Leading Virtual Teams: Managing from a Distance During the Coronavirus

By Catherine Mattiske

• Is the virtual team you are leading functioning at full capacity?


• Are all your virtual team members confident, productive, and positive even though the coronavirus is impacting the way they work?


• Are all your virtual team members engaged, involved, and a team-oriented player?


• Do you always know how to deal wi

• Language: English
• Publisher: TPC - The Performance Company
• Release date: Apr 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781921547331

Catherine Mattiske

International business educator, Catherine Mattiske set up her first global virtual team in 2001. After years of leading virtual teams internationally, she has written this book to help you be the best virtual leader that you can be. With the impact of the coronavirus, this book is essential for all leaders who are changing how they work, and how their teams come to grips with working in a very different physical and emotional environment.

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Also by Catherine Mattiske

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The information in this publication is based on the current state of commercial and industry practice, applicable legislation, general law, and the general circumstances as at the date of publication. No person shall rely on any of the contents of this publication, and the publisher and the author expressly exclude all liability for direct and indirect loss suffered by any person resulting in any way from the use of or reliance on this publication or any part of it. Any options and advice are offered solely in pursuance of the author's and the publisher's intention to provide information and have not been specifically sought.

National Library of Australia

Cataloguing-in-Publication data

Mattiske, C

Copyright © 2020 By Catherine Mattiske

Leading Virtual Teams: Managing from a distance during the coronavirus

ISBN 978-1-921547-99-7

ISBN 978-1-921547-33-1 (e-book)

1. Occupational training. 2. Learning. I. Title.

Dewey class no: 658.4022

Printed in USA

Distributed by TPC - The Performance Company - www.tpc.net.au

For further information contact TPC - The Performance Company, Sydney Australia phone [phone] or TPC - The Performance Company, California on [phone], or email [e-mail]

Further information on the author can be found at www.id9intelligentdesign.com

Trademarks: TPC, ID9®, Virtual Classroom, and The Performance Company are trademarks or registered trademarks of TPC – The Performance Company and or its affiliates in Australia, United States, United Kingdom, and other countries and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. TPC is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

TPC books are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative, please email us at [e-mail]

Leading Virtual Teams is in no way authorized by, endorsed, or affiliated with Zoom, GoToMeeting, WebEx, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Skype, Trello, Slack or their subsidiaries, or any other information source or site referenced within this book. All references to these companies and other trademarked properties are used in accordance with the Fair Use Doctrine and are not meant to imply that this book is a GoToMeeting, LiveMeeting, WebEx or Skype product for advertising or other commercial purposes.

All interviews and stories supplied to this publication have been provided without compensation. All names and company names have been changed for the purposes of anonymity. The publisher thanks all contributors.

All testimonials provided have been provided without compensation. The publisher thanks all contributors.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the global

network of talented, empathetic, and

successful business leaders working

every day in challenging situations to

create, grow, and lead brilliant

virtual teams who are impacted by

the COVID-19, coronavirus

pandemic.

Catherine Mattiske

About the author

Catherine Mattiske

CEO and Founder

TPC - The Performance Company

Australia

Catherine Mattiske is a leading training professional, author, and publisher, with an internationally acclaimed career spanning 30 years across an array of industries including banking, insurance, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and retail.

Mattiske established ‘The Performance Company,’ a leading-edge training and consulting organization, in 1994. The Performance Company has offices in Sydney, Los Angeles, New York, and London.

Catherine Mattiske has earned a reputation for helping clients achieve their personal and business goals across Australia, the USA, United Kingdom, Europe, Africa, New Zealand, and Asia.

Mattiske’s client list has a global reach, including high profile Fortune 100 and 500 companies.

Catherine Mattiske is an accomplished author and publisher. The best-selling, ‘Train for Results’ (Allen and Unwin), is on academic reading lists worldwide. In 2014, she authored ‘Training Activities that Work’ with a group of her Certified ID9 Professionals. Catherine Mattiske released the 27 part ‘Learning Short-takes®’ series of books.

