Focus Question: What does Keeping it simple mean for you?
 
Description
Simplification in the remote workspace is critical. When contexts vary across a team, time zones are different and cross-cultural elements get in the mix of everyday work, simplification and keeping things simple is essential for high performance and flow.

The notion of “keeping things simple” can flow across a business at all levels –
 
From program design, to customer messaging.
From keeping what you offer simple, to how you communicate and reinforce it. Simplification also relates to workflows and processes.
 
Simplification may also involve creating visuals around a topic to consolidate a lot of ideas into one graphic.
 
In the remote space the more complex a process, the more likely it is to break down. In the remote space, the more complex things are, the more likely there is going to be misunderstandings. These can lead to work breakdowns, lack of alignment, conflict, and many other things.
 
What’s important about keeping things simple in your work?

​Activity
Consider what keep it simple can mean in these different areas of your work:

For more on this topic check out: Effective Virtual Conversations 

Wishing you the best,
​Jennifer

Focus Question: What distractions are getting in your way?
 
Description
Distractions abound in today's workplace from:

• Open concept work areas where visual distractions abound
• Regular bings from email arrival, updates, Instant Messaging
• Being called into meetings which may not be necessary
• Too many open loops or projects on the go
• The blurring of work and professional roles

 
All three of these areas can be quickly assessed if you are committed to minimizing distractions for you and your team.
 
Some initial ideas to minimize distractions may include:
Creating "focused work" periods. Whether it's 30 or 60 minutes a day, focused times, which have no immediate distraction allow us to get things done. Many studies find that our immediate productivity can be boosted by giving projects time windows and a time frames. The Pomodoro technique is one example of accelerating productivity. It posits that focused activity for 25 minutes can be followed by a 5 minute break. Read more about the Pomodoro Technique from its' creator here.
 
Become ruthless with meetings. Moving the needle on meetings may be a goal for many teams today. If you have not yet downloaded a copy of my bookmark for my newest book - Effective Virtual Conversations - on making virtual meetings more effective, download it here. It includes 8 Questions you will want to ask yourself before every meeting.
An initial question to ask your self this year is "is a meeting the best way to communicate this information or is there a better way?
 
Closing email and other app windows at different parts of the day. While it may not always be possible to turn off email for extended periods, it is important to have blocks of time where we are able to focus solely on the task at hand. Providing small work areas for individual and/or groups to meet in for the important pieces of work are critical. It may take a few minutes to get into the flow of these projects, and scheduling in time on a regular basis to have focused work time, is useful in breaking the cycle of ongoing disruption.
 
Ask yourself if you need to interrupt someone before you immediately hit send on an email which could be delayed or bundled with some of the other questions you have.
 
Where does your team get distracted at present? What small, but consistent changes would make a difference to the way you are working?

Activity
Identify the distractions which exist in your world. What is important to take note of?

For more on this topic check out: Teams365 blog posts on the topic of Distractions. Check them out here. 

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

Focus Question: What disruptions are you facing in your work?
 
Description
2020 is likely to be remembered in the history books as the year of disruption. While the year may have started out with a strong focus on what would be possible in the new decade, the global pandemic influenced professionals and businesses alike. As it relates to the global workforce, approximately 3 Billion professionals were working from home at one stage of the pandemic.

This global experience of the reaction to a massive disruption that most in our generation have not experienced, can lay clues for how we approach change, disruption and innovation.

What were your key learnings around this?

In navigating disruption and change some of the lessons learned from this recent pandemic has been:

• Focusing on what’s important at the core of your business
• Considering how and what it can look like in a “new normal”
• Being clear on your business values and philosophies which will remain the same even if the context or processes change.
• Having a strong business vision – Keeping an eye on your vision can help to ground you when the waters around you are turbulent. As I have been sharing this year -when we move our eyes to the horizon (which is where our vision resides), it is different than if we have our eyes on the foreground
• Considering whether you are a disruptor yourself as a business or responding to disruption

This Fast Company article, Navigating Disruption: A Roadmap for Leaders, by Grant Thornton, highlights seven areas you will want to explore:
#1 - Watch for early indicators
#2 - Adopt a broad view
#3 - Take inventory
#4 - Build bridges not silos
#5 - Become more diverse
#6 - Be curious
#7 - Know Thyself

Activity
Identify the disruptions you are facing in your work right now. What are you doing around the seven areas Thornton highlights?

Also consider these questions:

• What’s helping you navigate?
• What’s getting in the way?
• Who else (mentors, peers) can support you in exploring alternative strategies?

For more on this topic check out the Teams365 blog and posts on Navigating Disruption and leading teams through uncertainty. You will find it here.

Focus Question: What does accountability mean for you?
 
Description
Another contribution that coaching can make to the remote space is the hard focus on accountability around goals.

A coach is often engaged to support a person to achieve their goals quicker, faster or better.

A key line of sight in coaching is around ACCOUNTABILITY or as Sir John Whitmore, one of the coaching grandparents wrote, “What are you going to DO? By WHEN? And HOW will I KNOW?”
 
These questions may be even more relevant today in the remote space.

• What are you doing to TRACK key goals and progress towards the goals?
• What accountability conversations are you having around WHAT steps have been taken?
• What’s been achieved?

 
Team meetings as well as individual coaching sessions between the leader and team members, or amongst peers may be a key part of the accountability conversation.

Consider using some of these frameworks to track accountabilities:
 
The Red, Yellow and Green Light Framework – on weekly basis team members can report out (verbally, visually or in writing) where each of their major tasks are. This can help to quickly pinpoint areas which urgently need attention (RED), need a focus (YELLOW) or are doing OK.
 
One on One Conversations and the One Page Plan
 
Accountability Buddies in the team who meet on a regular basis to connect and focus on what’s important
 
What else is important to note around accountability and the sharing of progress?

Activity
What are the 1-2 goals you want to be held accountable to right now?
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Complete, or update, your ONE PAGE PLAN if you have not yet done so. You’ll find copies at the back of PlanDoTrack or Coaching Business Builder.

All the best,
Jennifer