what you don't know will hurt you! coaching virtual leaders

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 1

What you don’t know will hurt you!

What even good leaders don’t realize about virtual teamwork.

Carmela Southers

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 2

Let’s face it most leadership best practices were

designed for face-to-face work. Management by walking around

doesn’t work over the phone.

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 3

My leader brings me donuts!

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 4

Traps of Virtual Leaders

1. Leadership is a ladder.

2. What you know is key.

3. What you see is what you get.

4. We are communicating.

5. Activity equals Productivity.

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 5

Trap 1:Leadership is a ladder

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 6

Trap 2: What you know is key

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 7

Promote Teamwork

J

LME

A

W

M

CS

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 8

Traps 1,2: Coaching Questions

What You Know is Key• What does this

person know that would benefit you?

• How can you leverage the fact that they are located in the office in Dallas?

• How can you help them see the value that you bring?

Promote Teamwork• Where else could your

team member find support?

• How can we be sure we have explored all the possibilities?

• How can you ensure you have examined the potential negatives?

© 2012, Carmela Southers, Ken Blanchard Companies, For Toro Webinar use only, do not duplicate

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 9

Trap 3: What you see is what you get

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 10

The Iceberg of Ignorance

EmailsConference calls

Phone calls Voicemails

TelepresenceFacial expressions

Body languageSpeech/tone of voice

Visible personality (DISC)Education

PhilosophyCulture

Organizational historyEthnicity

Family background Values

Beliefs

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 11

Build Trust

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 12

Trap 3: Coaching Questions

What You See is What you Get • How does she feel

about being on the team?

• How do you monitor engagement on the team?

• What other priorities might be impacting their work?

• How can you help them find motivation in this task?

Build Trust• What does the team

know about your goals, background, values?

• What do you know about what is important to them?

• How do you ensure your communication builds trust?

• What norms have you established to ensure everyone feels comfortable speaking up?

© 2012, Carmela Southers, Ken Blanchard Companies, For Toro Webinar use only, do not duplicate

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 13

Trap 4: We are communicating

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 14

Multitasking

Functional IQ is lowered by an average of 10 points.

The chance of a car accident increases fivefold (500 percent) making it at least as great a risk as driving while drunk.

Work productivity is lowered by 20 to 40 percent.

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 15

How Rich

Media ToneTwo-way

Body Language

Shared view

Face-to-face ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Skype/FaceTime ✓ ✓ ✓

Video conferencing ✓ ✓ ✓

Shared space ✓ ✓

Shared desktop ✓

Phone ✓ ✓

Voicemail ✓

IM ✓

Email

Media and Communication

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 16

Traps 4: Coaching Questions

We are Communicating • How do you measure

the effectiveness of your communication?

• What structures are in place to ensure you hear from everyone?

• What are the norms for communication?

Focus Attention• What type of

communication do team members prefer?

• How engaged are people on your calls?

• What do you know about her background?

© 2012, Carmela Southers, Ken Blanchard Companies, For Toro Webinar use only, do not duplicate

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 17

Trap 5:Activity equals Productivity

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 18

Seagull Management

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 19

Trap 5: Coaching Questions

Activity = Productivity • How do you measure

the productivity or output instead of activity?

• How can you check that your team members are not feeling micromanaged or abandoned?

Drive Results • How do your team

members get frequent/regular feedback on their performance?

• What is being done to give them the freedom to improve how they work?

© 2012, Carmela Southers, Ken Blanchard Companies, For Toro Webinar use only, do not duplicate

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 20

Problems cannot be solved by the

same level of thinking that

created them.

Albert Einstein

Carmela Southers| November 2012 | Page 21

Carmela Southers

What you don’t know will hurt you!

What even good leaders don’t realize about virtual teamwork.