21st Century Work Life

Tells us your team experience. www.virtualnotdistant.com/identity 00:30 Pilar introduces the topic of team identity, before we move onto how to address it in virtual teams. 16:00 Lisette and Pilar share their professional updates: tutoring, trademarks and "being copied". 24:13 What is team identity? 29:30 Team identification - when we identify ourselves with the team. Different identities. 32:00 What's in a name?  Team identity and motivation. 43:58 Symbols and metaphors; the stories we tell in the team. 49:20 How we view the outside world - being careful that teams working together or offices working as one team, don't fall into 'us' vs 'them'. We talk about this interview with Hugo Messer. Being deliberate about growing team identity and creating the one that will be helpful. 55:00 What do we do if our team is turning into a team we don't like? What happens when we don't feel part of our team? 01:00:00 Creating a team history by sharing stories. Team identity allows us to be vulnerable and trust others.

00:30 Pilar talks a bit about how mindset is changing in recruitment. (Script below.)She mentions a past blog post on social media and recruitment.How a young person's cv went viral. and an article about companies that are currently hiring remotely. 09:05 How Matt ended up working in Digital Recruitment 16:00 How social media can help you recruit talent.The importance of paying attention to social media and mobile in recruitment. 19:20 Why recruitment is no longer just the responsibility of HR 20:55 Understand where your audience are. 23:30 Is recruitment through social media working? You need to know your culture – Glass Door   “Dealing at the intersection between technology and people is really interesting.” 28: 25 How are people looking for work and how is work looking for people? The importance of an online presence. The power of our extended networks.   Has Hr practice changed now that we can access a global talent pool? 32:12 Where are we heading to? Matt talks about platforms where you can hire people on projects – Hugo.   Connect with Matt: Recruiting Future Podcast www.metashift.co.uk Linkedin, Twitter   Check out www.virtualnotdistant.net

00:30 Pilar has a new email address for you to send your comments and questions: askingpilar@gmail.comIf you enjoy this episode, check out the ones on Remote Work: Blessing or Curse? and the one on Productivity. 03:10 Lisette shares her new way of writing in online collaboration with her editor and her up coming workshop which she's delivering through a robot! Tele-presence, here she comes! 09:00 Why we’re talking today about When Does Your Day End. 14:10 We get nostalgic about the Crackberry days… The plus and minuses of mobile devices for work. 16:06 Are work and life different things? We talk about this HBR Survey about late-night email. https://hbr.org/2015/04/survey-how-does-late-night-emailing-affect-you? 21:10 The problem with hierarchy and emails. Is sending and replying to emails the main way of signaling that we are available to other people? The importance of making clear that you don’t require an immediate response when you’re in charge. The team agreement! 40:10 Can we take breaks during the day? Why is it ok to stop in the evening but not during the day?   “Can you craft your day based on your needs?”   We need to set boundaries for ourselves and other people. Define for yourself what’s important for you. We mention this interview from Lisette's podcast with Alexandre Pellaes. Is this how I want to lead my life?   “Learn to know thyself.” How about you? Do you separate your time into work and life? How do you stay focused and unstressed? How do you make sure, especially if you’re in a management position, how do you make sure that you don’t impose your own way of working on everyone else?   Do send your thoughts, and any questions (and any advice for Lisette!) to askingpilar [at] gmail.com.

I’ve created this very short extra episode of the 21st Century Work Life podcast, just to let you know that registration is now open for the course Virtual not Distant and that I have a little discount for listeners of this show.     Virtual not Distant, which is an online course for managers and leaders of virtual teams, and indeed anyone who wants to improve how their virtual team works, will run on 21 September, until 22 November. The course is timebound because I want us to have quality online discussions and quality online events and also, because I firmly believe that you have a greater chance of completing and, more importantly, applying what you’ve learned if you’re timebound and in a small group. So, there are only 12 places available. Plus, if you want to obtain a certificate endorsed by the ILM, you will need to complete a small number of assessments, which have actually been designed for you to help you think about how to apply what you’ve discovered to your own team or your own situation. You will have until February to submit the assessments and, if you don’t think you’re going to have time to take the assessed option, you can opt for a Development Certificate.     Now, I’ve already talked about the course content in the podcast before, so if you want more details, do head over to virtualnotdistant.net,     And if you like what you see there, then,  the code PODCAST you can get 10% off both the normal price £450 or around $690 US Dollars, or, if you book before 31 July you can get that same discount off the early bird price which already has a 20% off. If you don’t feel like doing the maths right now, Just head over to www.virtualnotdistant.net and on the registration page, you can enter the code PODCAST and the system will calculate the exact amount for you.     So that’s my little thank you for spending an hour, more or less, with me and my guests every week.     If you are not quite ready to commit to a nine week course, with hangouts, online discussions and coaching, then feel free to try out a mini-course I’ve created which incorporates some of the materials of the module on Visibility. You can just register on that straightaway by going to the same website www.virtualnotdistant.net/free     If you do register on that course, make sure to drop me a line at some point and tell me what you think.     And talking of getting in touch, I’ve decided to set up an email address for you to get in touch about this podcast. I’ve decided to go down the gmail route because I find it incredibly useful in many ways, including the fact that it can then link to Google Drive, a calendar etc So, the new email if you want to get in touch with me, is askingpilar@gmail.com     So you can use that address to ask any questions about anything you hear on the podcast, about anything related to virtual teams etc. I think it’s time for me to open up a bit more the podcast, now that I feel like I kind of know what I’m doing. So, if you want to get in touch, askingpilar@gmail.com     And there’s always twitter, which I love, my handle there is PilarOrti     So, many thanks for listening. If you check out virtualnotdistant.net and have any questions, however small, or however big actually, about the course then do get in touch.     Have a lovely rest of the day.      