Recognized globally for her achievements in business, Catherine Mattiske was a member of the US Congressional Business Advisory Council. Mattiske has been awarded for her influence to US business and has also been nominated on several occasions for the prestigious Australian Business Woman of the Year.

Since expanding her Australian business to the US and Europe in 2001, Catherine has worked with her team remotely and built a global virtual organization. Catherine knows the highs and lows of leading virtual teams, and she is passionate about helping leaders overcome their barriers to success when leading virtual teams.

When the coronavirus was announced as a pandemic, Catherine fast-tracked this book to ensure that it was available to help leaders globally.

Acknowledgments

The world is a better place thanks to people who want to develop and lead others, especially at this time during the coronavirus crisis. What makes it even better are leaders who share the gift of their time. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to grow and help others grow, and keeps teams engaged and motivated during what history will undoubtedly show as one of the most challenging times for humanity.

To all of the leaders, who shared their challenges and victories as personal stories included in the book, thank you. While I’ve changed your names and unable to publicly acknowledge you individually, thank you for meeting with me at such short notice. Your accounts will indeed benefit others who are experiencing similar situations.

Thank you to my husband and family, who provided me with endless cups of coffee and quiet space so that I could write this book so quickly.

I would like to recognize and thank all who have reviewed Leading Virtual Teams.

All of the testimonials are by senior leaders, at the highest level of management, leading their teams during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In some cases, as global leaders, they were mobilizing thousands of employees to work from home in a matter of days, juggling technology, processes, and the needs of their people, and yet they generously offered to read Leading Virtual Teams and provide their thoughts.

During this global crisis and unprecedented operational change for many organizations, my sincere appreciation goes to each person who took the time to read and review Leading Virtual Teams.

To everyone involved, your collaboration and contribution are invaluable.

Thank you!

Catherine Mattiske

Praise for Leading Virtual Teams

With virtual working becoming the new normal for companies large and small, this book is very timely. For anyone struggling with issues either managing or working in, a virtual team, this book provides a wealth of great information. There are lots of useful suggestions throughout and good exercises to assess each area covered. I particularly like some of the tips around building a virtual team culture that provides strong ideas for building team engagement remotely. The tech side of working virtually is only one small aspect of making a virtual team successful, and this books helps you ensure success.

Dr Andrée Bates, CEO Eularis,

London, UK

Unchartered times demand progressive leaders who are prepared to learn and adapt with new leadership skills of their own. It’s never too late to pivot and learn new ways to lead. [Leading Virtual Teams] is so timely and urgently needed

Greg Creed, retired Yum! Brands CEO,

Dallas, USA

"The COVID-19 crash course in virtual working has suddenly changed almost

everyone into a digital worker for at least some of their job.

The world has changed forever, in a matter of weeks, the adoption of technologies into business meeting culture that has been resisted for years are suddenly completely mainstream. Cameras that had been stubbornly kept switched off are now on. Meetings that had to be in-person are turning out to be just as much of a success when run virtually with the appropriate active facilitation. Although the technology works well, the dynamics of virtual work and leadership require new skills, and many executives have been left scrambling to apply their skills in new ways.

Responding to the crisis, Catherine Mattiske has rapidly drawn on her years of experience to provide an excellent guide for leaders trying to navigate this challenging new world."

Robert Hillard, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, Deloitte Australia Chairman, Australian Information Industry Association, Melbourne, Australia

The learnings and insights that Catherine generously shares in her book are instrumental in elevating leadership and results that is now driven in this virtual world. [Leading Virtual Teams] is required reading for any leader looking to ensure that their business survives in this new reality of the virtual world. Catherine has developed proven, thoughtful communication methodologies that help leaders succeed in their every day and defining moments. What surprised me is how extensive and comprehensive the book is… full of highly valuable purposeful information that readers can apply straight away in their business.

Boaz Fischer, CEO of CommsNet Group and MyBizSecurity,

Canberra, Australia

Most organisations have now been suddenly forced into a virtual world, without necessarily having the guidance or direction to do that effectively. What a wonderful and timely resource Leading Virtual Teams" is for all those caught short! Our organisation had a great business continuity plan developed, which we implemented with ease. However, I hadn’t considered the changes that I would need to make to now lead and manage in a complete virtual world. This book has allowed me to quickly focus on the requirements of the here and now, and to challenge my staff around what is needed in our brave new world. I loved the content and set out of the book. It really covered off all of the essential subjects required to ensure that any business or organisation can seize the opportunities and become bigger, stronger and fit for purpose.

