Remote Leader Life

There is a lot of content out there about remote worker life. Lots of questions too...

...how do you stay connected to your employees?
...how do you ensure productivity remains high?
...how do you extend your on-site corporate culture to your distributed team?

The list could go on and on, right? 

Wait, What?
One of the groups that I rarely see mentioned, and to which I belong, is remote leadership. 

For more than twenty years I drove to a specific location for my "work." It was familiar, routine, comfortable, and was what I thought "work" was supposed to look like.

Until it didn't look that way any longer.

Suddenly I didn't have a place to go to; but instead, was 100% virtual. Whoa. What just happened here? 

Where are all of the conference rooms? 
Where are all of the wasted moments spent walking between meetings?
Where are all of the people interrupting me?

Hidden Opportunities
Staying connected to colleagues, team members, and clients is a real challenge. Keeping an open mind relative to video technology, for me, has been crucial. Seeing people...not just hearing them on a conference call...is so powerful. Get over your hang-ups and embrace it.

Consider the dramatic drop in interruptions as a gift to you from your coworkers. Take full advantage of the time you have and go for it. Attack your to do list, and feel how satisfying it can be when you own your day vs. your day owning you.

Lastly, use the flexibility you have in your schedule to stay connected to humanity. 

When I know I have a few hours where I won't need to be on the phone, I head for a local coffee shop. I'm still head down with my work, but I'm around other humans. That energizes me and helps me feel much less isolated.

How About You
Perhaps the lesson in all of this if finding the proper balance. Remote life isn't for everyone; nor should everyone be stuck commuting to and from an office that does not support a healthy work environment.

I feel incredibly blessed to have successfully made the transition from office only...to a healthy mix of virtual, corporate office, and the great big off-site world. Is remote work part of your world?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.