Leading Virtual Teams with Dr Maren Deepwell
By Maren Deepwell
Leading Virtual Teams with Dr Maren DeepwellDec 22, 2022
S03E34 - Season Finale: Six months of gold dust
In this final episode of the season I share highlights and insights from the past six months of re-inventing Mondays. You
The story in blog posts:
- Celebrating a month of free-lance life
- Re-inventing Mondays… 2 months in
- Sunrise blogging – career transition 3 months in
- 4 months into re-inventing Mondays
- 5 months into re-inventing Mondays
- Six months of gold dust
Podcast episodes about my fresh start:
- S03E31 – 5 months into re-inventing Mondays
- S03E28 - 4 months into re-inventing Mondays
- S03E23 – Career transition reflection – 3 months in
- S03E20 – Beach/life balance
- S03E17 – Checking in with Re-inventing Mondays
- S03E14 – Celebrating a month of free-lance life
- S03E10 – Bonus Episode: Gold dust and debris
- S03E06 – Re-inventing Mondays
S03E33 - The sound of Open Practice in social media wilderness
Special guest: Martin Weller
Join us as we discuss our presentation at OER24, a conference all about Open Education, 27-28 March 2024, Cork, Ireland.
Presentation slides (incl. references)
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter
- Download the Leading Virtual Teams book
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E32 - What happens to our senses in the hybrid workplace?
In this episode I explore some aspects of how our embodied experience of hybrid working may influence of sense of wellbeing and share a healthy habit to avoid Zoom fatigue. You can find out more in the episode blog post.
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter
- Download the Leading Virtual Teams book
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E31 - 5 months into re-inventing Mondays
In this episode I share an update on my new career chapter five months in. You can find out more in the episode blog post.
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter
- Download the Leading Virtual Teams book
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E30 - A milestone moment on my coaching journey
In this episode I celebrate a big milestone moment on my coaching journey. After two years of training and 100+ hours of coaching with over 20 clients I am set to formally complete the ACC credential of the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Read the episode blog post.
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter
- Download the Leading Virtual Teams book
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E29 - Digital Wellbeing and Hybrid Working
This month I am running a short course on Digital Wellbeing and Hybrid Working. Working with the wonderful team at the University of Oxford IT Learning Centre is a rewarding experience, and with the support of Emma Procter-Legg, their Digital Skills Service Manager, the whole process has been seamless from start to finish 🙂
It’s been a welcome creative challenge to translate insights from leading virtual teams and hybrid working into the context of digital wellbeing, and in particular into a course format. Now that the course dates are coming closer, here is a bit of a preview of what the course is all about, and my hopes for what participants will get out of it.
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter
- Download the Leading Virtual Teams book
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E28 - 4 months into re-inventing Mondays
Time has flown by. It feels like only a moment ago that I was blogging about being 3 months into my career transition… and here we are, having passed the four month mark. Looking back at my previous posts on this topic has inspired me to share some updates about how things are going, how much my efforts to re-invent Mondays are bearing fruit and how free-lance life is treating me. In case you missed them, here are quick links to previous posts on this topic:
- Celebrating a month of free-lance life
- Re-inventing Mondays… 2 months in
- Sunrise blogging – career transition 3 months in
- Re-inventing Mondays... 4 months in
Podcast episodes about my fresh start:
- S03E23 – Career transition reflection – 3 months in
- S03E20 – Beach/life balance
- S03E17 – Checking in with Re-inventing Mondays
- S03E14 – Celebrating a month of free-lance life
- S03E10 – Bonus Episode: Gold dust and debris
- S03E06 – Re-inventing Mondays
S03E27 - River Taff Meditations... and the joy of working radio
At the start of the year, I shared my intention to find more joy in music and radio. Music is a great way to brighten up busy days, especially at this time of year. The days are long and grey, the sun is only slowly making a return to early mornings and evening after work. I don't know about you, but I can use every bright spot I can find just now.
Tunes in this episode:
- Ola by Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18
- Tower by Future Islands
- If Tomorrow Starts Without Me by Bill Rhyder Jones
Read the episode blog post.
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter
- Download the Leading Virtual Teams book
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E26 - Coaching approaches for hybrid leaders
In this episode I share resources for leaders looking to develop their skills in leading difficult conversations. Whether you are based at home full-time or seeing colleagues a few days a week, making the right time and space can be challenging in a busy hybrid team, particularly when you are managing performance or personal issues.
