Power Teams Beyond Borders

How to Work Remotely and Build Powerful Virtual Teams

Peter Ivanov

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781119762997
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Commerce
• Subtopic: Management

Empower your virtual and remote teams with this comprehensive and timely new resource

Power Teams Beyond Borders: How to Work Remotely and Build Powerful Virtual Teams shows readers how to unlock the potential of their remote and online teams. Full of actionable advice and concrete strategies, celebrated consultant and author Peter Ivanov offers virtual leaders practical guidance on how to create and sustain online engagement across multiple time zones and cultures.

The book includes step-by-step advice on areas like:

• How to build trust and clarity without meeting in person
• How to establish structure in communications and avoid confusion
• How to make the most of your team members' unique talents in a global setting
• How to use the technique of "over-communication" to ensure your team members remain fully informed

Perfect for anyone who's expected to lead in an online or virtual environment, Power Teams Beyond Borders also belongs on the bookshelves of everyone who hopes to deliver results in an environment that includes remote teamwork.

PART I
Building Trust and Clarity: Discovering, Dreaming and Goal‐Setting

‘A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.’

John Lennon

1
From Failure to Amazing Success in Global Teams

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Adam stirs slightly as the dim light of a new day tries its best to break through the fabric of the bedroom curtains. His mind tries to cling to the last strands of his sleep, but he knows that he can't sink back into a deep slumber. Slowly, carefully so as not to wake his wife Rose, he rolls over onto his right side and gropes blindly for the alarm clock.

Through half‐closed eyes he sees the blue lines marking out the time: 5:50. At 6:00 a.m. his alarm will start to beep. He sighs, resigning himself to getting out from under the covers. As he stretches and starts to wake his body up, he feels his muscles contracting. They're aching a little after his gym session last night. With a slight groan, he eases himself up to sitting and turns the alarm off. A yawn and a stretch accompanied by some clicks in his body reminds him, once again, that while he's strong for 48 he's not as young as he used to be.

He stands and pads slowly across to the bathroom, flicking on the light and shutting the door behind him. Adam goes through the usual morning rituals. He cleans his teeth, showers, shaves and throws on some aftershave. Wrapped in a towel he makes his way into the bedroom to find Rose is up and has gone downstairs. He dresses for work and gets ready to join his family for breakfast. He can hear the gentle hubbub of his daughter and wife talking in the kitchen.

Adam walks into the kitchen and kisses Rose on the cheek as he passes her to get a cup of coffee. He's barely sat down at the table when Georgia, his daughter, has fixed him with an accusing stare. ‘Who bought cheese wrapped in plastic again?’ she asks, barely giving anyone a chance to answer. ‘How many times do I have to say this? There is going to be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050, we all have to do our part to change that. Not to mention all the seabirds, dolphins and whales that die each year because they eat plastic. It's disgusting.’

Adam holds his daughter's gaze, trying his best not to erupt and to be reasonable in the face of such an outburst at the breakfast table. ‘Look Georgia, I picked up some cheese on my way home from the gym last night. They only had cheese wrapped in plastic. What am I supposed to do? Leave the fridge and cupboard bare for breakfast? Then you'd be complaining you had nothing to eat. One piece of cheese wrapped in plastic isn't going to make a big difference.’

‘That's what everyone thinks, and that's why this planet is slowly choking on plastic,’ Georgia fires back. ‘It's alright for you, but it's my generation who won't have a planet to live on in 50 years. You just exploit the Earth, working in fossil fuels without a care for what it means for the future.’ With her eyes burning, Georgia leaves the room before Adam has a chance to respond.

He lets out an audible sigh. Rose reaches across and touches his arm. ‘You know how passionate she is about this,’ she says in a conciliatory tone. ‘Well it wouldn't hurt her to acknowledge how hard I work to put a roof over her head and food on the table,’ Adam replies. ‘I know, I'll talk to her. She needs to be respectful, even if she doesn't agree with you,’ Rose smiles. ‘Now, what would you like for breakfast?’

‘I think I'll skip breakfast,’ Adam says, taking one last sip of his coffee. ‘I'll see you later, have a good day.’ He gives Rose his best smile as he stands and walks into the hall, but inside he's still angry. He knows his job is far from perfect and he knows that Georgia would much rather he worked in a more, as she puts it, ‘responsible’ industry. But this is where life has led him. Adam is still thinking about Georgia's remarks when he sits down at his desk half an hour later.

