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?
​            
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

Focus Question: What questions will open up the space for EXPLORATION, FOCUS, CLARITY, INSIGHT or ACTION?
 
Description
Influence in the remote space can be a more powerful skillset than leadership. Our ability to have great conversations while working with others is critical for success. This entails supporting people to do their best work, when we might not be able to see their context. With that in mind, coaching becomes an essential modality and skillset for remote professionals at all levels. Coaching can take many forms and at its essence it is a partnership between two or more people where the coach helps the person being coached gain clarity, and support action around their key goals.
 
In the remote space, coaching may take place between a boss and their direct reports, or even two peers.
 
Questions are the heart of great coaching, and in the original core coaching competency framework of the International Coaching Federation, questions may “evoke discovery, insight, commitment or action”. 

Questions are the heart of great coaching, and in the original core coaching competency framework of the International Coaching Federation, questions may “evoke discovery, insight, commitment or action”.
 
In any conversation it can be useful to focus on questions that are:

• Short and to the point- 5-6 words each
• Focused on the topic at hand
• Asked one at a time. When we ask more than 1 question people don’t know which one to ask first
• Often start with a WHAT? How questions will point someone to how to do something – process. WHY questions will point to what’s important about the topic.

Some of my favorite coaching questions can be found in this short video – link to 20 Coaching Questions on my Youtube channel.

As I wrote in a 2017 article on Questions and Team and Group Coaching it’s also important to:
1. Keep them short, concise and to the point. Often the most powerful questions are often only 5-6 words in length
2. Adjust your questions according to the styles and preferences of the person involved
3. Provide an opportunity to focus, identify options and possibilities, to expand awareness, or to facilitate action
4. Notice any biases in our questions. Where are your questions focusing – at the 30,000-foot view OR in the weeds, around action AND awareness?
5. Use the language of the client and watch for “coach-ese” or coaching jargon.
(Reference: Britton, 2017. Questions and the Group and Team Coaching Process) 

Activity
Consider how you can incorporate the key points of today’s session. Make a list of 20 different questions you’d like to draw upon in upcoming conversations.
​
For more on this topic check out: My 2013 book – From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching. You will find more about the topic of scaling the coaching conversation to more than one person in the book.

Enjoy!
Jennifer

Focus Question: Where can 1 + 1 = more than 2?
 
Description
Virtual collaboration is an art form, and a requirement of exceptional work in the remote space. “No person is an island”. It is critical that we spend time focusing on what is important for those we work with.

Collaboration can be more complex in the remote space as we don’t always see the context our colleagues are operating within. With this in mind, it can be even more important to be intentional in designing our relationships This is a topic I explore in Chapter 12 of Effective Virtual Conversations.

In Effective Virtual Conversations, I also explore some of the core skills at the heart of great collaboration. Take a minute and think about how these skills are underpinning great collaboration for you.

At the heart of great collaboration is clarity around:
Why are we collaborating? Collaboration is not always the best strategy.

What’s our common stake? What are all parties committed to?
​
What do we each bring to the table? 

Activity
#1 – Where are you collaborating?
Map out the different collaboration partners you currently have? What makes them work?

#2 – Skills for Collaboration:
What skills do you lean into? What could use attention?  Some of the more common skills needed for collaboration, which I outline in Chapter 12 of Effective Virtual Conversations, is listed below.
​
Complete the chart below:

For more on this topic check out: Chapter 12 – Effective Virtual Conversations and multiple sections in PlanDoTrack and Coaching Business Builder.

Best,
​Jennifer

Focus Question: What is the state of boundaries in your work right now?

Description
Boundaries are a critical part of remote work. They are important for productivity as well as well-being.
​
Consider the multiple layers of boundaries which can be important including:

•       Boundaries around hours of work
•       Boundaries between work and life
•       Boundaries between project roles
•       Boundaries between hat you wear – parent and other
•       Boundaries between the virtual world and in-person

What are the boundaries which are important for you to take note of?

What happens when boundaries aren’t clear?

Which boundaries need some shoring up?

