total pro at remote working.

Download the 'Rewards - Treat Yourself Well' supporting document.

This lecture discusses matching your - and others' - approach to structured working.

Download the following supporting documents: 

• 'Nudge Theory: Put Yourself On The Right Track'

• 'Distractions - Spotters Guide'

• 'The Value Matrix - Maximising Your Effort'

• 'Focus & Environment - Five Quick Tips'

• 'Action Planning - Focus & Environment'

• 'Additional Resources'

It takes time to get this area right - we talked to the 'pros' that have been remote working for years to get the content for this theme. To start you off on something manageable, we are giving you a two-week challenge to build your skills.

Download the 'Your 14 Day Remote Working Challenge' supporting document.