The timing and foresight of this book are incredible. It has helped me to focus on the requirements of the here and now, and to think about the future in positive and innovative ways."

Lucinda Nolan, CEO of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.

Melbourne, Australia

This book is all about giving you options, for increasing yours and your virtual team’s cohesion, performance, and results. This book is an arsenal of straight forward tools, insights, and real-world practices for upping your Virtual Team Leader" game. It will help you avoid being blindsided by common and uncommon virtual team derails, so you spend your time building instead of recovering your team from a misstep (yours and theirs).

Under COVID-19 conditions, the timing of the book could not be better. Local leaders are becoming virtual team leaders, who are realizing there’s a ton of things they don’t know about leading their team in a virtual environment. This book will help leaders see quickly what they don’t know and avoid problems onsite leaders rarely face."

John St. John, MBA, PHR, CoachTrains.com,

Washington DC, USA.

This book provides a practical model for leaders creating and modifying virtual team environments. The model accommodates a range of team environments - local to virtual - that are typically found throughout organisations.

It also provides specific advice to leaders (like me) who are adjusting and supporting their people with a rapid transition to a completely virtual team environment. The self-assessments and case studies add practical substance to this model guidance.

When many of us have been cast into a virtual team environment without notice, this book is my chart for navigating the organisation through rapidly-changing weather that seems the new norm.

Catherine covers the spectrum of team development and management methods applied to virtual environments, providing a refreshing perspective to how we can effectively lead in a dispersed and physically distant context.

I was pleasantly surprised to receive advice on who to give effective virtual presentations. In a role that frequently draws on presentation skills, I find the guidance most valuable for translating what I do from the physical to the virtual field.

Leading Virtual Teams is becoming my #1 leadership guide!

Peter Morison, CEO, VicWater - the Victorian Water Industry Association, Melbourne, Australia

I have had the honor and privilege of leading virtual global teams in various organizations for the past eighteen years. Leading Virtual Teams provides practical, real-world applications, guides and checklists, and recommendations that will help any manager/leader successfully lead virtual teams.

The future of the workplace will require almost every organization to have manager/leaders that can successfully lead and manage virtual teams. The content within Leading Virtual Teams reaches a large global audience. I am confident that after reading the book, everyone from the most inexperienced manager/leader to a manager/leader with years of experience will benefit equally from Catherine's masterful understanding of leading virtual teams.

The topic of leading virtually fascinates me. Even as an experienced virtual leader, I'm always looking for ways to be more effective as a manager/leader, so I felt a sense of excitement and positive energy as I read the book. Now my goal is to implement a few tips and recommendations with my team. If you want to be an effective leader, lead virtual teams successfully, empower your team, continue to build successful relationships, and leave a legacy - I would highly recommend you read Leading Virtual Teams.

Dr. Samuel C. Rindell, Head of Talent Management Strategy & Operations, Cigna, & Professor of Leadership & Management, Connecticut, USA

Leading Virtual Teams is a timely resource to help leaders manage anxiety and build resilience in individuals and teams to ‘keep the lights on and stay open for business’ during these challenging times.

Also, it is an essential how-to’ playbook for managers and leaders to find a way to resolve, reimagine, reform, and return to business and customer service in a new world or remote virtual working.

This book is a very comprehensive commentary of what it takes to be a successful leader in managing virtually through building engagement, building trust, EQ, and creating a productive virtual team culture.

There is not much that this book does not cover, and it will be a valuable resource, even for those who have already been operating in a remote work environment.

The chapters on culture, performance, communication, leadership skills, and social media, all highlight the need that leading virtual teams is a delicate balance between success and failure. Fortunately, this book helps the reader understand and succeed in this new way of working.

