Author: Maren Deepwell

#LVT23 How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 5 – Leading team activities
This post provides all the information you need for Part 5: Leading team activities (originally released 19 May ’23). Each part includes a podcast to listen to, prompts to help you reflect on your practice and inspiration to explore the topic further.

Listen to the course podcast

This course is podcast based and you can take part by simply listening each week as a new topic is released.

This week’s episode:
S02E16 – How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 5 – Leading team activities

In this episode (35 min), we focus on practical activities to foster a positive culture for hybrid and virtual teams. We’ll explore a number of examples of online and blended activities and ‘hacks’ and consider how to meaningfully reward and motivate your team. For this topic, we’ll be referring to examples from Chapter 2 and 3 of ⁠⁠Leading Virtual Teams⁠⁠.

Listen

Reflect on this topic

These prompts are designed to help you identify blind spots and open up new ways to think about the way you work. Setting aside some time to reflect helps you develop your critical, analytical and reflective skills as a leader or manager:
- How could you be 1% more comfortable at work?
- What would work for your team? Why would it work?
- What barriers do you have to work within (such as cost, institutional protocol, technical limitations etc).
- What would you want to achieve?
- Activity: Choose a particular activity of hack from the episode and reflect using the prompts above.
Explore tools and resources

Here are some further tools and resources to explore if you’d like to take a deeper dive:
- Activity template: Positive Feedback by Post
- Virtual Team Building in Practice, Chapter 2 and 3 of ⁠⁠Leading Virtual Teams
- Bear, S. A Little Gamification Can Go A Long Way In Retaining Employees
- Deepwell, M. 25 obvious, but effective, ways to improve your working environment
- Hanks, L. Hybrid working hacks
- Tech overload? Check out the Data Detox Kit
Say hello #lvt23

If you’d like to connect with me and other participants during the course, use the hashtag #lvt23 on Mastodon, Instagram and Twitter. I’ll be posting a few times each week during the course, and I’d love to hear from you.

Catching up?

If you are catching up with topics you have missed, you can find all the information you need to get started on the catch up page.
19/05/2023
Tips for a week of complete rest
It’s the last day of my holidays today, and it’s been fantastic to have some time off work. It’s been quite a long time since I last went on a holiday trip abroad, and we had a week in Greece, which is not only my favourite foodie destination but also a country where I spent holidays when I was a kid and I thus have a lot of fond memories of this beautiful country.

The last few months, in the middle of a career transition and at the start of setting up my new business, have been BUSY. So this past week has been very precious time to rest and recharge. And there was a lot of that, fortunately.

The one downside of the holiday was that the travel in both directions turned out to be a lot more involved than hoped for and we arrived after midnight in both directions, but that was the only downside of the trip.

My partner and I had a lot of plans for trips and exploring the island, but enjoyed the rest and exercise we had on our doorstep so much, that we focused on that instead. I loved having time for yoga, running, mini golf and plenty of reading at the pool and no emails, professional online presence, creating content or work on my business at all.

It’s taken me a long time to be able to step away from all types of work all together, and for me, having a complete week off is a big milestone.. as well as a reflection of how busy I have recently been in every aspect of my practice. I felt depleted enough to be motivated to have a complete break.

I took some practical steps to ensure that I had a complete break, and I wanted to share some tips that worked for me in the past week:
- I completed a holiday handover, with my amazing colleagues and deputy, and then logged off all work systems completely on my last day at work;
- No laptops came on holiday, and all computers at home where switched off when work ended;
- I deleted all work-related apps from my phone or switched notifications off completely, included direct messaging, emails, and task management apps;
- I logged out of/deleted all social media apps, like Twitter and LinkedIn, that I only use in a professional context;
- calendar notifications were switched off or paused
- A simply note to make a list of anything that I thought of, which were work related and which I wanted to pick up upon my return;
- I intentionally packed books, audiobooks and other entertainment that would help me focus on things other than work.
Now that I am back from my break, I feel much more rested and relaxed, and I have enjoyed taking a step back. It’s given me a different perspective which feels helpful in lots of ways. Here are some things I am doing to ease myself back into my busy schedule…
- Plan for a balanced week, which includes realistic goals, not ALL the things that I left undone when I went on holiday;
- Make time for fun and self care;
- Focus on habits that safeguard the energy I have gathered during my time off, such as making time for exercise, sleeping, breaks during the day, and so forth;
- Give myself time to reflect on my trip and how I feel to be back at home (plus cuddling our dogs, which I have really missed a lot).
One thing that has stayed with me is how much I enjoyed a break in a new place, days filled with new experiences. It’s been a long time since I had that much ‘newness’ packed into a single week, and that has given me a lot of joy.
14/05/2023
#LVT23 How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 4 – Fostering a shared team culture
This post provides all the information you need for Part 4: Leading team activities (originally released 12 May ’23). Each part includes a podcast to listen to, prompts to help you reflect on your practice and inspiration to explore the topic further.

