Collaboration

Who You Calling Virtual? Leading a Virtual Team

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Let’s get one thing out of the way: there’s no such thing as a virtual team. They’re only called virtual teams because members are distributed across organization boundaries, time zones, and countries. And the virtual piece isn't the problem at all. It’s a red herring.

People like to blame their problems with dispersed teams on the technology. They complain: “The WebEx froze halfway through our session” or “All I can hear is buzzing on the conference line.” Yes, these are problems. But, dear readers, many of you are tech people. You can figure it out.

Networking for Introverts: A Starter List of Tips & Techniques

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I recently wrote about how we need to rethink networking: what it is and why we do it. I confessed that I am, in fact, an introvert and that I force myself to get through large-scale, cocktail-style, traditional networking events. I shared my belief that we need to network differently, particularly those of us who are introverts.

A Starter List: Networking for Introverts

What are some networking techniques that are well suited to introverts’ styles? Here’s a quick list.

Share a link, article, or report that you think will interest a specific person. I have a list of my top ten connectors: people who have gone out of their way to connect me to others.

Rethinking Networking

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Maya's LinkedIn Network

Why do we network? It’s an important question that most of us don’t consider. I didn’t until I started my business in 2004. People told me that networking would be an important way to build my practice. I agreed and started going to traditional, cocktail-style, business card passing events.

I’m a bona fide introvert. What that means is that, at the end of a standard networking event, I’m exhausted and want to curl up by myself with a book for a few hours. Traditional networking was something I forced myself to do, usually by gritting my teeth, setting a simple goal like “Meet two new people and then you can go home,” and soldiering through the experience.

LinkedIn Isn’t Enough

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“I’m on LinkedIn. Isn’t that enough networking?”

Truth be told: this question still makes me wince. But it’s a fair question. Awareness of networks is so new that, when we talk about networks, most people think of Facebook and LinkedIn. What’s the difference?

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and similar programs are tools that are used to help you interact with your network. You connect with colleagues, friends, and people who share interests with you (maybe you both “like” chocolate on Facebook or you both belong to the Linked:HR group). Facebook and LinkedIn give you pictures of your first degree of connection. LinkedIn also shows you your second and third degrees of connection.

Measuring the Intangible through Organizational Networks

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There are many ways to evaluate culture, collaboration, employee morale, team performance, and the impact of restructuring. But it’s difficult to measure all five at once without over-stressing the organization. The National Braille Press successfully used organizational networks and network analysis to evaluate its progress and identify simple but effective improvement actions. Read National Braille Press White Paper to find out how they did it.

Is your strategy stuck in the 20th century?

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