I was very surprised that this book not only addressed the role of leaders and managers, and helping others to succeed but also emphasised the focus on the leader, and how to develop ongoing sustainability through building connected networks, building a personal brand and planning a way forwards.

The tools and worksheets are very thought provoking and insightful in bringing a better understanding of the virtual workplace.

Leading Virtual Teams discusses the essentials of virtual team management and leadership. It’s easy to read cover to cover and have available as a reference guide.

Jay Patel, Head of Digital Learning, National Australia Bank,

Melbourne, Australia

Leading Virtual Teams is a very pragmatic book with a lot of cases on how to become a better virtual leader and with specific examples of the current COVID-19 crisis. It's one of the first books you can find that specifically addresses how to manage our new virtual reality since COVID-19 changed (most likely forever) our lives. The language is very direct, and the structure is very straightforward. I also liked the combination of definitions, examples, activities, and statements of real people.

I particularly enjoyed two sections: the concept of High Performance Virtual Teams, a natural evolution of the so-called HPTs, and the development of skills, abilities, and competences of a successful virtual leader.

Juan Jose Piedra, CFO, Sandoz Industrial Products S.A., Barcelona, Spain

Excerpt from: Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak¹

18 March 2020

Messages for people in isolation

28. Stay connected and maintain your

social networks. Try as much as

possible to keep your personal daily

routines or create new routines if

circumstances change. If health

authorities have recommended limiting

your physical, social contact to contain

the outbreak, you can stay connected

via telephone, e-mail, social media, or

video conference.

29. During times of stress, pay

attention to your own needs and

feelings. Engage in healthy activities

that you enjoy and find relaxing.

Exercise regularly, keep regular sleep

routines and eat healthy food. Keep

things in perspective. Public health

agencies and experts in all countries

are working on the outbreak to ensure

the availability of the best care to

those affected

---

¹ Source: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/mental-health-considerations.pdf?sfvrsn=6d3578af_2

Contents

INTRODUCTION

PART 1 VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP FOUNDATIONS

VIRTUAL MANAGEMENT SKILL SET

The Benefits of Virtual Management

Leadership types – local, virtual and hybrid

The Virtual Leader Defined

Core Competencies of Effective Virtual leaders

Introducing the Core Virtual Leadership Model

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

PART 2 VIRTUAL LEADER PERSONAL QUALITIES

WHAT MAKES A STRONG VIRTUAL LEADER?

Personal Qualities for Virtual Leadership

Functional Management Skills

Skills to become a successful virtual leader

Virtual Team Professional Integrity Code

Virtual Emotional Intelligence (vEQ) – Controlling Emotions

Elements of Successful Virtual Leadership

Prejudice in The Workplace – Intentional and Unintentional

Inspiring Others – Finding their passion!

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

PART 3 BUILDING A VIRTUAL TEAM

WHAT SKILLS DO VIRTUAL TEAM MEMBERS NEED?

Team member attributes, skills, and knowledge

Introducing the Core Virtual Team Member Model

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

HOW DO YOU BUILD VIRTUAL TEAMS?

Virtual Team Interaction Types

Local versus Virtual Team Interaction

Building Virtual Teams

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

WHAT ABOUT VIRTUAL TEAM DYNAMICS?

Establishing Team Structure and Roles

Considering Team Dynamics

Setting the Ground Rules

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

PART 4 MANAGING YOUR VIRTUAL TEAM ON A DAILY BASIS

HOW DO YOU CREATE A VIRTUAL TEAM CULTURE?

Building a Virtual Team Culture

Team Building Activities

Managing a Team Split between Two Locations

Quick ways to boost team engagement

Evaluating Team Needs, Capabilities and Existing Tools

Understanding Team Dynamics in a Virtual Environment

Lifecycle of a Virtual Team

Challenges with Virtual Teams

Opportunities for Virtual Teams

Virtual Project Management

Conducting Virtual Team Members Reviews

Key Points Summary

VIRTUAL TEAM CHANGES, ISSUES, CONFLICT AND CHALLENGES

Managing Team Member Changes and Issues

Managing Conflict

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

HOW DO YOU COMMUNICATE FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE

Virtual Communication

Review Model: Core Virtual Leadership Model

Building a Unified Team Commitment via Setting Goals

Working with Different Needs and Goals

Personal and Virtual Team Motivation

Motivators found in the workplace

Goal Setting in the Virtual World

When to Communicate Face-To-Face

Communicating Bad News

Celebrating from a Distance

KEY POINT SUMMARY:

HOW DO YOU COMMUNICATE IN A COLLABORATIVE WORLD?