​Boundaries often get clear when we explore priorities and values. What are your core priorities for the next three months and how can these help you get more discerning around what you are going to say YES to, and NO to?

Activity 
Take note of the boundaries which exist in your work right now. What needs to be clarified or strengthened? What’s the cost of too many lax boundaries?

For more on this topic check out:
PlanDoTrack sections on Delegation.
Teams365 blog posts on Boundaries including:
Teams365 #2087 – Remote Working Myth – Boundaries aren’t important. Find this at here.

Best,
Jennifer

Focus Question: What’s important to note about your work right now?
​
Description
Every quarter, I’ll be including a pause point to undertake a quarterly checkpoint. In addition to weekly and monthly planning, it can be valuable to spend time doing some quarterly planning. Looking across your goals and achievements over a three-month period, can provide a different perspective.

Activity
Earmark 30 – 60 minutes to undertake your Q3 checkpoint for the last 3 months. If you prefer to do this in the company of others, consider joining me for a quarterly planning session.

Grab a pen and your planner or journal. You may wish to set a timer, giving yourself 3-5 minutes to reflect on and capture your thoughts around each of these questions.
Note the following:

• What have you accomplished?
• What are the things which are still needing to get done?
• What has been your key learning over time?

 
Over the last three months ask yourself:

• What are the patterns you are noticing?
• What has shifted?
• What has stayed the same?
• What are you surprized about?
• What are you doing to leverage your strengths?
• What strengths are becoming overmagnified?
• What habits are helping you? What habits do you want to put more attention around?

 
Note your programming and/or services deliver. Ask yourself:

• Where have you been spending your time?
• What have you done to prioritize? What’s working and what’s not?
• How much volume of work have you been completing?

 
For more on this topic check out:
PlanDoTrack – Quarterly Planning Section
Remote Pathways New Guide – Quarterly Checkpoint (Day 30)

Enjoy your reflections!
​Jennifer

Focus Question: What are the skills which are really going to move you ahead as a remote professional?

Description
“The research shows that for jobs of all kinds, emotional intelligence is twice as important an ingredient of outstanding performance as ability and technical skill combined. The higher you go in the organization, the more important these qualities are for success. When it comes to leadership, they are almost everything.”
 - Daniel Goleman

In the virtual space, helping team members become more proficient in developing and utilizing Emotional Intelligence skills, not only helps with getting things done, but it helps people in self-management (managing triggers, and enablers), and in building effective working relationships.

Under the umbrella of EI we can have more than a dozen skill sets – from optimism, to change catalyst, to empathy, and adaptability. It is a four-quadrant model – and emotionally intelligent people are strong in a number of skill areas.
Since the 1990s EI training has been offered to leaders. This is a skill set required by all team members. It is usually provided as a four-part model focusing on self- management, self-awareness, relationship management and relationship awareness.

Why is this important
“Emotional Intelligence is a way of recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we learn; it allows us to set priorities; it determines the majority of our daily actions. Research suggests it is responsible for as much as 80% of the “success” in our lives.” - J. Freedman.

Activity
Spend some time learning more about Emotional intelligence. You may wish to do one of many EI assessments available in the books listed in this week’s reading list or reach out to us to learn more about the Agile EQ Everything DiSC assessment we offer. Email us at [email protected]. 

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

Focus Question: What is important to communicate in your next presentation? How do you want to capture people’s attention?

Description
As a remote professional it’s likely that you'll be giving presentations to a wide variety of audiences, in possibly both the in person and virtual realms.

Fear of public speaking is usually listed as a Top 10 fear of adults. So how can we prepare to give a WOW presentation?

As a starting point, take 5 minutes to brainstorm. Make a list of everything you could possibly talk about. What are the topics that your clients or customers would really appreciate?

As someone who's been involved in presentation skills training for almost 2 decades, here are a couple of key things to keep in mind:

1. Speak in bullet points – reinforce what the main points are at the start, middle and end. What would you like people to take away from the presentation?
2. Connect people early on to what’s important about the topic for them. We often call this the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?)

