Podcast Episode #69:
Leading and Working Remotely 

Recorded March 25, 2020 in Response to Stay-In Mandates Due to the Corona-virus.

Overview of Episode #69 --- 

• Top 3 tips for leaders and virtual meetings - what you should be focused on right now.
  
• How Michael's company Leadership Strategies  is working remotely as a company, what’s working and what’s been a challenge.  And, how Michael is personally handling being at home.
  
• Bottom line advice for leaders, anyone holding a virtual session and to anyone who is struggling right now. 

Contact Michael Wilkinson

• LinkedIn: Michael Wilkinson
• Leadership Strategies: www.leadstrat.com 
• Michael as a Keynote Speaker: www.michaelthefacilitator.com

Timing on Recording: @ 10:54 ---

Topic 1: What Leaders Should Be Doing Right Now For Virtual Meetings? What Should They Be Thinking? What Should They Be Being?

• “We need to step back and really ask some pretty serious questions.”
• If you don't already have a strategic plan, you better get one, it's time to redefine success.
• Define what is most important right now. Which initiatives should be put on hold? Which should be accelerated?
• Leaders need to decide who to retain in their current role, who needs to be repurposed for a different role because business has gone virtual, who needs to be reduced to part time or, sometimes, you may have to let go of people.
• Determine what you need? What systems do you need for virtual meetings? What telephone access? What virtual tools?
• What processes can operate remotely? Which processes cannot and how do you adapt?
• Think through what has to change.
• In our current situation, all of this has to happen as quickly as possible, moving very quickly through it, you have to put the things in place that allow you to operate virtually.

Timing on Recording: @ 14:04  ---

Topic 2: What Are The Guidelines For How to Operate Virtually?

• If you are going to be successful working remotely, it is much easier to be distracted by things at home; it starts with having a workspace that sets you up for success; quiet and distraction free.
• You have to dedicate your full attention to your job duty, no taking care of personal needs.
• Video use is mandatory for all meetings, you get better and faster communication because you can read body language.
• Each department holds a daily huddle, discuss what was accomplished yesterday, what is going to be accomplished today and determine any blocks that are in the way.

Timing on Recording: @ 16:05 ---

Topic 3: What Are Some Things That Leaders Should Be Doing Right Now To Be With Their People?

• Leaders have to become doers.
• Communicate, and then over communicate.
• As a leader, you have to adapt to your people situation, it is leadership on steroids.
• As leaders of leaders, we have to coach our leaders on what they are doing to manage, their virtual workforce, it is a bigger job than ever been.

Timing on Recording: @ 18:33  ---

Topic 4: What Things Should Leaders Be Doing and Thinking To Make Virtual Meetings Effective?

• Click: The Virtual Meetings Book, a tool for helping people think about, execute, plan, start and manage virtual meetings.
• The real issue with virtual meetings, when it comes down to it, it is all about engagement, how do you keep people engaged?
• Virtual meetings are a very different type of meeting, some people even think that because it is virtual, you do not have to prepare as much, but it is just the OPPOSITE.

Timing on Recording: @ 19:47  ---

Topic 5: How to Do You Prepare For a Virtual Meeting?

• What is the purpose of the meeting?
• Why am I doing this meeting?
• What do I want to come out of this meeting when it is done?
• What do we want people to have in their hands?
• What do we want them to have in their heads?
• What do we want them to know that they didn't know before the meeting started?
• What do we want them to have in their hearts?
• What do you want them to believe that they may not have believed before the meeting started?
• Brainstorm strategies for addressing the current situation for every agenda item you have, add something called the virtual details, how are you going to execute this virtually?
• How do you keep them engaged? Plan engagement activities every 20 to 30 minutes.
• NO virtual meeting more than an hour and a half, between virtual training, have at least a half an hour break between each module.

Timing on Recording: @ 25:00  ---

Topic 6: How Michael Wilkinson’s company, Leadership Strategies, is Working Remotely. What Are Some Challenges? 

• Every team has to be operating under the daily huddle.
• Have to be operating under a personal metric that would say whether or not you are being productive.
• Working remotely for Leadership Strategies has been going very well. 
• The most difficult challenge has been the multiple touch points, getting Slack messages, text messages, phone calls, etc.
• Remember, do what you have to do to survive this because the pent up demand that is going to be unleashed once this is over could be just overwhelming.

Timing on Recording: @ 33:13  ---

Topic 7: Last Bit Of Advice To Leaders and Managing Their Teams and Organizations During This Time.

• It really does have to start with reevaluating your strategy.
• How are we going to win during this time?
• What do we need to start doing? What do we need to stop doing? What do we need to accelerate doing?
• Virtual meetings in the past, prior to the last two months, have been something that people kind of did; now it's something we're forced to do.
• The decisions you make should be decisions based on, I know this is going to get better and so it just going to take awhile.

Contact Michael Wilkinson and Related Links

• LinkedIn: Michael Wilkinson
• Leadership Strategies: www.leadstrat.com 
• Michael as a Keynote Speaker: www.michaelthefacilitator.com
• The Secrets of Facilitation: The SMART Guide to Getting Results with Groups by Michael Wilkinson
• The Secrets to Masterful Meetings: Ignite a Meetings Revolution! by Michael Wilkinson
• Click: The Virtual Meetings Book by Michael Wilkinson and Richard Smith
• #60 Why FACILITATIVE Leaders Have Greater Success: The 8 Core Practices of Facilitative Leaders
• Wake Up Eager Workforce – Stress Management, Mind, Body and Spirit Podcast Episodes
• Wake Up Eager Workforce – Leadership and Communication Related Podcast Episodes
  
• High School and College Age TriMetrix Assessment – Reveal Their Intrinsic Genius 

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