managing a virtual team

Managing a Virtual Team

The 4 C’s of top high-potential employees…

• Competence• Character• Communication• Collaboration

Study of most important leadership skills70,000+ managers from 1,600 large organizations

• Must have superb communication skills.

• Lead by example to demonstrate character and competence.

• Establish and maintain clear and meaningful vision.

• Provide motivation to create ownership and accountability for results.

• Clarify performance expectations.

• Foster teamwork and collaboration.

• Develop clear performance goals and metrics.

From: Getting Results by Longenecker and Simoneti

Why you need to be an expert at collaboration and teamwork:

• You cannot succeed alone.

• You need a team of the brightest people you can possibly find to help you.

• You need to help the team work extremely well together.

• You need the team to support you with enthusiasm, respect and trust.

• But don’t take my word for it…

Anne MulcahyCEO of Xerox and the third most powerful

woman in the world!

1. Build a network of great relationships with people who want to see you succeed.

2. You don’t have all of the answers, so ask for help and advice from the smartest people you can find.

3. Learn to be a learner.

4. Listen intently to your employees and to your customers.

What does it take to be a valued member of a team?Develop and display competence.

Follow through on commitments.

Deliver required results.

Ensure your actions are consistent with your word.

Stand behind the team and its people.

Be enjoyable to work with.

Be passionate about your work and those you serve.

Communicate and keep everyone informed.

Help the other members of the team.

Help members of other teams.

Share ideas, information and credit.

Hold yourself 100% accountable.

Let’s take a close look at what some of the top thought

leaders in the world have to say about teams…

A Vivid Shared Vision

A meaningful common purpose that the

team has helped shape. Most teams are

responding to an initial mandate from

outside the team. But to be successful, the

team must “own” this purpose, develop its

own spin on it, and they must create

this vision together as a team.

Clear Measurable GoalsSpecific performance goals that flow fromthe common purpose. For example, gettinga project completed in less than halfthe normal time. Compelling goals inspireand challenge a team, give it a sense ofurgency. They also have a leveling effect,requiring members to focus on the collectiveeffort necessary rather than any differencesin title or status.

Competence + Diversity

A mix of complementary skills. Successful teams rarely have all the needed skills at the outset —they develop them as they learn what the challenge requires.

Individual greatness…leading to team excellence

Solid Work Ethic

A strong commitment to how the work

gets done. Teams must agree on who will

do what jobs, how schedules will be

established and honored, and how decisions will be made and modified. On a genuine

team, each member does equivalent amounts

of real work; all members, the leader included.

Team Trust

Trust and commitment cannot be coerced. The process of agreeing upon appropriate goals serves as the crucible in which members forge their accountability to each other… not just to the leader or manager.

John Spence Team Model

• D

• M

• C

• C

• M

• D

irection – vivid, clear, inspiring --- shared

easurements – specific, observable, focused

ompetence – very good at what they do

ommunication – open, honest, courageous

utual Accountability – all team members

iscipline – do this every day

11 Key Team Competencies:1. Setting clear, specific and measurable goals.

2. Making assignments extremely clear and ensuring required competence.

3. Using effective decision making processes within the team.

4. Establishing accountability for high performance across the entire team.

5. Running effective team meetings.

6. Building strong levels of trust.

7. Establishing open, honest and frank communications.

8. Managing conflict effectively.

9. Creating mutual respect and collaboration.

10. Encouraging risk-taking and innovation.

11. Engaging in ongoing team building activities.

• Lack of TRUST

• Lack of candor

• Lack of commitment

• Lack of accountability

• Lack of results

Competence

RespectDistrust

Affection TRUST

HIGH

LOW

LOW HIGH

Concern

The mantra of excellent team members:

I am good at what I do…

and I do it because I care about you!

(High IQ + High EQ)

Time for a break

Develop and display competence.

Follow through on commitments.

Deliver required results.

Ensure your actions are consistent with your word.

Stand behind the team and its people.

Be enjoyable to work with.

Be passionate about your work and those you serve.

Communicate and keep everyone informed.

Help the other members of the team.

Help members of other teams.

Share ideas, information and credit.

Hold yourself 100% accountable.

Elements of an Effective Team• Unique Team Identity.• Shared Team Vision.• Clear Roles & Responsibilities.• Specific and measureable standards of performance.• Specific and measureable goals.• Superior communication.• Collaboration and participation.• A set process for accomplishing the work.• A set process for conflict resolution.• Reflection and self-assessment.

A very short reading assignment…

Small Group Workshop

What do you believe are the FIVE most important elements of creating and sustaining solid team?

Virtual Teams

• A virtual team is one whose members share a common purpose, but are separated by distance, time, and organizational boundaries. In such a team, members are linked only by communication technologies and rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to work face-to-face with their teammates. As such, virtual team members face unique challenges, however, there are a set of recognized “best practices” for building and maintaining a high-performing virtual team.

Just like a regular team, every virtual team needs to clearly understand…

• What is the purpose or mission of the team? • What outcome is needed and/or expected from the team's

performance? • When should the team's work be completed? Milestones? • To whom does the team report and how often? • What resources are provided to support the team in its

work? • What is each person’s role and specific responsibilities on

the team?• You MUST have the fundamentals nailed first!!!

What special things are required to be an effective manager of

a virtual team?

Number One Challenge…

93% of communications is non-verbal

Establish a set of VERY clear and specific performance and

behavior expectations

Quick Workshop

• What are some items you would put on a list of “acceptable / desired team behaviors”?

Over-communicate

Email

Phone calls

Voicemails

Video calls

Notes on shared work docs

Share your emotionsFrustrated

Worried

Concerned

Excited

Confused

Impressed

Angry

Happy

Peeved

Perplexed

Overjoyed

Satisfied…

Define terms, never assume, clarify any ambiguity…

I am not sure if I fully understood …

What I am hearing is…

It seems to me what we have agreed on is…

Am I the only one concerned about…

I need a little more clarification on…

Could you cover _____ one more time for me…

How would that be prioritized?

Who, specifically, will be responsible for that?

When, exactly, do you need that completed by?

Who else should I look to for support on this?

It feels to me like a few people might be upset about…

I get the sense that we are not in 100% agreement on…

Ensure that everyone is participating and everyone is following the rules.

Regularly measure & manage team performance

Establish a clear process for dealing with team conflict and

poor team performance

Time for a bit more reading…

C+R+I

SO

The ultimate goal is to build a strong bond of TRUST throughout the entire virtual team

Individual Workshop Based on everything we have covered in this class,

what are FOUR specific action steps YOU can take right away to improve the functioning of a virtual team you lead?

In your groups…• Share your four action steps – and then as a group

develop your top THREE recommendations for being an effective leader of a virtual team.