Episode E.017 Managing Remote Work

Author's Notes
We are introducing a new format to our Show Notes and Broadcasts. We received feedback our podcasts are too long (average 26 minutes). The shows have been restructured into 13 minute segments - each with a specific objective. Segment 1: What the show will cover and why it is important. Segment 2: What do you need to know to take action. Segment 3: How do you apply it and the tools available, and Segment 4: Tips and Insights from our experience. Thanx for the Feedback and keep it coming.

What are Today's Topics & Why is it Important?​
This is a totally different show from what we have been covering the E Block, the Ownership Track. Apply a little hindsight and it is obvious we should have introduced this topic several weeks ago as the small business community had to deal with shuts and customer isolation. However hindsight is always 20/20 and we are here today - so lets get started.

Today's premise - building your organization using virtual resources or how to run and grow it with making people show up at your office, especially if your office is a home office.

Knowledge to Take Action

1. Roles and Competencies of a Virtual Manager
2. Failures to avoid when managing virtually
3. Dealing with virtual employees
4. Selecting your virtual platform

What You Need to Do
Roles and Competencies
Roles

• Articulate your vision for the business - the why, what when, who and HOW of success
• Focus on contribution, not activity
  
• Proactively facilitate and develop people to master their position
  
• Focus on teamwork when the conventional methods are not available
  
• Ensure their is a free communication flow and everyone has the necessary access to information
  
• Be whom you want them to become
  

Competencies

1. Leader
2. Results Facilitator
   
3. Obstacle Eliminator
   
4. Business Analyst
5. Coach

Failures to Avoid

• Autocratic behavior by anyone (including you)
• Stay connected - abdication by anyone is unacceptable
  
• Authority in or with the group is not based on position, title, or connection to you
  
• Don't start a project or assignment fast
• Unclear roles and responsibilities
• Not providing adequate resources
• Lack of infrastructure

Dealing with Virtual Employees

• Coordination is Control
• Being assesible - both planned and spontaneous
• Information in digestible doses
• Provide feedback rather that advice - focus on how they arrive at decisions, not the decision
• Fair, Fair, Fair & Honest
• Decisiveness when needed
• Focus on skill mastery
• Build a community - help them help each other

Selecting a Virtual Platform

• Allows people to talk to each other - building a community is part of the architecture
• Simple and accessible storage - easy to find what they need
• Affordable and scalable - you can afford it and it can grow with you
• Integrates with your other platforms - Accounting, CRM, Project management etc.

What are we using?
Our approach right now is to maximize features and minimize cost. Also our prime criteria is the "enter the data once" approach - once is stored somewhere - everything can use it.

• Intranet - gSuite, since we are using gMail, this is the best choice right now.
• CRM - Streak because it is really an app inside of gMail
• Projects & Processes - Streak is customizable to provide these basic functions
• Communitation - Slack, Slaask, and Meet, all are based on gMail and allows us to segregate conversations for employees, virtual employees, and customers. Since google upgraded Google + this provides us an opportunity to talk directly to people from their email.
• Web Platform - Weebly because of its integration with our radio platform - radio.co
• Podcasts - Podcast.co because it automates with Radio.co and all of our radio shows.

We have not reduced the number of initial data entries to 1, we are at 3 times and looking for the 1 platform that doesn't exist today. Use this strictly as a generator of ideas for your platform decision.

Next Show: ​Reopening Big & Safe