Virtual Work Insider

Have you considered that WHEN you influence others might be as important as HOW you influence? ?? With your team members and decision makers working different hybrid schedules and across different time zones, it gets tricky. It can be hard to know precisely when you should reach out. When would others be the most receptive to your message? That’s what we call the “Aperture for Influence.” It's about finding the perfect moment to make an impact. It’s about understanding who you are trying to influence and personalizing your approach. Here are a few tips… ? Do your research. Know when key decisions are going to be made. Plan to influence before that moment. ? Add value consistently. Influence isn’t a one-time event. ? Know their time zone. Don’t assume it’s the same as yours. ? Ask them directly. Find out the best time to connect. ? Consider the frequency. Hack recency bias to stay visible, but don’t overwhelm. ?? Want to level up your influence skills? The time is now.?? ?Join us at the Build Your Network and Influence Across Distance Workshop, where our CEO, Sacha Connor, will share her five-step process for developing your Personal Virtual Exposure and Influence Plan.? You’ll leave the session equipped and empowered to build your influence so you can achieve your career and business goals - no matter where or when you work. Choose one of these sessions: ??? November 12th: 8am - 9:30am PT / 11am - 12:30pm ET ??? November 13th: 12:30pm - 2pm PT / 3:30pm - 5pm ET Get your ticket here: https://lnkd.in/eAXHZvjn Image credit to Christine Orchard at Arc.

Give proactive permission to your team to go vote. It's Election Day in the U.S. 1. Digital Presenteeism ? Employees may worry about being perceived as not dedicated. ? Encourage them to step away from their computers to vote. 2. Election Day Timing ? Many hybrid organizations request office commutes on Tuesdays. ? Consider giving permission for your team to not commute today. 3. Support Voting Plans ? Reinforce that you encourage your team to create a voting plan. ? Make it clear that you support their right to vote. 4. Back-Up Plan ? Help your team create a back-up plan for urgent requests. ? Ensure smooth operations while they are voting. 5. Out-of-Office Replies ? Suggest setting up an appropriate out-of-office reply. ? Manage communication channels effectively. Support your team. Make voting easy.

The worst thing you can do for your career when working in a hybrid, distributed or remote work environment? Just doing the work. Neglecting building your exposure. Getting impacted by distance bias and recency bias. Limited visibility. Limited networking. Limited influence. To advance your career faster and build your influence, you need to prioritize building your exposure. ↓ Got 5 minutes to increase visibility? ? Share a recent team success on your team chat. ? Add a valuable comment on a colleague’s post. ? Send a quick thank-you email to a cross-functional partner. Got 15 minutes to build your network? ? Offer to help a new colleague with a task. ? Find out how to join an employee resource group. Got 90 minutes to create a personalized and actionable plan? ? Join me on November 12th or 13th and I will walk you through my 5-step process. ? You will come away with a fully flushed out plan to build your exposure, network and influence across different locations, time zones, and hybrid schedules. ? You will be equipped to hack distance bias & recency bias to stay visible so you can continue to achieve your career and business goals. I developed my “Build Your Network & Influence Across Distance” workshop through years of practical application and combining it with the latest research on network analysis and distributed team communication best practices. Focus on being visible instead of just being busy. Check out the comments for the link with more info on the workshop and how to register.

For the first time in 6 years, Virtual Work Insider is offering one of our signature workshops as an open enrollment opportunity, and we're excited to share it with you. Building your exposure, network, and influence is one of the most important—yet challenging—skills to master when working in geographically distributed, hybrid and remote work environments. It’s not enough to focus solely on individual performance. Instead, hacking distance bias and recency bias becomes essential to stay top of mind for new roles, promotions, and opportunities. Our “Build Your Network & Influence Across Distance” workshop was developed through years of practical application, combined with the latest research on network analysis and best practices in distributed team communication. If you’re interested in developing these skills to help you thrive across locations, time zones, and hybrid schedules, join us virtually on November 12th or November 13th for a small-group 90-minute workshop. Participants will leave with a customized Personal Virtual Exposure and Influence Plan, crafted through our 5-step process, which can be implemented immediately. This workshop has been delivered by our CEO, Sacha Connor, to thousands of professionals over the past 6 years, with incredibly strong feedback, and we’re continually evolving the content to keep it relevant. For more information on the workshop and registration details, click here: https://lnkd.in/eAXHZvjn

In 2010, when I became a remote work experiment as a business leader for The Clorox Company, little did I know that this would turn into a 14 year+ journey... ...with my screwups??♀? and my successes?? helping to pave the way into a future of more flexible work within large enterprises. 14 years ago I began to relearn how to lead my teams, influence my key stakeholders, and achieve my business objectives from 3,000 miles and 3 times zones away from HQ. I needed to design a new way for me and my teams to work... to mitigate distance bias and recency bias to build connection, exposure and influence to coach my direct reports and teammates differently. It has been personally rewarding to spend the last 6 years teaching thousands of people across industries the techniques to adjust their ways of working to be effective within their hybrid, remote and geographically distributed teams. I haven't done it alone. ??I have been inspired by other experts, thought leaders, and experimenters in this future of flexible work space. Thank you to Alex Hernandez and Jobgether for recognizing this group for the pioneering work they do. ?? Brian Elliott, Annie Dean, Darren Murph, La?la von Alvensleben, Sophie Wade, Goncalo Hall, Sara Sutton, Tammy Bjelland, Chase Warrington, Danielle Farage, Rob Sadow, Iwo Szapar, Allison Vendt, Kaleem Clarkson, Nick Bloom, Amina Moreau, Tara Vasdani Full report and more thought leaders in the comments! ?? BTW: For the first time ever, I'm offering my popular "Build Your Network and Influence Across Distance" workshop as an open enrollment a small group virtual session in November (so you don't have to wait for your company to bring it to you!). I will walk you through my 5-step process to create your "Personal Virtual Exposure and Influence Plan". You will be empowered with the techniques to stay visible and build your network and influence, so that you can achieve your career & business objectives when you aren't located with your key stakeholders every day. Interested? To join the thousands who have already benefitted, write the word "workshop" in the comments or DM me directly and I'll provide more info on what you'll learn and how to buy a ticket.

