In this fast-paced global economy, the quality of your leadership and how adept you are at continually increasing your intellectual bandwidth will keep your organization’s bottom line ahead of the competition. Being a global leader is no longer an option – it is a requirement for maintaining a strong and secure place in the global marketplace.

These challenges are not daunting to the effective virtual manager – they provoke innovation. The conditions that spark innovation arise from connecting the right people with the right ideas in the right environment at the right time. In a business environment of great uncertainty and rapid change, organizational capability fuels an organization’s strategic options. By organizational capacity we mean the quality of its people resources, the flexibility of its infrastructure, and the openness of its culture, all of which form the basis for success in the Age of Connection.

For over a decade, Yael Zofi has believed the role of the global leader is less about controlling and managing and more about creating and enabling connection. Instead of the ‘Agent of Change,’ responsible for managing change and transition, the new role of the 21st Century leader is about connection; hence the ‘Agent of Connection’ – connecting the team members to you and to each other.

Here’s Yael talking about her view regarding this key role of virtual managers:

It’s been an exciting time for Yael Zofi since her latest book A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams was released last fall.  As interest in the virtual world continually grows, Yael and her team have become the ‘go to’ resource for answers to questions about how to succeed in the virtual world.

Recently, Yael was interviewed by WatchIT TV about key techniques for working with and managing virtual teams.  She shares the elements that every high performing team must master, and offers the cliff notes version of what every colleague needs to know, including the four most critical elements: Context Communication; Trust and Accountability; Conflict Mediation and Deliverable Management.  Every chapter of her book is touched on in this informative talk, including Team Setup, Cross Cultural Communications and the Future of Virtual Teams.

To begin, here’s Yael talking about the passion behind her interest in this subject and a short glimpse of the process that resulted in A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams.

Adapted for Posting by Perin Colah
Welcome to the final installment of the Five Myths and Realities of Virtual Teams. This week we explore Myth #5.

Myth #5: Virtual teams can be left alone and will function appropriately.
 

Reality: Virtual teams need to establish ground rules around how and what is communicated, how minor conflicts are managed before they [...] Continue Reading…

Posted by Perin Colah
 

This past Friday Yael Zofi spoke at the 21st Annual SHRM-LI Conference. Her topic, Virtual Teams: Now and In The Future, drew in quite the crowd and was well received by over 300 attendees during both sessions.

After kicking off the presentation with a video created by one of our AIM team members, Yael asked the audience to discuss the biggest challenges they face regarding virtual teams. [...] Continue Reading…

This Friday, April 27th, Yael is speaking at the 21st Annual SHRM-LI Conference, and since this topic is so significant 800+ attendees will join her. Because of the large number of attendees, we will run two workshops, which will allow attendees to choose the more convenient time for them either 9:45am or 11:15am.

Yael’s sessions include interactive discussions and exercises that engage attendees with practical knowledge for managing virtual teams. [...] Continue Reading…

Adapted for Posting by Perin Colah

Welcome back to Five Myths and Realities of Virtual Teams. This week we explore :

 
MYTH 4: WHEN YOU DON’T SEE SOMEONE REGULARLY, IT IS DIFFICULT TO MANAGE THEIR CAREER PROGRESSION.
 

Reality: Virtual managers can actively assist their employees in career development and help them keep visible track of their contributions as well as actively communicate their accomplishments. It is important for virtual managers to have [...] Continue Reading…

Adapted for Posting by Perin Colah

Welcome to Five Myths and Realities of Virtual Teams. This week we explore Myth #3.

 
Myth #3: TECHNOLOGY ON VIRTUAL TEAMS IS MOST IMPORTANT.
 

Reality: Technology is the enabler, the tool, the means to an end. But it is not the most important factor. The human elements of getting people to collaborate are. Technology plays a major role in how virtual teams operate, but success comes [...] Continue Reading…

Written by Yael Zofi and Perin Colah

Last week we introduced the Five Myths and Realities of Virtual Teams and explored the first myth of this series.

This week we are moving to:

 
MYTH 2: VIRTUAL TEAMS WILL WORK IF THEY HAVE THE BEST PEOPLE.
 

Reality: No team is guaranteed success, even when it has the best virtual players. Teams fail for various reasons, including setting unrealistic expectations, falling short of deliverables, not [...] Continue Reading…

Virtual teams are becoming increasingly popular and with this popularity we continue to learn more about them and the distinct way they operate. Although there are similarities to traditional teams, virtual teams differ in a number of ways. Some of what you believe about virtual teams may not be reality. Over the next few weeks we will be sharing five myths and realities of virtual teams.

Let’s get started!
 

MYTH [...] Continue Reading…

Six months ago we celebrated the publication of my book, A Manager’s Guide to Virtual Teams. As you can imagine, a great deal of effort went into its research, writing and editing. The book launch party was the culmination of these efforts, and it was an exciting night. Looking around the room filled with colleagues, peers and friends made it even more special.

Below is a short video [...] Continue Reading…