Pilar speaks to Hugo Messer about leading remote teams and the importance of values in creating a culture that works across nations. Hugo is the CEO of Ekipa, the global market for software teams and owner and founder of Bridge Global. 00:30 Pilar talks about how she met Hugo through social media. She reflects on how these conversations evolve on the podcast and the importance of devoting our full attention to the person on the other end of the line/skype etc. No distractions (we need a quiet environment for recording) and the focus on connecting with the other person. Pilar mentions Hugo's article on LinkedIn The World's Best Tool for Remote Leadership. 11:20 Hugo shares how and why he set up Bridge in 2005, when outsourcing was not that common. 16:00 The model/framework that Bridge has developed to match teams and clients. The role of the "process manager" who looks solely after communication. "Virtual work forces you to create structure and use the right tools.” 22:50 Bridge's core values. 29:50 Moving on from Bridge and setting up Ekipa. 35:50 What are the major problems faced by people running virtual teams? Links to another article by Hugo: Six Experts Reveal Insights on Remote Team Management. 45:50 How can we help people to develop in remote teams? Hugo's own development, why he works with a coach. Are we allowed to be confused as leaders? 52:00 How do we know people are doing the work? Hugo's article about this on LinkedIn. "The moment I start wondering about somebody’s hours, something is definitely wrong." Check out Hugo's books on remote team management: ekipa.co/ebooks  If you're leading a virtual team, why not check out the Virtual not Distant online course, starting in Sept 2015? virtualnotdistant.net

00:30 Pilar is thinking of creating an episode about the podcasts she listens to. For now, she recommends this episode from the Fizzle show. How to Deal With a Job You Loathe.04:45 Teambuilding as a process and how the VIRTUAL not Distant model supports teambuilding in virtual teams.  11:18 Pilar talks about the new course on leading virtual teams. (Skip this part if you're not interested.)18:05 How to get in touch with LIsette and Pilar. 18:30 Pilar and Lisette talk about the weather - can you believe it? 19:40 Lisette talks about her Work Together Anywhere Learning Camp in Stockholm with Knowit. 23:05 What do we mean by teambuilding? It's not just a one-off activity but an ongoing process. Is it easier to find time to spend time together online, in virtual teams than organising quality face to face time in colocated ones? 29:20 Making room for teambuilding - for intuition and things that happen organically in the co-located space. Knowing how to talk to each other when we have a problem. Sometimes it's sharing vulnerability that it allows us to get to know each other better. Sharing personal information vs being personable and allow yourself to be known. 35:26 Virtual team building activities: Lisette talks Have a group chat tool. Have a channel for non-work related conversations - check out the episode on Onboarding. Have a social network, like Yammer, if you want have longer and multiple conversations. Create Personal Maps and revisit them after you update them, every few months. Revisit your teambuilding activities and tools when the team changes, eg when someone joins. Your team dynamics will change depending on the work arrangements in your team. Try tools out but don't overburden your team. Can we use moaning to build our team? 48:55 Lisette's experience with a great virtual manager. Who's responsible for teambuilding? Everyone! 53: 40 Value stories - values in virtual teams drive how we make decisions together. Lisette tells a great Jurgen story. Leading by example. Teambuilding is also about paying attention to the individual and building connections between individuals. Has the word "teambuilding" lost its meaning? Lisette talks about some activities to accelerate teambuilding. What's the point of doing them? Online meetings are an opportunity for teambuilding. 01:09:35 The End! It was a long one...  