Find the books I mention in this blog post.
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter
- Download the Leading Virtual Teams book
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E25 - My personal vault. Or what I learnt from a decade of progress tracking
I made a fun discovery this week: It’s now been over ten years since I started this list of things I have done. Wow! I had no idea it had been that long, and seeing those entries from 2013 made me pause and reflect on the habit of keeping the list, a decade in the making. On this episode I share why I started tracking my progress in this way, why it's useful for me and tips for starting your own list.
Read the episode blog post.
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter
- Download the Leading Virtual Teams book
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E24 - Reflecting on a day of leadership development for hybrid leaders
It’s been great fun this week to head up to Edinburgh to facilitate an away day for a senior leadership team at the university. In this episode I share a few snippets of what made the day really memorable for me. The focus for the day was all about hybrid working and leading people and projects in a continually changing context, managing the enduring impact of lockdown working alongside emerging policies and priorities.
Over the past year I have run my hybrid working leadership course, inspired by my book on leading virtual teams and coaching tools I have developed to support these offerings and it was great to see a lot of elements from these activities come together into one packed day of leadership development.
I had quite a few requests from folk elsewhere who are interested in hosting a day like this at their institution or take part in an online version. If you’d like to be added to the waiting list for that, get in touch.
Read the episode blog post.
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter
- Download the Leading Virtual Teams book
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E23 - Career transition reflection - 3 months in
Mentioned in this episode:
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter
- Download the Leading Virtual Teams book
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E22 - Jump starting 2024 with Reading and Radio
Mentioned in this episode:
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Subscribe to my free monthly newsletter
- Download the Leading Virtual Teams book
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E21 - Podcasting about blogging about blogging
A festive special and the final episode of 2023 with special guest Martin Weller in which we talk about blogging (about blogging).
Mentioned in this episode:
- Martin's keynote Social Media as festive metaphors
- Martin's social media as festive metaphor generator
- Maren's 2023 blog post about blogging
S03E21 - Holiday 'reflect-along': Hybrid Working Wheel
According to Spotify Wrapped, the most popular episode of my podcast for the year is this one, about the Hybrid Working Wheel. If you haven't come across this before, have a quick look at this blog post from last yearn which provides a bit of background. Simply put, I adapted a popular coaching tool for reflection, the Wheel of Life, for hybrid working.
The purpose of the tool is to help you reflect on different aspects of how you work, including your working environment at home, at the office or on campus, communication & collaboration as well as social interaction and wellbeing.
One of the questions I get asked the most is how to reflect in practice. Many of us find it difficult to sit down with a blank piece of paper and jump straight into focused reflection.
Hence, in this podcast episode, I offer you the opportunity to see how the tool is used in practice and to reflect along with me as we progress through the episode. Let's have a bit of fun at the end of the year, and try out something a little different. Use this episode to "reflect along" with me as part of your run up to the holidays (and hopefully a well deserved break!) or as you prepare to begin the new year.
I have made an updated template especially for this reflect-along episode, and you are welcome to use this if you'd like to jot down your own scores and notes.
S03E20 - Beach/life balance
In this bonus episode I share an update on my efforts to re-invent my working life, 2 months in.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Working Identity - Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing your Career by Herminia Ibarra
S03E19 - A year after publication: Leading Virtual Teams
A year ago my book Leading Virtual Teams was published, and I can very clearly remember all the wonderful excitement that led up to the launch, and am still grateful for all the encouragement for this Open Access publication.
A year on, and the book, which was initially inspired by the work Martin Hawksey and I did at ALT, has turned into a whole host of resources, two free courses and a podcast which informs my wider work on hybrid working leadership development and coaching.
To celebrate the milestone, this episode gives a quick overview over what’s happened in 2023 and if you are just discovering the book or my work, this is a great place to start.
Read the episode blog post.
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
- My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
S03E18 - Stepping Away from the screen
This week I am joining the university in Oxford online for a lunchtime digital skills development session. The talk is structured as a pick and mix offering, in which I share different strategies, resources and tips about hybrid working. I have included ideas for individuals to check in with their personal set up, starting with their workspace. I also include activities teams or groups could try out and share some experiences of how these work in practice and why they are valuable. To prompt deeper reflection, the session also has a some elements that support you to think through your relationship with the way you work, technology and what work means to you.
I have recorded this special podcast episode in which I deliver parts of the talk and you can also look at the slides which include all the links and references on the final page.
