Maintaining your organization’s culture as you transition to a distributed workforce can be a daunting task. The most successful managers have an understanding and training in the communication and project management tools needed to lead optimal virtual teams. A part of their effectiveness lies in facilitating creative solutions for team bonding and connectedness. While some…
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A first job and a first boss are formative elements for a young person early in their career. At my first job in the association industry, I worked for Molly Grenn at the National Spa and Pool Association. I’d like to thank her, for as my mentor and boss, her guidance ultimately shaped my career trajectory. We should all be thinking critically…
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Coast to coast—that’s how she rolls. In the last two years, Emily Goodman has worked from New York to Seattle. And her clients have connected with her from the east and west coasts and several states in between. We caught up with her in Seattle, just before she set out on a trip to Morocco.…
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Carl, a freelance web developer, had just a few extra minutes to stop by the post office before picking up his daughter from school. He was expecting a check from a job he had completed the month before. Carl quickly grabbed the envelope and stuffed it in his pocket to get to the school on…
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Let’s be honest. Nobody likes giving feedback. We might say that we do, but we don’t. If you’re human, and we’ll assume that you are, you don’t look forward to difficult conversations. Without a good loop of feedback, however, organizations don’t grow. Bill Gates, one of the most successful leaders in the world, is quoted…
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The best thing about talking to multiple generations is letting go of preconceptions and stereotypes and simply enjoying the human connection. Generational titles make great magazine covers and give shape to employment research, but it’s the people who round out great work teams. Jeff Walters was running a bit behind for the conversation due to…
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Friday morning found Danette looking enjoying a mountain view from her comfortable spot in the Roanoke Public Library. She finishes up her thermos of tea and checks the local newspaper for weekend events. Danette usually works from home but needed to change up the view for a day of work. She was writing for clients…
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Do you know which Star Wars character reflects the true you? Or, which super hero best shows your personality? Perhaps, you’ve taken formal assessments and can talk about Myers-Briggs, DiSC, or your Gallup Strengths. These tests are great for justifying why you behave the way you do, right? Well, not necessarily so. If you’ve played…
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“Out of sight, out of mind” is an idiom that rolls off the tongue. Its origins deal with a truth about human relationships. Proximity counts. Physical presence matters to people. In the new world of work, filled with freelancers, solopreneurs, remote workers, and small business owners, it is time to grapple with the absence of…
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A new report showed that U.S.- and U.K.-based businesses waste a lot of time and money on conference calls, but one association consultant offers four tips that may mitigate those losses. Sometimes conference calls feel like a big waste of time. And now a new report validates those feelings. According to LoopUp’s Enterprise Conferencing: User…
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