In today's podcast, Pilar talks to Matt Rogish, CEO of Reactive Opps, the consulting arm of RailsMachine. We talk about how he works with a distributed team and we chat about Results Only Work Environment (ROWE). 00:30 Pilar talks about the episode of Podcasters Roundtable on she took part in, on Co-hosting and the parallels with co-hosting a podcast and other collaboration ventures. 04:40 Should we still be paying people per hour, instead of per job done? The ongoing dilemma... How do we know whether people are working? Do more hours mean better work? She mentions her blog post Virtual Work is Already Broken 10:02 Contact links and Virtual not Distant the course for managers and leaders of virtual teams is now endorsed by the Institute of Leadership and Management in the UK Most companies are now distributed in practice. 11:55 Pilar talks to Matt Rogish, who explains what his company does:  "High touch outsource" - breaking down the barriers between the team and their clients. My job as CEO is mainly to support the team. 21:05 Matt talks about how his team works. T-shaped people. 23:30 Ruby on Rails. Pilar was curious to learn more about what this. 28:00 Creating the right work environment. How Matt is creating this for his team. 32:40 "Hiring the best people wherever they happen to be and building systems that facilitate efficient communications.Results Only Work Environment. ROWE. "Managing by side-effect" as opposed to focusing on results, which is not always easy. 42:45 Pilar and Matt talk about what could have been behind Best Buy ditching ROWE, which evolved in that company. Why Best Buy abandoned ROWE Goodbye to flexible work at Best Buy (HBR) "Everything around you that you call life, was built by people who are no smarter than you". Steve Jobs. 47:20 Why Matt does public speaking and what he speaks about.

Don't forget to visit www.virtualnotdistant.com 00:30 A very short intro from Pilar today as our virtual coffee is quite long... 02:20 What happens when not everyone speaks English? We talk a bit about his on Lisette's return from the Happy Melly Learning 3.0 camp. When language is a barrier to communication. 11:40 We talk about this article   http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-21/slacking-off-can-office-chartrooms-makes-us-more-productive-time-wasters-? and about how the intranet reflects the culture of the company. 16:40 Introduction to the use of tools should form part of the onboarding process. 18:35 Who's role is it to look after the onboarding process? 19:25 Setting expectations, it starts with recruitment. We mention this other podcast on recruiting for virtual teams. 22:40 Create a team agreement: how are you going to communicate and share information? Does anyone need training on some of the communication tools.29:45 Jeremy Stanton "You've got to fail people as fast as possible." (Lisette talks about this interview with Jeremy Stanton: www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/deliberate-onboarding-culture-jeremy-stanton/) Giving extensive feedback at the beginning of the process. 38:30 Creating a sense of community. 40:00 Giving a personal welcome. 41:00 Personal maps.  Pilar cringes at some of Lisette's suggestions for getting to know each other, but sometimes the simple, informal questions can get people who have problems with language engaged. Personal preferences vs what's good for the team. 51:44 Meet face to face. Teambuilding needs to be ongoing, but especially important at the beginning. 56:10 Learning about the company. Alignment around goals. Ongoing feedback helps with alignment. Keeping the onboarding plan alive and visible. Time invested in onboarding increases the potential of your team flying!

Today's episode is dedicated to Cinter, a creative design and engineering company and consultancy, based in North London. We talk about why they've designed one of their latest products, XYZ, the importance of building a community around their products and business and how they work together.You can have a look at their products on the show notes: http://virtualnotdistant.com/cinter/ 00:30 Pilar introduces Cinter and this episode. (Script below.)07:20 Welcome to Cinter's offices. Clayton, Charlotte and Chris tell us about what they do, who they work with and a bit of their history.11:50 XYZ, one of their products, "an exciting construction experience taking the world of play to another level." Find out more on www.xyzbuilds.com/18:20 Chris talks about the packaging design for Julie's Gin.20:25 How Cinter uses 3D printing to help them "get to a design quicker".23:05 Cinter's connection to 3DHubs.26:30 Cinter's educational programme.31:30 How Chris, Charlotte and Clayton work together.

00:30 Pilar introduces the subject of engagement at work and brings up the difficult subject of dealing with mistakes at work.Pilar mentions this article which I don't think we touch on in the conversation: www.hrzone.com/engage/customers/interview-danielle-harmer-chief-people-officer-metro-bank 07:15 Lisette shares her updates, talking about the workshops she's delivering throughout the world!10:50 We start our "buzz word heavy episode", talking about Engagement. Lisette's most popular article to date has been Six Strategies to Increase Engagement and Retention  www.lisettesutherland.com/2013/02/six-strategies-to-increase-engagement-and-retention/ What do we mean by "engagement"? 13:50 The locus of engagement, what aspect of the organisation do we connect with?Locus of Engament: understanding what employees connect with at work. www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/research/locus-engagement-understanding-connect.aspx 15:20 What Lisette has learned from communities built around rock bands. Definition of community: a group of people aligned around a topic or solving a specific problem.What can we learn from communities? 19:55 Playfulness. Building a safe and tolerant atmosphere where experimentation is encouraged. The celebration grid. www.happymelly.com/celebrating-success-and-failure/ 26:05 Sharing resources and spreading information. http://virtualnotdistant.com/trust/ Locus of engagement.What do individuals look for from companies to help them stay connected? YouEarnedIt How the Cool Kids Attract and Retain Talent in 2015 youearnedit.com/blog/how-the-cool-kids-attract-and-retain-talent-in-2015/ 33:10 Connectors. The importance of connecting people. 42:00 Give people equal attention. Know your people so that you can shape job descriptions around your people. Lisette mentions her interview with Ralph Van Roosmalen.www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/managing-remote-offices-3-places-ralph-van-roosmalen/47:55 Virtuosos in the group. Recognition.50:52 Office perks: care or control?