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
- My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
S03E17 - Checking in with Re-inventing Mondays
In this bonus episode I share a progress update, showing you how I am getting on with re-inventing Mondays, what has de-railed my efforts at times and how I stay on track.
Mentioned in this episode
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
- My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
S03E16 - Leading Virtual Teams Revisited with Special Guest: Martin Hawksey
This week we are going back to the origins of Leading Virtual Teams! Join us, Maren Deepwell and Martin Hawksey, for a special podcast episode where we revisit our long term project blogging about leading virtual teams.
If you'd like to learn more about the topics in this episode, have a look at the dedicated blog post.
Also mentioned in this episode:
- NVIDIA Broadcast 1.4 Adds Eye Contact and Vignette Effects
- Maren's hybrid working course
- The Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
S03E15 - Hybrid Working Habits: Topic 4 - Reduce digital overwhelm
This is part 4 of my free course all about Hybrid Working Habits.
Mentioned in this episode:
This is the final part of the course, so well done if you've made it to this stage :) I hope that along the way you found things to inspire you as well as some practical help.
To conclude the course, this topic is about how to communicate more effectively in ways that works for you and reduce digital overwhelm. Whether you are feeling distracted by constant notifications or unable to find time to focus because of an overflowing inbox, this topic tackles tech overload with a digital detox kit.
We find ways to have screen free time, including meal times and breaks without a phone in hand. We explore how to communicate less often, but more effectively. We also look at how to reduce digital overwhelm whilst being present and (re)gaining control over the tools we use to connect.
S03E14 - Celebrating a month of free-lance life
This bonus episode celebrates my first month in my new free-lance role.
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
- Register for the next course on hybrid working
- My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
S03E13 - Hybrid Working Habits: Topic 3 - Increase productivity away from the screen
This is part 3 of my free course all about Hybrid Working Habits.
Mentioned in this episode:
For many of us the default mode of collaborating virtually is a video call. In my experience very few people have the know-how to make these truly work as collaboration spaces, no matter how good the technology is or how many hours of synchronously working online you cram into your day.
This topic explores how we can increase productivity away from the screen. What would your day or week look like with much fewer meetings but more time to work together? This topic is packed with strategies for communicating and collaborating outside of meetings. And… for those of us that can’t avoid them all together, there are also tips to make collaboration work in video calls. But really, there are much better ways to get things done 🙂
Taking things at your own pace? The course is designed so that you can dip in and out of topics. Go back to topic 1 and topic 2 any time.
S03E12 - Spooky Special with Martin Weller
This is a Spooky Special cross-over episode with Martin Weller and his podcast, Metaphors of EdTech.
Mentioned in this episode
- Re-inventing Mondays blog post
- Hybrid working course
- 25 Years of Ed Tech book
- 25 Years of Ed Tech audiobook project
- Social media diaspora post
- Social media as disco tracks choice post
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
- Register for the next course on hybrid working
- My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
S03E11 - Hybrid Working Habits: Topic 2 - Setting boundaries for a better life/work balance
This is part 2 of my free course all about Hybrid Working Habits.
Mentioned in this episode:
For many of us, hybrid working offers much needed flexibility. It also comes with less impetus to leave your desk and switch off. Less commuting often means less movement and less time outside. Walking down the stairs or into the next room offers no time to mentally transition from work mode to being at home. Being more present at home meanwhile means that anyone from pets to parents blur work/life boundaries.
For this topic, we’ll focus on how to set boundaries for a better life/work balance. We’ll be exploring practical approaches to help you set boundaries and to stick to them, even when things get very busy or the demands of life get louder.
For this topic, I'd encourage you to find a quiet space to listen or to go for a walk. Try to step away from distractions for half an hour.
S03E10 - Bonus Episode: Gold dust and debris
This bonus episode tells the story of my third week in my new free-lance role.
Mentioned in this episode
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
- Register for the next course on hybrid working
- My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
S03E09 - Hybrid Working Habits: Topic 1 - Auditing your hybrid working habits
This is part 1 of my free course all about Hybrid Working Habits.
Mentioned in this episode:
When it comes to working from home, hybrid or fully virtual working the reality is different for everyone. What works for you depends a lot on your individual circumstances at home or at the office, what other commitments you are juggling and your relationship with technology, too. Some of us love the buzz of being constantly connected and others prefer time to focus without interruptions or a mix of both.