Mid-point check-in – 5 min

Before we jump into the new topic, let’s check-in with how things are going halfway through the course. You can do this simply with a pen and paper, or if you are keeping notes somewhere throughout the course, go back to the notes you made during orientation week. During orientation, you were invited to set intentions for the course. We explored what you most want to get out of the course, and what you’d like to learn more about. We also considered what constraints might block your progress.

Check in with your intentions now and really focus on your needs and interest. What has sparked your curiosity? When did you stop to think about something new? What concerns have arisen? Note your reflections and re-adjust your approach to taking part.

If you are just getting started or catching up with topics you have missed, you can find all the information you need below:

Past topics:

Podcast | Blog post | Part 1: Orientation and a brief introduction to Leading Virtual Teams
Podcast | Blog post | Part 2: How we work and onboard new colleagues
Podcast | Blog post | Part 3: Setting shared expectations

This week:
Podcast | Blog post | Part 4: Fostering a shared team culture (12 May ’23)

Future topics:
Part 5: Leading team activities (19 May ’23)
Part 6: Course reflection – Setting intentions for your practice (26 May ’23)

Check-in done? If you’d like to share your reflections you can use the hashtag #lvt23 on Mastodon, Instagram and Twitter. I always love to hear from you and how things are going, so you are most welcome to drop me a line via email, too. Simply respond to one of the course emails with your thoughts.

Listen to the course podcast

This course is podcast based and you can take part by simply listening each week as a new topic is released.

This week’s episode:
S02E15 – How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 4 – Fostering a shared team culture

Working in innovative ways, as virtual and hybrid teams, offers us the opportunity to re-imagine how work and what our day to day feels like. In this episode (34 min), I’ll be discussing ways of fostering a shared team culture. Simply put, we’ll be exploring the question ‘What do you want your team or organisation feel like on a day to day basis?’ and how do you achieve that. For this topic, we’ll be referring mainly to examples from Chapter 2 of ⁠⁠Leading Virtual Teams⁠⁠.

Listen

Reflect on this topic

These prompts are designed to help you identify blind spots and open up new ways to think about the way you work. Setting aside some time to reflect will help you develop your critical, analytical and reflective skills as a leader or manager:
- How would you describe the culture in your team or organisation?
- Are there any existing problems or habits you are seeking to change?
- What would you like to see happen?
- What are the barriers that are stopping you?
- What experience and skills will help you achieve your aims?
Explore tools and resources

Here are some further tools and resources to explore if you’d like to take a deeper dive:
- Explore David Gurteen’s Randomised Coffee Trials
- Mann, A. 3 Ways You Are Failing Your Remote Workers
Say hello #lvt23

If you’d like to connect with me and other participants during the course, use the hashtag #lvt23 on Mastodon, Instagram and Twitter. I’ll be posting a few times each week during the course, and I’d love to hear from you.
12/05/2023
#LVT23 How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 3 –Setting shared expectations
This post provides all the information you need for Part 3: Setting shared expectations (originally released 5 May ’23). Each part includes a podcast to listen to, prompts to help you reflect on your practice and inspiration to explore the topic further.

Listen to the course podcast

This course is podcast based and you can take part by simply listening each week as a new topic is released.

This week’s episode:
S02E14 – How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 3 – Setting shared expectations

In this third course podcast (33 min), we examine how we can set shared expectations with and for the people we work with and how we communicate those expectations. We are going to examine the difference between expectations and lived experience when it comes to work life balance and in the context of collaborating or meeting online. For this topic, we’ll be referring to examples from Chapter 1 and 2 of ⁠⁠Leading Virtual Teams⁠⁠.

Listen

Reflect on this topic

These prompts are designed to help you identify blind spots and open up new ways to think about the way you work. Setting aside some time to reflect helps you develop your critical, analytical and reflective skills as a leader or manager:
- How do you communicate your expectations to your team?
- What do you communicate by example?
- How does your approach affirm or contradict your expectations?
- How do your expectations differ for yourself and others?
Explore tools and resources

Here are some further tools and resources to explore if you’d like to take a deeper dive:
- Read Mary Burgess’s thoughts on Work life balance
- Werdmüller, B. Working on the weekends (Werd.io, 5 February 2021)
- Parker, P. The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters (Penguin, 2018)
- Finders, M. and Munoz, J. Cameras On: Surveillance in the Time of COVID-19 (Inside Higher Ed, 3 March 2021)
- Read Maha Bali’s post Students Talk to Me About Webcams
Say hello #lvt23

If you’d like to connect with me and other participants during the course, use the hashtag #lvt23 on Mastodon, Instagram and Twitter. I’ll be posting a few times each week during the course, and I’d love to hear from you.