Communicating in the collaborative workspace

Special Communication Situations

Types of Virtual Communication

Effective Use of Email

Effective Meetings

Effective Use of Audio and Video Conference

Effective Use of Webinar and Conferencing Platforms

Effective Online Collaboration

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

PART 5 TAPPING INTO VIRTUAL TEAM POTENTIAL: CREATING HIGH PERFORMING VIRTUAL TEAMS

TRUST – THE MOST FRAGILE OF ALL LEADERSHIP SKILLS

TRUST DEFINED

What is trust in a virtual team world?

Three Types of Trust

When Trust is Broken

How to heal trust in a virtual setting

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

MANAGING GLOBAL AND CULTURAL ADAPTABILITY

Review Model: Core Virtual Leadership Model

Managing Globally and Cultural Adaptability

Assessing your Cultural Adaptability

Managing Globally

Time Differences

Pronouncing Names – What’s In A Name?

When English is the Second Language

Helping those whose native language is not yours

Avoiding Idioms in Speech

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

HOW DO YOU TAP INTO POTENTIAL CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE?

Developing Cultural Capability

Defining culture and its potential influence

Cultural Confusion

Cultural Intellligence

Recognizing Signals of Culture Clash

Cultural Comparison

Advantages of Cultural Differences

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

PART 6 BE HEARD AND GET AGREEMENT IN A VIRTUAL WORLD

BE NOTICED, BE HEARD: VIRTUAL PRESENTATION SKILLS

Types of Presentations

Planning Your Presentation

Preparation = confidence = more relaxed

Types of Presentations

From Presentation Start to End – Overview for Success

Seven Deadly Presentation Mistakes

Planning Your Presentation – 7-Step Process

Virtual Presentations

Thirteen Deadly Virtual Presentation Mistakes

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

HOW TO GET TO YES FASTER – VIRTUAL NEGOTIATION SKILLS

Negotiating across Multiple Locations

Negotiation Foundation Stone: Influence

Variable 1 – Power

Negotiation Power Words

Power and risk

Variable 2 – Time

Variable 3 – Information

Decision Making Influencers

Dealing with Negotiating Tactics

Maintaining the Negotiation Relationship

Negotiating Checklist for Success

Key Points Summary

PART 7 LOOKING AFTER YOU AND YOUR VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP CAREER

ARE YOU THE VIP IN YOUR LIFE?

Are you the Virtual VIP in your life?

Confidence – the foundation of Virtual Leadership

Accepting Compliments

Being Competent to do your Job

Gratitude in a Virtual Leadership role

Respect of Peers and Management

10/10 Confidence

Strong Communication Skills

Believing in You as a Virtual Leader

Defining Virtual Leadership Success

Being Organized – Personal Productivity

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

HOW TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO DEVELOP YOUR ON-LINE PRESENCE

Why is Social Media Essential for Virtual Leaders?

Social Media – the definition

Social media for career development

Essentials of social media in virtual leadership

Using LinkedIn for Virtual leaders

Virtual Leadership and Twitter

Facebook and Virtual Leadership

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

BE SEEN, GET KNOWN, MOVE AHEAD – BUILDING YOUR NETWORKS.

Professional Networking: The Vital Commitment

Living Networking – Not a Chore!

Virtual Networking Ladder Of Loyalty

Your team as part of your virtual network

Communication Influence

Time Management For Effective Networking

The Power of Giving Recognition

Finding Role Models

Self Networking Tracker

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

PLANNING YOUR VIRTUAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Virtual Management vs. Virtual Leadership

Knowing your Advocates

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READING – ARTICLES AND BOOKS

List of Activities

A-Z Case Studies