In the first part of the course, we'll focus on how to Audit your hybrid working habits. We'll be using different tools to find out your current habits help or hinder your progress and productivity and identify what you want more of in your working life: more collaboration, more quiet time to really focus, more movement or something else.
S03E08 - Bonus Episode: Re-inventing my Week Part 2
Part of this season's special, this bonus episode tells the story of my second week in my new free-lance role.
Mentioned in this episode
Learn more about:
- 1:1 coaching with me
- Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
- Register for the next course on hybrid working
- My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
S03E07 - Re-inventing my week without returning to the office
In this episode I debrief from my first week re-inventing my schedule without returning to the office.
Mentioned in this episode:
Enjoyed the episode? Learn more about:
1:1 coaching with me
Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
Register for the next course on hybrid working
My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
S03E06 - Re-inventing Mondays
Today is an exciting day. It’s the first Monday of the first week in which I am full-time in my new business. Maren Deepwell Coaching & Consultancy is now fully underway. Woohooo! Here is what I got up to, and some tips for starting a new chapter, too.
Find out more in the episode's blog post.
Enjoyed the episode? Learn more about:
1:1 coaching with me
Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
Register for the next course on hybrid working
My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
S03E05 - Two year coach training check-in
It's been two years since I first enrolled in Katie Linder's fabulous Higher Ed Coach Training programme. In this episode I reflect on the journey so far, what I loved about it, what I learnt along the way and how it's improved my work as a coach.
Find out more about Katie's work & training programme.
Enjoyed the episode? Learn more about:
1:1 coaching with me
Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
Register for the next course on hybrid working
My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E04 - The story behind... Hybrid Working Habits
In this episode I share the story of how I came to develop courses about hybrid working, specifically my upcoming course all about how to Change your Hybrid Working Habits. From Germany to London in my art school years, and from Athens to Oxford as my work moved from Art to Anthropology and then Education, this episode sets out what I think is interesting about hybrid and virtual working, why it's important and why now is the time to really find ways of working that work for you.
Find more information about this episode:
What are your hybrid working conundrums? Leave a comment or email me with you questions and problems when it comes to hybrid working, and I'll pick these up in the upcoming episodes.
Enjoyed the episode? Learn more about:
1:1 coaching with me
Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
Register for the next course on hybrid working
My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E03 - Plant pace... houseplant inspired tips for coping with change
I've previously published leadership lessons from office plants and in the same spirit this episode is all about houseplant inspired tips for managing a period of change or transition. It's inspired by my own experience of moving between jobs this month and my adventures in caring for a growing collecting of plants in my home and home office. It's the first time in a long while that I am changing jobs, but the last few years have brought so much uncertainty with them that I feel I have quite a lot of practice of coping with the unexpected. What the last few years have also highlighted for me is how important it is for us to have strategies for periods of transition - and like many I found solace and inspiration in bringing a bit of green indoors.
Enjoyed the episode? Learn more about:
1:1 coaching with me
Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
Register for the next course on hybrid working
My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E02 - Curious about coaching? Find out what to expect, how to prepare and how to make the most of it
The questions I get asked most often by new clients or those considering giving coaching a go, are… ‘What is a coaching session like?’, ‘What should I expect from the first session?’, ‘How should I prepare?’ and also ‘How can I make the most of it?’.
In this episode, I have brought together answers and examples to give you a sense of coaching with me, to explain what’s involved and what to expect.
Enjoyed the episode? Learn more about:
1:1 coaching with me
Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
Register for the next course on hybrid working
My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S03E01 - September's 'new pencil case' moments + Season 3 preview
This episode celebrates the start of September, and the new season or start of term for many of us. I have recently tried out a new gratitude journal share ideas for how to find bright spots in a busy time of year. I also give you a preview of what's in store for season 3 and the upcoming run of the Leading Virtual Teams course in October.
Enjoyed the episode? Learn more about:
1:1 coaching with me
Sign up to my free monthly newsletter
Register for the next course on hybrid working
My Open Access book, Leading Virtual Teams
If you have ideas for future episodes or feedback about the show, get in touch and rate or review the show. Thanks for listening!
S02E21 - Season 2 Best Bits and Thanks!
Since the start of the year and thus the beginning of our second season, many new listeners have started joining and our listening numbers have tripled! A huge thank you for everyone who's listened in, subscribed to the newsletter or read the blog.
In this episode I bring together the best bits of the season before taking a break over the summer ... and the launch of Season 3 this autumn.
