Anyone have tips for fully virtual team building, both in a 1:1 supervisory capacity and within smaller teams of 3-5? We mostly use zoom and slack and have very few opportunities to meet up in person outside of conferences one or twice a year. Generally all millennials or younger.
Zoom has the option to display your screen, but when I think 1:1 remote I immediately think of remote client like Remmina and Windows App, which are commonly used by IT to assist users without presence there. The difficulty with remote team building is that most team building exercises are synchronous, but a lot of remote work is asynchronous. But there are asynchronous forms of community building which could be used as team building. Book clubs are one of those. You can change the reading material to something topical and it would probably be a great way of building camaraderie within an asynchronous work life.
Just got back from my daughter's FFA banquet where she got an office, also atttending the state FBLA state convention next week. Looks like she is gettting involved pretty much in these student orginizations.
I've been a heavy user of Microsoft Project in the past, but I've also built Web-based resource allocation solutions at previous companies to manage my own staff. I've also used some company-wide enterprise solutions. Other times, I've used a simple custom spreadsheet or task planner app. What software solution do you often wind up using for Project Management?
As a PMP, I often Microsoft Project, Monday, Aha!, Trello, Asana, Microsoft Planner, Asana, and other tools depending on client needs. Let me know if you need assistance in this area.
Forget the “one size fits all” fantasy. The truth is: the best project management solution is the one that people will actually USE. I’ve seen teams with access to enterprise-grade software still default back to spreadsheets because the tool was bloated, slow, or jammed with features nobody cared about.
My rule:
Small team, fast pace → Trello / Asana (simple, visual, zero learning curve).
As a leader and/or small business owner, what activities are most demanding on your time and attention (that ultimately lead to loss of effectiveness)?
Some ideas to get the juices flowing:
Managing employees and any ensuing drama/attitude challenges
Responding to short-term decisions, problems, and/or time-sensitive issues
Boundaries/over commitment
De-prioritizing self-care and work/life balance
etc.
Please share your thoughts in the comments below and any solutions you may have discovered along the way!
When I worked for a University, they had some things written down about it. That was a while back though and I can't quite recall. I've been freelancing for a long time now and it's just me so...
I'm self-employed and contract with a small company that doesn't have formal policies, but I prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in how I work and collaborate with others.
I have noticed that the world of business has assimilated many classical writers for its own purposes. It is common to hear Marcus Aurelius's Meditations touted as relevant to developing a good attitude in a business context, for example. However, there is also a sphere of modern writers working in this space, whether it's explicitly in a business consulting capacity or whether it's just hobbyist analysis of business-relevant concerns. Who are your favorite writers, past or present, in this area? What is your overall impression of the space? This is an area where I would be thrilled to learn more.
Of course, what is to be discussed would depend entirely on the industry and the level within the company of the various participants. However, i used to find it useful to have tactile items to pass around and have the others discuss them. For instance, when i worked to the Eddie Bauer company in my youth, i used to bring some personal garments in when i knew that i would be running a product study meeting. i would choose one EB item, and a couple of things from the competition, and tell the others that i wanted them to look them over and find at least 6 major quality differences so that they would know how to discuss them with customers.
If I were giving a presentation, I would discuss "Navigating Workforce Transformation in the Age of AI", a topic deeply tied to my mission with SkillForge.AI. The presentation would focus on how businesses and individuals can adapt to technological disruption, emphasizing the shift from degree-based qualifications to skills-focused hiring and reskilling.
Key Topics for the Presentation:
1. The AI Revolution and Workforce Displacement:
Insights into how AI is reshaping industries and the job market.
Practical strategies for individuals to stay relevant through continuous learning.
2. The Rise of Skills-Based Hiring:
Why companies should prioritize skills over degrees.
Examples of businesses successfully transitioning to this model.
3. Bridging the Skills Gap:
How partnerships between companies, learning platforms, and individuals can create a sustainable workforce.
Highlighting tools and platforms, like SkillForge.AI, that facilitate this transformation.
4. Leveraging AI as a Tool, Not a Threat:
Demonstrating how AI can empower employees rather than replace them.
Interactive Elements:
Q&A Session: To address concerns and provide tailored advice.
If appropriate, I could explain how a platform like SkillForge.AI works to assess skills and suggest career paths.
Willingness to Present to Lenovo Pro Community:
Absolutely! The Lenovo Pro Community focuses on empowering small and medium-sized businesses, and this topic is highly relevant to its members. I would be honored to share insights that can help business leaders navigate workforce challenges while leveraging technology effectively.
Presenting to a forward-thinking community like Lenovo Pro would not only align with my mission but also open up avenues for collaboration and exchange of ideas to further advance workforce development in the AI age.
