Over the last month we’ve been exploring different skills and practices for virtual professionals. This week’s post focuses in on five people virtual team members need in their network. Given the more autonomous role of the virtual and remote employee, five people virtual team members will want to make sure they have strong relationships with, are:

• Their direct line supervisors - Given that matrix relationships may be more common, it’s likely that the virtual or remote employee is reporting to one, two or more leaders. It  may be someone local, someone on the project, and someone geographically.
• Mentors – An internal or external mentor can help navigate the waters of work and industry. Mentors provide valuable insights and stories about their own experience. They may also be a person you can take specific questions to who you cannot ask anyone else.
• Peers – Having a variety of peers to “go to” virtually is also important. Sharing best practices and resources to do your work more effectively is critical in today’s matrix environment. What are you doing to proactively build connection with other peers you work with?
• Connectors – People who can connect them to the necessary resources and people which will help them be successful. This could be a supervisor, a mentor, or it may be someone else…
• A community network – Remote work can be isolating. Having a local community network can be very important in providing support and an anchor.

Relationships in the virtual space do not “grow on their own” and earmarking time to have conversation can be important. It’s when we don’t have the answers that we realize we don’t know who to turn to. If you are new to a team, ask others, “Who else would you recommend I connect with?”. You’ll usually get a range of answers. Then the challenge becomes, when do you fit it in? Schedule a virtual coffee to meet others on a regular basis. All meetings don’t have to happen in your first few weeks!

Best, 
Jennifer

Week 18 Focus – Projects – Partnerships (RACSI)
Focus Question: We usually don’t operate in isolation. Who do you want to/need to liaise with to ensure successful projects and activities?

​Description
Partnerships are essential for coaches, virtual professionals and others. For most of us, we interface regularly with external partners and stakeholders, who are often located in some distance away from us.

As virtual and service-based businesses, we may create a wide variety of partnerships in our work. We don’t always do it alone. As soon as we expand our work to others, it can be useful to think about what partnerships look like.

From co-coaching, to Joint Ventures, bringing on sub-contractors to co-designing programs. What can partnerships look like for you?

Given that we are interfacing with different stakeholders around projects at any given time, it can be useful to think about how different stakeholders need to be updated and “kept in the loop”. 

Research/Story/Six Questions
Who are the partners you want to keep in the loop? What are the key tasks and responsibilities?

One of the more common frameworks for stakeholder engagement is the RACSI. RACSI stands for:
R – Responsible
A – Accountable
C – Consulted
S - Support
I – Informed.
Let’s look at each one in turn.
Responsible = person or role responsible for actually doing or completing the item. Who needs to do the work? This might be the team leader who has to gather the expense information in the new format and submit it.
Accountable = The person who is accountable is usually the person responsible for undertaking the task. Who has ownership of this? Typically, the "responsible one" is accountable to this person.   The accountable person might be the General Manager, the Team Leader's boss.
Consult = the person or role whose subject matter expertise is required in order to complete the item. Consulted - Who needs to be involved and asked for input? Those consulted may involve other team leaders who have gone through the change, and team members.
Support = Who needs to support the work? What type of support is required?
Inform = the person or role that needs to be kept informed of the status of item completion Who needs to be told about the change or informed along the way? Individuals who are not part of teams may need to be informed so they know what changes are happening.

The value of reflecting on a RACSI for each project is that it helps you consider who you want to involve and keep in the loop. Projects sometimes are not successful when they have not engaged different players or stakeholders appropriately.

Activity
Consider one of your upcoming initiatives/ programs/projects. Who are the key stakeholders? Who is responsible? Who needs to support? Who needs to be consulted? Who needs to be informed?

Connection to the Workbook and Planner
Any time we bring shareholders on or work closely with a community, or membership site, it can be important to be focusing on the RACSI, as we consider how to communicate our messages.

Great partnerships are usually co-designed with intentionality. To help guide you through these conversations, I share a variety of questions to consider at different times of the partnership journey – pre-design, during design, during implementation and after the project.