He makes himself a fresh cup of coffee while his computer whirrs into life. The email at the top of his inbox is titled: Confidential. Without entirely knowing why, Adam feels nervous as he opens it. He has to read it through three times before the contents sink in. The gist of it is that they're closing his location because of competition and disruption in the renewable energy sector.

Adam almost laughs in spite of himself. This should make Georgia happy at least, he thinks. But then he focuses on the rest of the email. He has two options: take redundancy or relocate to Kuala Lumpur.

The more he reads the email, the angrier he becomes. He's given years of his life to this company, and those are the only two options they can find for him? His breathing has quickened and he realises he's clenching his fists. He slams one down on the desk, spilling a little coffee. Why the hell have I put so much effort in if this is how I'm going to be treated?

He takes a deep breath and stands up from his desk, pushing his chair back a little harder than he meant to and feeling a little satisfaction at the sound of the backrest hitting the wall. He walks out of his office to go and see Dave, who's been with the company a little longer than he has. Maybe he'll have better news?

As Adam approaches Dave, he looks up from his computer and gives him a wan smile. ‘I take it you got the email too?’ Dave says. ‘Yep!’ Adam replies. ‘Where did this come from Dave? It feels like a bolt from the blue…’ ‘Well, I guess the writing's been on the wall for a while if you think about it. We've all known renewables were on the up and disruption is disruption. If you're not going to jump on the bandwagon there aren't many options left.’

Adam can't help but admire how pragmatic Dave is being about all of this. ‘Are you moving to KL?’ he asks. Dave shakes his head, ‘I don't think so. I mean I'll think about it, but I've been thinking about having a change and getting into the renewable energy sector for a few years, so this might just be the push I need, either to go out on my own or to join another company. What are you thinking?’

Adam lets out a sigh. ‘Well, I mean, I don't know. I've given 20 years to this company, you know? I'll need to talk to Rose about it. I mean, she's got her coaching business, and then there's Georgia and her schooling. KL could be a good opportunity, but, like you say, maybe this is a nudge to move in a new direction.’

By the time he's walking away from Dave's desk, Adam feels calmer. Dave always does look for the positives in a situation and that was what he needed today, to feel as though there were other options. He hadn't considered moving into renewable energy, despite Georgia's best efforts to convince him in recent months, but now, maybe, just maybe…

He doesn't have time for more contemplation though, as he has a video call in, he glances at his watch, in five minutes. He rushes back to his desk, composes himself and gets on with his day. The morning flies by and it's 2pm before he's able to step out for lunch.

As soon as he leaves the office, his thoughts hit him like a speeding train. As he walks his mind flicks between the two scenarios: move to KL with this company, stay in this job and uproot his family, or take the leap of faith into the renewables sector and do something new, something different. His mind keeps returning to Georgia's comments. This is a chance to do something good for future generations. But it's terrifying to take that step at this stage in his career. Is he just being idealistic? Adam can't quite tell. There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity, he thinks.

Suddenly, he realises how hungry he is and ducks into a nearby takeaway. As he stands waiting to order, he scans the menu. Having skipped breakfast, he's now starving. A burger feels like a good idea, but his eyes drift down the menu and pause on a veggie burger. He knows which Georgia would choose. He's lost in thought and is pulled back to reality by the person behind the counter saying, ‘Excuse me, sir, what can I get you?’ He smiles, ‘I'll have the veggie burger please.’

He collects his burger from the counter and strolls out into the sunshine, making a beeline for the nearest park. Adam finds a bench and settles down, feeling the sun on his face and noticing the breeze in the trees. As he takes a bite of the burger, he starts to realise the possibilities that lie before him. But it's still a big decision to make, and he's not quite ready to take the leap of faith just yet. Maybe he could move to KL? Maybe Rose and Georgia could be happy there?

Walking back to the office, Adam decides he'll apologise to Georgia when he gets home, and then break the news of his impending redundancy, or relocation to KL, to Rose. That's going to be an interesting conversation.

Suddenly he remembers Kaito, a Japanese scientist who he met at an energy conference a few years before. They sat next to each other during a seminar ...