As many of you know, we entered the 2020's ushering in an age of remote work and telecommuting, a side-effect of the early years of the pandemic. However, as offices went vacant, businesses lost regional tax incentives, incurred penalties on early lease termination, and had to reconfigure the way resources were managed. Companies are now requiring employees to return to the office, but there is resistance from those who find remote work beneficial, e.g., no gas, no wear and tear on automobile, no traffic, no time spent commuting, more time with family, etc. For those of you managing remote workers, or for those of you working remotely, what are some of the key practices that have helped your business maintain a productive remote workforce?
The simplist most efficient tool for Executive staff to manage remote staff is well trained, competent, Project Manager's. Every company that I've worked for that had good PM groups were a pleasure to be with as everyone, from top down, were always on the same page.
Leadership comes in various styles, each with its unique approach and impact. Here are a few common types: Transformational, Transactional, Servant, Autocratic, Laissez-Faire or a Democratic Leadership
Leadership styles can vary depending on the situation, but I consider myself a Transformational Leader with a touch of Servant Leadership. Here’s why:
Transformational Leadership
Vision-Driven: I thrive on inspiring others with a clear vision of what can be achieved. Whether it’s working on SkillForge.AI or leading a team, my focus is on motivating people to see beyond immediate challenges and embrace long-term goals.
Encouraging Growth: I prioritize empowering others by helping them learn, adapt, and grow. I believe in creating an environment where team members feel challenged yet supported to achieve their potential.
Servant Leadership
Putting Others First: My approach centers on ensuring the team’s needs are met and fostering a sense of shared success. By focusing on how I can serve the team rather than simply directing them, I aim to build trust and loyalty.
Empathy and Support: I believe in listening, understanding, and addressing team concerns. This ensures that everyone feels valued and heard.
Why This Combination Works for Me
Vision + Empathy: Transformational leadership allows me to set ambitious goals, while servant leadership ensures the team feels supported in achieving them.
Team Empowerment: I aim to inspire and empower people to bring their best ideas forward, fostering a culture of collaboration and shared ownership.
Adaptability: While I lead with a transformational mindset, I can shift styles when the situation demands. For instance, in moments requiring quick decisions, I might lean towards a more autocratic approach, but my default is collaboration and inspiration.
Ultimately, leadership isn’t about fitting into one style—it’s about being flexible and understanding what your team needs at any given moment. I strive to balance visionary guidance with empathetic support to create a thriving, motivated team environment.
Do you consider education level when hiring employees if you own a small business? With the plethora of knowledge available for certain lines of work on the internet, it seems like someone without a college degree or even a high school diploma could be more qualified for the task. Please let us know what your business entails and what your thoughts are. Thanks.
As a small business owner, I focus more on skills, experience, and passion for the work rather than strictly on formal education levels. While education can provide a solid foundation, the practical ability to perform tasks and solve problems often carries more weight, especially in today’s world where knowledge and training are widely accessible online.
My Business
I run SkillForge.AI, a platform dedicated to reskilling individuals affected by workforce shifts due to AI and automation. My mission is to create a skills-focused ecosystem where continuous learning is prioritized over traditional credentials. The platform connects individuals with learning opportunities and matches them with job placements, ensuring relevance in a rapidly evolving job market.
My Hiring Philosophy
1. Skills Over Degrees:
I prioritize demonstrated skills through portfolios, certifications, or real-world experience over degrees. For instance, a self-taught programmer who has built successful projects might outshine a computer science graduate with no practical experience.
2. Adaptability and Curiosity:
Since my business involves keeping pace with technological advancements, I value employees who are curious, self-motivated, and willing to learn new tools or methodologies, regardless of their formal education level.
3. Cultural Fit and Passion:
Employees who resonate with the mission of SkillForge.AI and show genuine enthusiasm for workforce transformation are more valuable than those who merely have credentials but lack passion.
4. Task-Specific Competence:
Depending on the role, I might use skills assessments or trial projects to evaluate candidates. For example, if I’m hiring a graphic designer, I’d focus on their creative work, not whether they hold an art degree.
A Balanced Perspective
While I emphasize skills, I don’t disregard formal education entirely. Degrees often demonstrate commitment and provide a structured knowledge base. For roles requiring specialized knowledge, like accounting or legal compliance, a formal background might still be essential.
In essence, I hire for capability, adaptability, and alignment with my company’s vision, recognizing that formal education is just one of many pathways to gaining expertise. The digital age has democratized learning, and it’s time hiring practices reflect that shift.
I run a small sole proprietorship and have hired everyone based on prior online relationships with them. Their education has rarely been relevant since I can directly observe their writing and thought processes and usually their work as well.
When considering a switch to a new organization within the same line of career, the thought process often involves evaluating several key factors to ensure the move aligns with personal and professional goals. Here are some considerations:
1. Career Growth Opportunities
Reasoning: Does the new organization offer better opportunities for growth? This includes upward mobility, professional development programs, and access to challenging projects.