Be sure to also download the Co-Facilitation Chapter. This link is found on page 93 of PlanDoTrack and page 89 of the Coaching Business Builder.
​
Leverage the tools including the Partnership Questions on Pages 93 and 94 of the PlanDoTrack or pages 89 and 90 of the Coaching Business Builder.
 
Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here.

Best wishes, 
Jennifer

Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track

“It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.” – NAPOLEON HILL
​
No person operates alone. Relationships are key to our success in business. Our customers can be great advocates of our work. Likewise, fellow professionals may also be a powerful source in sharing the word and testimonial of our work.
What time are you dedicating to building, and maintaining, relationships with others?
​
There are several tools included in the Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack Workbook and Planner (for virtual professionals and remote/virtual teams) to help you focus on relationships. From the Top 20 list, to exploring collaboration more intentionally, I hope that you will put more of a focus on relationships this year.
Be sure to check out related posts on relationships and business in February 2019 at the Coaching Business Builder blog, as well as relationships and virtual business/teams at the Teams365 blog. 

Best,
​Jennifer

Week 11 Focus – Enabler: Habits
Focus Question: What are the habits shaping your work?

Description
Habits are things that we undertake, almost subconsciously, to the point of sometimes not even being aware of them. As repetitive actions, habits are a powerful force, in shaping our work and business.

Story
At the beginning of each year, I find that conversation starts to flow towards dialogue around habits with my coaching clients. Perhaps this is because it’s time for a new year, or maybe because it’s a clean slate.

Here’s what I wrote about habits at the Teams365 blog,

“Habits and practices are things we do automatically, sometimes unconsciously, because they have come so ingrained. There are many schools of thought that create a link between habits and success. That habits lead to success.”
As the tagline in the Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack asserts:

Daily Steps + Consistent Action = Momentum

Habits play a key role in shaping our regular actions. Habits are things we do automatically, and if we are able to instill regular go-to activities that can help us move forward, it can support automation of tasks and activities.
​
As you consider your current goals and priorities:
1. What will help you be successful this year?
2. What are the consistent behaviors and actions you want to or need to undertake to move you towards your goals?
3. What could amplify, or magnify, those goals?
4. What's missing that could make a difference?
5. What small shifts would make a new ripple?
6. What does consistency mean for you around habits?
7. What could get in the way?
8. What is going to remind you about your commitment to your goals?
9. What do you notice about how your mindset is influencing your habits?
10. What is becoming automatic for you OR what needs to become automatic for you in your successful pursuit towards your goal.”
(Source: https://www.potentialsrealized.com/teams-365-blog/teams365-1466-2018-kickstart-day-5-of-8-habits-and-practices-to-move-you-towards-your-goals)

Activity
Make a list of the top 5-10 habits that shape your work as a business owner, solopreneur or remote worker. What are the things you consistently do, no matter what?

As part of the iceberg in Section 1 of the Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack, you are invited to review pages 25 and 27 to identify your habits in work. Consider how they are helping and how they are hindering you.
​
What are the changes you want to make in service to your goals?

Connection to the Workbook and Planner
Complete pages 25 and 27 in both the Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack, to identify your habits in work, and how they are helping and how they are hindering you.

Download a one-page copy of this week's 52 Weeks of Plan, Do and Track here.

Best wishes, 
Jennifer

Read and download the initial weeks of the 52 weeks of Plan, Do and Track

“Accountability is a statement of personal promise, both to yourself and to the people around you, to deliver specific defined results.” Brian Dive, The Accountable Leader

As you consider your current projects and goals – what does accountability mean? Who is going to do what? When? And How?
​
Accountability can take many forms in today’s work space but still comes back to the basics – who is going to do what, when, and  where.

There are many different accountability frameworks and structures. From automatic tracers which give you reminders and prizes for achieving what you have set out for, to peer groups (see last week’s Mastermind post) which hold you accountable for what you said you would do.
​
As virtual teams, accountability is important and may include portals and dashboards where people can keep each other updated and “in the loop”.

Accountability is part of a high-performance landscape – organizations and teams which are great at getting results usually have a clear sense of what kind of accountability is going to work best.

Take a look at this article for more on accountability  - 12 Keys to a More Effective Accountability Strategy.

Wishing you the best,
Jennifer