In this episode I talk about:
- Top 5 listens on the Leading Virtual Teams podcasts
- The year in blog posts… so far
- Summer coaching inspiration
Season 3 is coming up! Let me know what topics you'd like to see in that season via voice message .
Find out more about:
S02E20 - A moment of celebration
Following on from the previous episode A party without a cake is just a meeting… I share a moment of celebration and reflection. As I look back at the last year I reflect on what I have enjoyed, milestones I have achieved and look back at the past 12 months through photos, reflective prompts and journalling. I also share how I set an intention for the year ahead.
In this episode I share a moment of celebration. Read the blog post https://marendeepwell.com/?p=4108.
If you have missed the previous episode on celebration, head over to the episode blog post.
Find out more about:
S02E19 - Meditation and mindfulness for hybrid and virtual teams
During the recent Mental Health Awareness Week, I looked for new tips and ideas for virtual and hybrid teams keen to embed mindfulness and meditation into their ethos. In this episode I share ideas and practical approaches. You can find more information in the episode blog post
Find out more about:
S02E18 - A party without a cake is just a meeting…
June is my birthday month and inspired by my upcoming celebrations, I thought I’d share some ideas about celebrating occasions like birthdays or milestones at the home office. You may prefer to ignore these all together or not celebrate with work colleagues, and I share some of the reluctance. However, during the pandemic especially, celebrating birthdays became a welcome focus for our virtual team, an excuse to spend an hour or two doing something other than fire fighting. And so, I came to enjoy and value moments of connecting with colleagues and spending time having a few laughs more and more.
Like many people I prefer not to work on my actual birthday, and take a bit of time off. Alongside the time away from work, I make it a point to have some celebration at work, and to share something that I am comfortable to with colleagues as a way to get to know each other a bit better.
In 2020, when I turned 40 having moved to a new city just months before, at the start of lockdown here in the UK, my colleagues organised a surprise birthday party, dropped off by a safely socially distanced colleague who lived close enough to make it both legal and practical to visit me in my garden. We ate cake, with other colleagues joining via video call, and I received lots of small, thoughtful gifts and cards that brought a huge amount of cheer to me during a dark time.
As a manager or a leader it’s especially important I find to spend some time with colleagues informally, and when you are based at home or a hybrid worker, then those opportunities can be few and far between. More often than not, team days or long planned meet ups don’t happen with everyone involved, and although interacting online can feel less connected, it is often more achievable.
In this episode I share some ideas to help make that moment of celebration stand out a little, and create memories. Read the episode blog post.
Find out more about:
S02E17 - How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 6 - Course reflection
This episode is part of my free and flexible course: How to Lead Virtual Teams. Each course topic includes a podcast to listen to, prompts to help you reflect on your practice and inspiration to explore the topic further.
Topic: Course reflection – Setting intentions for your practice
- Listen + reflect: This week, the podcast includes a guided reflective exercise to help you reflect on what you have learnt and how to translate that into practice. You can listen to the episode as usual, or take a more structured approach and bring a notebook and pen to note down your reflections as we go along.
- Explore: Head over to the course page for the dedicated post for this topic which includes links to further reading, tools and resources to explore.
Download the course companion book, Leading Virtual Teams. The book is free to download in different formats and we will use individual chapters from the book throughout the course. For each topic, individual chapters are sign-posted, so you can explore issues particularly relevant to your practice further.
Find out more on the course homepage or head over to my coaching offers for individuals and teams if you are interested in working with me.
S02E16 - How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 5 - Leading team activities
This episode is part of my free and flexible course: How to Lead Virtual Teams. Each course topic includes a podcast to listen to, prompts to help you reflect on your practice and inspiration to explore the topic further.
Topic: Leading Team Activities
- Listen: In this episode we focus on practical activities to foster a positive culture for hybrid and virtual teams. We'll explore a number of examples of online and blended activities and 'hacks' and consider how to meaningfully reward and motivate your team. For this topic, we'll be referring to examples from Chapter 2 and 3 of Leading Virtual Teams.
- Reflect: Setting aside some time to reflect will help you develop your critical, analytical and reflective skills as a leader or manager. For this topic, the prompts are: What would work for your team? Why would it work? What barriers do you have to work within (such as cost, institutional protocol, technical limitations etc). What would you want to achieve?
- Explore: Head over to the course page for the dedicated post for this topic which includes links to further reading, tools and resources to explore.