Reflection: Evaluate if the current role has become stagnant or if the new organization provides a clear path for advancement.
2. Alignment with Personal Goals
Reasoning: Does the new role align with long-term career aspirations and personal values?
Reflection: Consider how the switch will contribute to achieving your larger professional vision.
3. Work Culture and Environment
Reasoning: Is the culture of the new organization a good fit? Will it provide a supportive, collaborative, and inclusive environment?
Reflection: Research company reviews, talk to current employees, or evaluate how their mission and values align with yours.
4. Compensation and Benefits
Reasoning: Is the financial package competitive? Does it include better benefits like healthcare, retirement plans, or flexible work options?
Reflection: Ensure the compensation aligns with your financial goals and lifestyle requirements.
5. Skill Development
Reasoning: Will the new role allow you to develop new skills or enhance existing ones?
Reflection: Look for roles that push you out of your comfort zone and add value to your professional toolkit.
6. Job Stability and Reputation
Reasoning: Is the new company financially stable? Does it have a solid reputation in the industry?
Reflection: Research the organization's history, stability, and standing within your industry.
7. Network and Influence
Reasoning: Does this move expand your professional network and influence within the industry?
Reflection: Assess how the new role might connect you with influential professionals or open doors to new opportunities.
8. Transition and Timing
Reasoning: Is this the right time to make the switch? Will the transition disrupt any ongoing projects or commitments?
Reflection: Plan the move carefully to avoid burning bridges and ensure a smooth handover.
Switching organizations is a significant decision that requires weighing current dissatisfactions against the potential benefits of a new role. The goal is to ensure the move brings you closer to your career aspirations while maintaining balance in other areas of life.
I work for a large company and it shouldn’t be a surprise that publicly stated vision and values are not always the experience of the employee. There are often micro-cultures created by the people that are required to work with each other and it can be good or bad. I am finding it difficult to switch out of a negative micro culture into another part of the organization. I tried to influence for the better but the issues are systemic. After careful thought and trying to separate any emotions, I am considering looking outside the company. Kudos to any individual that makes a move as an employee from a good position to something else with unknown potential.
Show of hands: Who's finding 2024 relentlessly busy so far?
So many professionals I've talked to are overwhelmed with work. Every time they think they can breathe easy, something else comes along that takes that breath away. My own deadlines are crunched tight together and across our shared home office, my spouse is also juggling too many projects and deadlines.
I try my best to keep a positive vibe and laugh at least once daily with my coworkers. Mental exercises such as meditation or even a brief nap during breaks helps to refresh people physically and mentally.
There's a point during your job when you get selected from your team for a promotion to a leading role. It's a great feeling of achievement and everyone congrats you for that.
But sometimes, it's difficult to handle your team when they are your colleagues and worked sitting beside you during your initial stages.
Has anyone dealt with such a situation in their carrier?
How did your team react and how did you manage to handle it?
I have been self employed for my entire adult life, but as a teenager,flipping burgers, I saw people get promoted and the anger and jealousy that caused among the other people who felt they should have been given the promotion. I was never eligible for a promotion because I was under 18, and company policy prohibited that. Generally, the person who gets promoted is going to be the most qualified, because a business cannot function if they allow people to "fail up". I had an instance where I was given a raise, because i was a very good worker, and the boss told me not to tell anyone how much I was making because it would make them angry that a 16 year old was making considerably more than they were.
Always can be a difficult situation... Nothing wrong with staying friends. But you do need to remember that you are now the boss and they do work for you. You also need to remember that your friendship should not affect the way that you distribute work, and distribute raises. You need to be as objective as possible with all your workers, and can't divulge information to your "friends" that give them an advantage, or that may affect your company or organization in some way.
As I continue to learn video editing software I plan on making a community that answers the above question. Just wondering if people have general experiences in helping people become writers, game devs (I'm learning Godot myself), etc.
That being said, just like everyone else, Veterans will need to have the aptitude, desire, and discipline to work hard to stand out in this field. Being a true Artist requires innovation and independent thinking that is a different skill from just learning the video and graphics programming skills. Not everyone can be a true artist, like not everyone can be a great singer, or a great gymnast, even with the best of training, We each have things that we do better, and worse than others. It is what makes us individuals, and human.
All staff was in quarantine and working from home but because we're in the hardware business, our sales were good those days as we got to sell WFH setup equipment a lot.