Catching up?

If you are just getting started with How to Lead Virtual Teams or catching up with topics you have missed, you can find all the information you need to get started on the catch up page.
05/05/2023
Career transition update: April 2023

In February I shared the news that I will step down as ALT’s CEO this September to focus on my work as a coach. This is a monthly update on how things are progressing from my perspective, sharing some of the experiences along the way.

Reflecting on the past month at ALT

April had a very busy start indeed, as it was time for this year’s OER Conference. No matter how busy it was, OER23 was a blast, and I loved every minute of it. It was a special pleasure this year as this was my last big event as CEO. If you’d like to read more of my personal take on the conference, then head over to the dedicated post and, check out #OER23 on social media for lots of interesting conversations and folk involved in the event.

The recruitment panel who will appoint the next CEO of ALT is chaired by Professor Helen O’Sullivan. My part was to meet candidates for informal conversations about the role, and I enjoyed these meetings very much. With the interview process now underway, everyone has been involved in the preparations for these and you can feel the excitement, and nerves, mounting a little. The prospect of meeting the new CEO of ALT is now becoming a very real thing. ALT will be announcing the new CEO in early summer and you’ll have the opportunity to meet them at ALT’s Annual Conference this September. So look out for news #altc.

Other than that, my day to day work continues very much as usual. We are busily induction new members of staff, planning for ALT’s 30th anniversary and Annual Conference this September, and I have a lot of travel coming up, too. As well as attending events this month, I really enjoyed seeing my whole staff team in person for a site visit and lunch. It’s a rare pleasure for us as a mainly virtual team to get together in person, and I value those elements of blended collaboration and catching up very much.

What’s else is happening

With so much going on at work, I’m mindful of setting some goals and engaging in activities that aren’t work related: I’m finally getting back to regular running (having recovered from a serious injury last year) and thinking of signing up for some races to have additional motivation.

I’m also really looking forward to joining formal coach training from May, and spending my Saturday evenings with fellow coaches across different time zones. This is the final part of my formal training before I can apply for ICF accreditation, and I am excited about developing my practice further in the coming months.

And… not to forget my side project at the moment, a podcast-based course all about How to Lead Virtual Teams. It’s been fun designing something completely new to me and I am learning a lot as the course develops.

30/04/2023
#LVT23 How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 2 – How we work and onboard new colleagues
This post provides all the information you need for Part 2: How we work and onboard new colleagues (originally released 28 April ’23). Each part includes a podcast to listen to, prompts to help you reflect on your practice and inspiration to explore the topic further.

Listen to the course podcast

This course is podcast based and you can take part by simply listening each week as a new topic is released.

This week’s episode:
S02E13 – How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 2 – How we work and onboard new colleagues

In this second course podcast (40 min), we discuss definitions of different ways of working and why it matters to be clear when it comes to the language we use when we talk about how we work. We will also explore how this relates to recruiting staff and onboarding new colleagues. For this topic, we’ll be referring on Chapter 1 of ⁠⁠Leading Virtual Teams⁠⁠.

Listen

Reflect on this topic

Effectively reflecting on your practice is a key skill for leading virtual teams. For this topic, use these definitions of different Modes of Working to reflect on your practice. You can either join in the reflection as you listen to the podcast episode, which includes a dedicated section on this, or you can return to this once you have listened to the episode:
- What term(s) best describe your mode of working?
- How would you describe it to someone else?
- To what degree do the policies in your organisation reflect this practice?
- What may new colleagues not easily understand about the way you work? What else?
- What might be difficult for new colleagues to get used to? Why?
“So what?” The purpose of the reflection is three-fold: first and foremost, it helps you develop your reflective skills. Try to notice how easy or difficult you find it to reflect in particular questions. Secondly, the prompts are designed to help you identify blind spots and open up new ways to think about the way you work. Thirdly, you can use these prompts to identify areas for action or making a change to the way you work.

Explore tools and resources

Here are some further tools and resources to explore if you’d like to take a deeper dive:
- Explore Modes of Working from Leading Virtual Teams
- Kropp, B. and McRae, E. 11 Trends that Will Shape Work in 2022 and Beyond
- Noelle, D. What Colocated Teams Can Learn From Remote Teams
- Ringel, R. When Do We Actually Need to Meet in Person?
Say hello #lvt23

If you’d like to connect with me and other participants during the course, use the hashtag #lvt23 on Mastodon, Instagram and Twitter. I’ll be posting a few times each week during the course, and I’d love to hear from you.

Catching up?

If you are just getting started with How to Lead Virtual Teams or catching up with topics you have missed, you can find all the information you need to get started on the catch up page.
28/04/2023