Download the course companion book, Leading Virtual Teams. The book is free to download in different formats and we will use individual chapters from the book throughout the course. For each topic, individual chapters are sign-posted, so you can explore issues particularly relevant to your practice further.
Find out more on the course homepage or head over to my coaching offers for individuals and teams if you are interested in working with me.
S02E15 - How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 4 - Fostering a shared team culture
This episode is part of my free and flexible course: How to Lead Virtual Teams. Each course topic includes a podcast to listen to, prompts to help you reflect on your practice and inspiration to explore the topic further.
Topic: Fostering a shared team culture
- Listen: Working in innovative ways, as virtual and hybrid teams, offers us the opportunity to re-imagine how work and what our day to day feels like. In this episode, I’ll be discussing ways of fostering a shared team culture. Simply put, we’ll be exploring the question ‘What do you want your team or organisation feel like on a day to day basis?’ and how do you achieve that. For this topic, we’ll be referring mainly to examples from Chapter 2 of Leading Virtual Teams.
- Reflect: Setting aside some time to reflect will help you develop your critical, analytical and reflective skills as a leader or manager. For this topic, the prompts are: How would you describe the team culture? Are there any existing problems or ways of working you are seeking to change? What would you like to see happen? What are the barriers that are stopping you? What experience and skills will help you achieve yours aims?
- Explore: Head over to the course page for the dedicated post for this topic which includes links to further reading, tools and resources to explore.
Download the course companion book, Leading Virtual Teams. The book is free to download in different formats and we will use individual chapters from the book throughout the course. For each topic, individual chapters are sign-posted, so you can explore issues particularly relevant to your practice further.
Find out more on the course homepage or head over to my coaching offers for individuals and teams if you are interested in working with me.
S02E14 - How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 3 - Setting shared expectations
This episode is part of my free and flexible course: How to Lead Virtual Teams. Each course topic includes a podcast to listen to, prompts to help you reflect on your practice and inspiration to explore the topic further.
Topic: Setting shared expectations
- Listen: in this episode we examine how we can set shared expectations with and for the people we work with and how we communicate those expectations. We are going to examine the difference between expectations and lived experience when it comes to work life balance and in the context of collaborating or meeting online. For this topic, we'll be referring to examples from Chapter 1 and 2 of Leading Virtual Teams.
- Reflect: These prompts are designed to help you identify blind spots and open up new ways to think about the way you work. Setting aside some time to reflect helps you develop your critical, analytical and reflective skills as a leader or manager: How do you communicate your expectations to your team?What do you communicate by example? How does your approach affirm or contradict your expectations? How do your expectations differ for yourself and others?
- Explore: Head over to the course page for the dedicated post for this topic which includes links to further reading, tools and resources to explore.
Download the course companion book, Leading Virtual Teams. The book is free to download in different formats and we will use individual chapters from the book throughout the course. For each topic, individual chapters are sign-posted, so you can explore issues particularly relevant to your practice further.
Find out more on the course homepage or head over to my coaching offers for individuals and teams if you are interested in working with me.
S02E13 - How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 2 - How we work and onboard new colleagues
This episode is part of my free and flexible course: How to Lead Virtual Teams. Each course topic includes a podcast to listen to, prompts to help you reflect on your practice and inspiration to explore the topic further.
Topic: How we work and onboard new colleagues
- Listen: In this second course podcast, we discuss definitions of different ways of working and why it matters to be clear when it comes to the language we use when we talk about how we work. We will also explore how this relates to recruiting staff and onboarding new colleagues. For this topic, we'll be referring on Chapter 1 of Leading Virtual Teams.
- Reflect: Reflecting on what’s important to you is a key skill for leading virtual teams. For this topic, use these definitions of different Modes of Working to reflect on your practice. Again, there is no wrong way of doing this. You can choose to write your thoughts down or you might prefer to simply think about things: What term(s) best describe your mode of working? How would you describe it to someone else? To what degree do the policies in your organisation reflect this practice? What may new colleagues not easily understand about the way you work? What else? What might be difficult for new colleagues to get used to? Why?
- Explore: Head over to the course page for the dedicated post for this topic which includes links to further reading, tools and resources to explore.
Download the course companion book, Leading Virtual Teams. The book is free to download in different formats and we will use individual chapters from the book throughout the course. For each topic, individual chapters are sign-posted, so you can explore issues particularly relevant to your practice further.
