Technologies and industries unheard of just fifteen years ago are rapidly transforming the world of managing global teams. It’s your virtual hub – is your team connected?
Connected to … each other in a way that encourages people to rise above their differences and connect at the human level to achieve results. Successful organizations embed connection and a global approach at every level. Think of yourself at the hub of a wide network of impactful connections. Our workdays are complex, and these connections enable us to communicate openly with diverse colleagues to keep projects moving and achieve competitive advantage.
As new generations step into the workforce their lifestyles will lend themselves to FLEXIBLE WORK ARRANGEMENTS, and virtual work will become an accepted norm. Advances in technology will create more options to work in more convenient places. People will need to continue to create their own strategies to form an acceptable boundary between work and home.
The Way Forward To Leading And Managing Global Teams
“To master the virtual equation and make all the elements work together, you must become the connector.
In fact, your greatest role as a virtual manager is to link the various parts of your team to accomplish the goals that led to its formation in the first place.
You may need to shift gears, perform team tune-ups, realign, and refuel your team’s energy along the way.”
Yael Zofi
“It doesn’t matter whether or not you are a global manager, and it isn’t important if you don’t have a global assignment – you are global.”
Wise words from one Yael’s favorite clients, a director of global systems for a medical devices manufacturer. He understands that today, whether or not you hold a leadership position, you need to practice a set of behaviors Yael calls GlobaLeadership (GL) in order to navigate your own virtual hub.
The future is unpredictable and we can’t see what innovations lie beyond the curve as we travel along the virtual superhighway. But for certain, technical and human connectivity will play a big role in making these innovations happen. Regardless what forms these innovations take, you would be wise to follow this leadership in a virtual world advice offered by a former client (a Senior Director at a major electronics conglomerate):
“Be simple in what you do, understand the limitation of sending a complex ‘mess’ over the ocean, and recognize that people are more alike than you think.”
Within the next few years, the phrase virtual mindset will be common-place as organizations strive to maximize their talent resources in a world of hypercompetition. Virtual leaders will be responsible for instilling this point of view in team members. No matter what differences exist in culture, national characteristics, or personal style these individuals bring to the group, they will need to adapt a worldview to effectively meet the needs of the new twenty-first century organization.
So set your GPS, get on the global superhighway and navigate this brave new world to become an Agent of Connection.