The most effective and connected teams don't just happen. They are built with intention. Leading, training, and coaching geographically distributed and hybrid teams while I worked remotely for the past 14 years has taught me valuable lessons. Swipe below to see 5 things I would never do. What can you add to this list of what you wouldn't do? Share your thoughts and experiences! ?? #virtualleadership #hybridleadership

You won't want to miss this... ? Ready to build your virtual influence? ? Ready to tame the meetings monster? ? Ready to retain Gen Z talent, and more? Join us in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a free event hosted by Tulsa Remote on Oct 16-17. Here are just a few of the thought-provoking sessions that will be held on Oct 16-17. ? Stay Visible While Virtual: How to build your exposure and influence when working remotely. I'll provide this skills workshop to walk you through a 5-step exercise to build your Personal Virtual Exposure and Influence Plan. ? Building Async Muscles: How to improve Collaboration and connection and tame the meetings monster Brian Elliott will share how to be in the flow without being in the room, how to get control over meetings running wild on calendars, and how to get more document-driven one step at a time. ? The Future of Work and Community - Insights from Tulsa Remote Prithwiraj Choudhury will share how remote work can drive both individual and community growth, and what cities, businesses, and workers can learn from Tulsa's unique experience. ? The Four 4s Framework for Maximizing the Business Benefits of Flexible Working Laurel Farrer will share Distribute Consulting's 4 principles, 4 resources, 4 behaviors, and 4 success metrics that are unique to virtual-first collaboration and are key to preventing common risks like miscommunication and discrimination. ? How to Retain and Maximize Gen Z Talent in a Remote World Danielle Farage will share insights into what motivates Gen Z, how to foster a culture of accountability and growth, and practical strategies to keep them connected and productive. Register with the link in the comments. A big thanks to Justin Harlan, Betsy Slagle, Darcy Marie Mayfield and the full Tulsa Remote team for pulling this event together. #virtualleadership #hybridwork #remotework

Are you in the greater Washington D.C. area? On Oct 3rd I'll be speaking at a networking and learning event at the Army & Navy Club. This event is a best fit for leaders who have responsibility for talent & leadership development in the public or private sector. During dinner our panel discussion will be hosted by Alan Todd, VP of Udemy Leadership Development. I will be joined on the panel by David Livingston, Ed.D., Managing Partner of the McChrystal Group Academy. We'll discuss industry trends and best practices for developing the future leaders of the workforce. If this free event sounds like a good fit, DM me. There are only a few seats left. Thanks to Udemy Business, Chris Wilson, Alan Todd Ariana Freeman, Jeff Atkins for organizing.

Do your virtual team interactions often feel purely transactional? ?? Boost your team's effectiveness by intentionally building trust and psychological safety. Here's why it matters... Think about how daunting it can be to speak up in a hybrid or virtual meeting. Unlike in-person meetings, there’s an extra hurdle to unmute yourself, disrupt the flow, and share your perspective. Now imagine trying to voice a dissenting opinion in such a setting without established trust. Challenging, right? For actionable tips on building psychological safety in hybrid, distributed and remote teams to improve your team effectiveness check out our CEO, Sacha Connor's, full conversation with Jeff Frick for his Work 20XX podcast. Apple podcast: https://lnkd.in/e8vuPxRe Youtube: https://lnkd.in/eqv3pEQa #virtualleadership #hybridleadership

Are you a remote summer intern? Do you have an intern in another location reporting into you? Even this Dunkin' ad is showing more location-inclusive imagery with this hybrid meeting of the "interns". Coming into a company as an intern (or a new hire) can be difficult, especially if you are not with the location majority. ?? If you are a remote summer intern, or if you are managing an intern in another location, consider these tips. Share what you would add to this list in the comments. 1?? Set communication norms to never miss important info while not having to feel like you are always "on-call". ? Tools: Which communication tool should you be using for which type of communication? ? Availability: What hours in your local time zone are you expected to be available for live, synchronous meetings? ? Speed: What is the expected speed of response to different types of communication – urgent, FYI, update, feedback requested? ? Verification: How should you verify confirmation of the receipt of communication? (examples: thumbs up ?? emoji, email reply with "I'm on it") 2?? Use an Assignment Brief to literally get on the same page for any project. ? Clarify objectives and executional mandatories. ? Outline who is the decision maker and who needs to input to the project. ? Agree to milestones to check in on progress. These are just some of the techniques that we teach to develop the skills to connect, coach, and create inclusivity when working in distributed, hybrid, and remote teams. Learn More: https://lnkd.in/egWWFPQC