Find out more on the course homepage or head over to my coaching offers for individuals and teams if you are interested in working with me.
S02E12 - How to Lead Virtual Teams: Part 1 - Course Orientation
This episode is part of my free and flexible course: How to Lead Virtual Teams. Each course topic includes a podcast to listen to, prompts to help you reflect on your practice and inspiration to explore the topic further.
Topic: Course Orientation
- Listen: In the first course podcast, I introduce the topics of the course and show you how to take part. For the orientation session, we'll be focusing on the introduction chapter of Leading Virtual Teams.
- Reflect: focus on setting an intention for what you want out of this course. There is not wrong way of doing this. You can choose to write your thoughts down or you might prefer to simply think about things. Get started with these prompts: What form of reflection feels easiest to you? What practical constraints do you have? What do you most want from taking part in the course? What is the biggest obstacle to getting that?
- Explore: Head over to the course page for the dedicated post for this topic which includes links to further reading, tools and resources to explore.
Download the course companion book, Leading Virtual Teams. The book is free to download in different formats and we will use individual chapters from the book throughout the course. For each topic, individual chapters are sign-posted, so you can explore issues particularly relevant to your practice further.
Find out more on the course homepage or head over to my coaching offers for individuals and teams if you are interested in working with me.
S02E11 - OER23 Special: What’s so important about open practice for hybrid leaders?
At the moment, a lot of my work is focused on the upcoming OER23 Conference. OER23 is the 14th annual conference for Open Education research, practice and policy is organised by ALT, the Association for Learning Technology, in partnership with UHI, the University of the Highlands and Islands. OER23 will bring together the strong Scottish Open Education movement and international participants to leverage our shared expertise for change in policy and practice. The conference will be co-chaired in partnership with the GO-GN Global OER Graduate Network, connecting emerging researchers and a global perspective with local and national knowledge.
Suffice to say, I am super excited about this event which I have been fortunate enough to help organise since 2015 and which is always a great highlight of my year. This year, I am especially looking forward to heading up to the conference, partly because it’s in one of my favourite parts of the world, the Scottish Highlands, and partly because it will give me a chance to catch up with many friends and colleagues I haven’t seen in a while, including long-time collaborator, Lauren Hanks.
Lauren and I have been talking about hybrid working and leading virtual teams for the past few years, and at least year’s OER Conference we even ran a session together: As leaders of virtual teams, we critically examined what lessons we can learn from open approaches to learning and teaching and how we can use that knowledge in an increasingly virtual workplace. Since then, I have been thinking a lot about why open practice is so important for knowledge workers, and particularly managers and leaders who work in hybrid, distributed or fully virtual team: Read the blog post.
Find out more about:
- Virtual Teams Book
- Free online course starting Spring '23
- Coaching with me
- Resources and blog posts
S02E10 - Library Geek out
I read a lot and going to my local library has been a big part of my life as a child, throughout my school and student years. I was lucky to have access to wonderful libraries first in London and later in Oxford, where I sat in the Radcliffe Camera as I finished writing my PhD.
In this episode I talk about libraries, reading and generally geek out about the joy of books!
Read the first post about this episode... and the second post.
Find out more about:
- Virtual Teams Book
- Free online course starting Spring '23
- Coaching with me
- Resources and blog posts
S02E09 - Tranquility by Tuesday follow up
Read the episode blog post.
Find out more about:
Virtual Teams Book
Free online course starting Spring '23
Coaching with me
Resources and blog posts
S02E08 - Leading Virtual Teams Course Preview
Free taster course: Leading Virtual Teams
If you are looking to develop strategies for managing people and projects in this complex, shifting landscape then this course is for you. This course is designed for emerging and established leaders and managers working in a hybrid or fully virtual setting in education and the not-for-profit sector. We will focus on how to develop effective home/hybrid working strategies for yourself into approaches for managing and leading virtual teams. Whether you are collaborating online on a project, organising distributed volunteers or managing a whole hybrid working department, this course will offer you a unique opportunity to reflect and explore.
Find out more about:
- Virtual Teams Book
- Free online course starting Spring '23
- Coaching with me
- Resources and blog posts
S02E07 - 100 Dreams
I am always on the look out for new tools or resources for coaching, and I want to share this one I recently came across in a blog post by Laura Vanderkam: It’s called a ‘List of 100 Dreams’.
Find out more about:
- Virtual Teams Book
- Free online course starting Spring '23
- Coaching with me
- Resources and blog posts