Managing a

Virtual Team
The 4 C’s of top high-potential employees…

• Competence
• Character
• Communication
• Collaboration
 Study of most important leadership skills
70,000+ managers from 1,600 large organizations

• Must have superb communication skills.

• Lead by example to demonstrate character and
competence.
• Establish and maintain clear and meaningful vision.
• Provide motivation to create ownership and accountability
for results.
• Clarify performance expectations.
• Foster teamwork and collaboration.
• Develop clear performance goals and metrics.

From: Getting Results by Longenecker and Simoneti

 Why you need to be an expert at
collaboration and teamwork:
• You cannot succeed alone.
• You need a team of the brightest people you can
possibly find to help you.
• You need to help the team work extremely well
together.
• You need the team to support you with enthusiasm,
respect and trust.
• But don’t take my word for it…
 Anne Mulcahy 1. Build a network of great relationships
CEO of Xerox and the third most powerful with people who want to see you
woman in the world! succeed.

2. You don’t have all of the answers, so

ask for help and advice from the
smartest people you can find.

3. Learn to be a learner.

4. Listen intently to your employees and

to your customers.
What does it take to be a valued member of a team?
Develop and display competence.
Follow through on commitments.
Deliver required results.
Ensure your actions are consistent with your word.
Stand behind the team and its people.
Be enjoyable to work with.
Be passionate about your work and those you serve.
Communicate and keep everyone informed.
Help the other members of the team.
Help members of other teams.
Share ideas, information and credit.
Hold yourself 100% accountable.
Let’s take a close look at what
some of the top thought
leaders in the world have to
say about teams…
 A Vivid Shared Vision
A meaningful common purpose that the
team has helped shape. Most teams are
responding to an initial mandate from
outside the team. But to be successful, the
team must “own” this purpose, develop its
own spin on it, and they must create
this vision together as a team.
 Clear Measurable Goals
Specific performance goals that flow from
the common purpose. For example, getting
a project completed in less than half
the normal time. Compelling goals inspire
and challenge a team, give it a sense of
urgency. They also have a leveling effect,
requiring members to focus on the collective
effort necessary rather than any differences
in title or status.
 Competence + Diversity
A mix of complementary skills. Successful
teams rarely have all the needed skills
at the outset —they develop them as
they learn what the challenge requires.

Individual greatness…leading to team excellence

 Solid Work Ethic
A strong commitment to how the work
gets done. Teams must agree on who will
do what jobs, how schedules will be
established and honored, and how decisions will
be made and modified. On a genuine
team, each member does equivalent amounts
of real work; all members, the leader included.
 Team Trust

Trust and commitment cannot be

coerced. The process of agreeing upon
appropriate goals serves as the crucible in
which members forge their accountability
to each other… not just to the leader or
manager.
John Spence Team Model
• Direction – vivid, clear, inspiring --- shared
• Measurements – specific, observable, focused
• Competence – very good at what they do
• Communication – open, honest, courageous
• Mutual Accountability – all team members
• Discipline – do this every day
 11 Key Team Competencies:
1. Setting clear, specific and measurable goals.
2. Making assignments extremely clear and ensuring required
competence.
3. Using effective decision making processes within the team.
4. Establishing accountability for high performance across the entire team.
5. Running effective team meetings.
6. Building strong levels of trust.
7. Establishing open, honest and frank communications.
8. Managing conflict effectively.
9. Creating mutual respect and collaboration.
10. Encouraging risk-taking and innovation.
11. Engaging in ongoing team building activities.
• Lack of TRUST
• Lack of candor
• Lack of commitment
• Lack of accountability
• Lack of results
 HIGH

Affection TRUST
Concern

Distrust Respect

LOW
LOW HIGH

Competence
 The mantra of excellent
team members:

I am good at what I do…

and I do it because I care about you!

(High IQ + High EQ)

Time for a break
Develop and display competence.
Follow through on commitments.
Deliver required results.
Ensure your actions are consistent with your word.
Stand behind the team and its people.
Be enjoyable to work with.
Be passionate about your work and those you serve.
Communicate and keep everyone informed.
Help the other members of the team.
Help members of other teams.
Share ideas, information and credit.
Hold yourself 100% accountable.
 Elements of an Effective Team
• Unique Team Identity.
• Shared Team Vision.
• Clear Roles & Responsibilities.
• Specific and measureable standards of performance.
• Specific and measureable goals.
• Superior communication.
• Collaboration and participation.
• A set process for accomplishing the work.
• A set process for conflict resolution.
• Reflection and self-assessment.
A very short reading assignment…
Small Group Workshop

What do you believe are

the FIVE most
important elements of
creating and sustaining
solid team?
Virtual Teams
• A virtual team is one whose members share a
common purpose, but are separated by
distance, time, and organizational boundaries. In
such a team, members are linked only by
communication technologies and rarely, if ever,
have the opportunity to work face-to-face with
their teammates. As such, virtual team members
face unique challenges, however, there are a set
of recognized “best practices” for building and
maintaining a high-performing virtual team.
 Just like a regular team, every virtual team needs to
clearly understand…
• What is the purpose or mission of the team?
• What outcome is needed and/or expected from the team's
performance?
• When should the team's work be completed? Milestones?
• To whom does the team report and how often?
• What resources are provided to support the team in its
work?
• What is each person’s role and specific responsibilities on
the team?
• You MUST have the fundamentals nailed first!!!
What special things
are required to be an
effective manager of
a virtual team?
Number One Challenge…

93% of communications
is non-verbal
Establish a set of VERY clear
and specific performance and
behavior expectations
 Quick Workshop
• What are some items you would put
on a list of “acceptable / desired
team behaviors”?
 Over-communicate

Email

Phone calls

Voicemails

Video calls

Notes on shared work docs

Frustrated Share your emotions
Worried
Concerned
Excited
Confused
Impressed
Angry
Happy
Peeved
Perplexed
Overjoyed
Satisfied…
Define terms, never assume,
clarify any ambiguity…
I am not sure if I fully understood …
What I am hearing is…
It seems to me what we have agreed on is…
Am I the only one concerned about…
I need a little more clarification on…
Could you cover _____ one more time for me…
How would that be prioritized?
Who, specifically, will be responsible for that?
When, exactly, do you need that completed by?
Who else should I look to for support on this?
It feels to me like a few people might be upset about…
I get the sense that we are not in 100% agreement on…
Ensure that everyone is participating and
everyone is following the rules.
 Regularly measure &
manage team performance
 Establish a clear process for
dealing with team conflict and
poor team performance
Time for a bit more reading…
The ultimate goal is to build a strong bond of
TRUST throughout the entire virtual team

C+R+I
SO
 Individual Workshop
Based on everything we have covered in this class,
what are FOUR specific action steps YOU can take
right away to improve the functioning of a virtual team
you lead?
 In your groups…
• Share your four action steps – and then as a group
develop your top THREE recommendations for being
an effective leader of a virtual team.