​One of the biggest pitfalls you can experience as a presenter is that no one wants to participate. Tips to get participation happening:

• Be clear with process let people know what process will unfold. Describe what they can expect to take away from the session (3 bullet points). Return to this throughout your session.
• Connect them with their WIIFM – What’s In It For Me? Connect people early in your presentation to how this topic has relevance to them. You might do this by asking the question – What’s important about this topic to you right now? OR Who has a story that they can share? Consider how you will connect people early on.
• Have a variety of strategies to engage people on a regular basis. From the litmus test of incorporating a pace change 7-10 minutes, to a more frequent pace change virtually, we want to keep things moving and involve the audience. Virtually, this can range from breakouts to annotation to polls. Get people involved in the presentation. Bring in their stories and voice.

Activity
Consider an upcoming presentation:

1. What is important to note about the process? What is the purpose? What is the presentation all about? What do you hope people will take away?
2. What will you do to connect people to their WIIFM?
3. What are the strategies you will use to connect people to their WIIFM? When?

 
For more on this topic check out
Section 3 of PlanDoTrack, specifically pages 81 and 82.

All the best, 
​Jennifer

Focus Question: What do you want to focus on today?

Description
There are many competing priorities in a business. What are the things you want to focus on today? This week?

As solopreneurs, it’s unlikely that our To-Do list will ever be complete. We can overwork ourselves to the point of burn out.

As virtual and remote professionals the issue of prioritization takes on immense significance given that we are likely to be part of multiple teams, working across different time zones, with each team and leader having different priorities. Having to work more autonomously, and independently, we also can benefit from prioritizing what’s important from the “bigger picture” of what’s on our desk at any given moment of time.
​
In Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack, I share four different prioritization tools which will help you identify what is going to give you more focus:
1. The Strategic Issues Mapping
2. The SWOT
3. Covey’s Urgent/Important Matrix
4. Urgency/Importance Matrix

Activity
It can be useful to adjust our lists and tasks laying them out in different ways get different perspectives. Here are several ways to slice up your current list:
Make a list of the most important tasks you have on your plate right now. Assign them a weighting in terms of a 1-10.
Then look at the original list again and distribute them according to whether it’s something you can DO, DELEGATE, DEFER or DUMP. Now renumber them again. Assign those that can be deferred to a new list or schedule them in. Dump items need to get dumped. Delegate those onwards that you can. What do you notice now?
 
If you are doing some longer-term planning, refer to the SWOT and/or Strategic Issues Mapping which you’ll find in PlanDoTrack If you are feeling overwhelmed, stuck or working on immediate priorities consider using the other prioritization tools.
 
For more on this topic check out
Pages 118 to 125 of the PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner. These sections cover the topics of Time Management and Personal Productivity for the Virutal and Remote Professional.

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

Focus Question: What does renewal mean for you?

Description
The fields of sports and business shows us that teams that excel, are great at both “playing hard” and also resting hard. When working remotely, our boundaries between work and life often get blurred.

Just as physical renewal is essential after a long race, periods of renewal are key in business to help us remain at our prime. What does renewal mean for you? When is the last time you took time to renew?

Decision fatigue, social media burnout, task switching and cognitive overload, take a toll on us as professionals. When things become unbalanced it can also become luggage we bring into our family life.

As solopreneurs, keeping ourselves “at our prime” is key as the business relies on you. Without you there, it’s unlikely that it can keep going for long. Therefore, renewal should take a priority.

Here are some different ways to consider renewal:

• Taking vacation time on a regular basis
• Scheduling time away from our work (i.e. conferences, meetings with colleagues)
• Enjoying a compressed 4-day work week at different parts of the year so you can enjoy a longer weekend
• Having clear boundaries around “when you are ON” and “when you are OFF”
• Swimming/running/hiking/going to the gym over lunchtime on a regular basis
• Going on a retreat

 
What will help you renew?

Activity
 
What are the things that are going to help you renew? Build some time in to do this.
 
For more on this topic consider tracking your routines and renewal via the Daily Monthly Trackers.

All the best,
Jennifer