Interesting that you ask because I'd actually like to add my experience with Lenovo, as it seems that its solution involved cutting any shred of effective post-purchase product support over the last several years has yet to reimplement it despite the ample time to do so, including, (as just one example), its complete refusal to take any responsibility of provide assistance to purchasers of its Lenovo Smart Home Displays after releasing an OTA update that rendered the devices incapable of powering on. While temporary fluctuations in a business' responsibilities as a result of unforeseen circumstances wholly understandable, this "understanding" does not extend to active refusals to fulfill its obligations in perpetuity. If an enterprise is or becomes unwilling or incapable of fulfilling these obligations, then it has no business selling its products to consumers in the first place; by continuing to do so, regardless, it not only invites long-lasting reputational damage in the eyes of consumers, but also legal liability for violating state and federal laws and regulations that government agencies like the Federal Trade Commission and States Attorneys General are thankfully experts at prosecuting.
I realize that John is likely not going to be in a position to comment on Lenovo's behalf and also have a strong hunch that no one from Lenovo authorized to address or have an opinion on the matter would bother to engage in such a discussion, but the importance of sharing information involving a business' questionable choices and behavior, when a businesses does not or cannot live up to its commitments during tough economic times--especially when its competitive peers can--it's worthwhile for the owners of those businesses to consider if they would be better off (and more importantly, whether their consumers would be better off) pursuing a different business venture that's better suited for its capacity to meet its obligations.
While there might be an argued array of leadership styles or categories, for the simplicity of this question, we'll list some below but chime in other options as well.
Autocratic (aka Authoritarian)
Democratic (aka Participative)
Laissez-faire
Transformational
Other - comment below
So what is your style? What seems to work for you within your style? What do you like most and least about the style you have?
Please share with the community below!
Not sure what your style is? Check out this resource from the University of Arizona.
Mainly democratic. I like to have different ideas and suggestions before to make decisions.
I exceptionally use the autocratic and laisser-faire. Not yet used the transformational one. That seems so impactful. I need to learn it !
If you've ever had to determine what tools your team will use to improve their productivity and get the job done, you might have been overwhelmed by sales pitches and overly optimistic sales pitches. My latest article for the Lenovo Pro Community looks at 8 features you really want, including the ability of a tool to scale with you. Check it out!
remove with caution—rel="noopener noreferrer" prevents the following:
noopener→instructs the browser not to set Window.opener property
without noopener, the target URL can access the parent window and (potentially) hijack the user's session (a.k.a. very bad)
noreferrer→instructs the browser to omit the Referrer header
without noreferrer, the target URL will receive the requester's URL—the website, page, and user which requested the target URL (a.k.a. bad for privacy, but not very risky)
Let's move on. Shall we?
I still have nightmares about 4 vendors, each with a unique (and incomplete) suite of penetration-testing tools for Application Security. They were each "almost good enough"—lacking only a few features or tests, which one (or more) of their competitors had.
By the end of the 2-week-long review, I felt like I was dealing with some sort of cartel. "Surely, they've conspired to this end. The only way to get feature-and-function-complete software—a company must buy 2 (or more) suites of pen-testing tools from these vendors."
But, that's just paranoia. Right? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Before light bulb manufacturers formed a cartel, their products lasted for 2,000+ hours. One example has lasted for 1,000,000+ hours, while under-powered (at very low wattage).
Although "diamonds are forever"—they are not rare.
Sapphires and rubies are rarer than diamonds.
Thanks to the diamond cartel, however, diamonds are rare in the market. Demand exceeds supply. But, only while the cartels keep vaults overflowing with diamonds.
If the diamond cartel marketed every diamond they have, the supply would greatly exceed demand.
Prices would plummet.
They'd be so cheap—parents might even give them to their children, as fun little toys.
Not recommended.
If you think cleaning crayon off of walls is hard, try sanding and polishing scratches out of windows and mirrors. :-)
Time tracking is such a pervasive tool. I manage performance through KPIs, not time. Unless your business charges customers by the hour, it makes no sense.
As a leader, I have faced many challenges throughout my career. Whether dealing with difficult team members, handling unexpected setbacks or navigating challenging situations, these challenges have taught me valuable leadership lessons and helped me become a better leader.
One of the biggest challenges I have encountered is managing conflict within my team. This can be especially difficult, as there are often strong personalities involved and differing opinions about how things should be done. However, through active listening and respectful communication, I have been able to successfully resolve these conflicts and help my team members work together more effectively.
Another challenge that I face as a leader is dealing with unexpected setbacks. Whether an unforeseen event or a sudden change in priorities, it can be challenging to stay focused and motivated when things do not go according to plan. However, the key to overcoming these setbacks is staying calm, maintaining perspective, and focusing on what can be done moving forward.
Overall, my leadership experience has taught me that there will always be challenges, but with the right mindset and approach, they can be overcome and used to grow and improve. If I could advise new leaders, I would focus on developing strong leadership skills early on, building trust and respect within your team, and always remaining open to learning and adapting as you move forward.
What is your #1 leadership or management book pick and why?
We'll be compiling some of your responses to feature in our first "Community Picks" piece - please message Beth if you do not want your reply to be featured. 😇
