Distributed Leadership
No courses are currently scheduled. You can schedule one for your team of 15 or more @ $250/participant (30 hour course). A 3-Hour version is available for $50/person (15 min). Classes for the general public will start in Spring 2025.
Since the iPhone was born in 2007, we have been drifting toward a digital universe where we live more online than in person. In March 2020, everyone on Earth shared the same experience of going into a worldwide lockdown, which sped up the process of going virtual overnight. In the post-pandemic world of today, 27% of U.S. employees work remotely. There are expected to be 36.2 million American employees working remotely by 2025. 40% of remote workers believe they’ve been more productive while working at home than at the office. 16% of U.S. companies are fully remote. (Research by Zippia, The Career Expert, 2023.)
The Wall Street Journal featured an editorial piece on April 25, 2024, by Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., former CEO of IBM, called “Remote Work Is a Leadership Killer.” Mr. Gerstner’s premise is that Remote work kills off leadership because it changes our roles and eliminates in-person mentorship. “One learns how to manage and lead, principally by watching others demonstrate how or how not to do so.” He has a great point about what can be lost as remote work happens now. However, we have lived in a new normal since COVID-19. With every digital transformation, we must rethink how things translate to a virtual workplace. How do we rethink leadership if the hybrid/remote team is here to stay? Matt Mullenweg of WordPress talked about his formula for remote leadership on the TED stage:
Labels are important. Calling employees “remote” is a negative term that implies they are separate and less valued. Matt likes the term “Distributed Leadership” as employees are not remote but distributed across a larger area, giving the company advantages. It is a plus, not a minus.
Matt agrees that Hybrid meetings and gatherings do not work well. Pick a lane.
Document everything online and communicate always and only online using the appropriate online tools. This will prevent miscommunications from in-person workers to online workers and vice-versa.
In-person team-building get-togethers are imperative for all distributed teams, at least annually and preferably quarterly. Personal touchstones are necessary to build the best teams.
Within a few years, our avatars will take virtual school classes for almost everything. This is already happening in some places. Most of our lives are going virtual. But when I Googled “Remote” or “Hybrid leadership training,” I got no results. That is why I was inspired to create this Distributed Leadership Training Course. I want to use what I have learned, engage students and teams online, and mix it with the best leadership practices.
Covered in this 18-hour course over five 3-hour sessions:
This course aims to help participants gain the knowledge and experience to confidently lead distributed teams for greater impact. Students will obtain the knowledge and skills to increase their capacities in four areas:
LEAD: Leadership, Management, Supervision, Innovation, and Succession Planning
NEED: Evaluation, Vision Planning, CSR, DEI Standards & Practices, Mission-Building
SEED: Communications, Marketing & PR, Strategic Partnership
FEED: Distributed Public Speaking, Pitches and Team Development
Students in teams will develop the following projects:
A Mission Statement
A Logo
A SWOT & Evaluation Tool
A Strategic Vision Plan & Budget
CSR Innovation Strategies
A Slide Presentation
A Live Pitch
A Resource Map
A Team Retreat Plan
An Experience Plan including
A Communications Plan & Policy
Each class is broken into easily digestible chunks interspersed with games, videos, lectures, discussions, group presentations, and constructive feedback. This format is both taught and modeled in developing teams and presenting information. Guest speaker(s), experts in the field, are part of the program.
A 3-hour version is available for the highlights of the class in a condensed form.
The class takes place on Zoom and includes great handouts, including a Syllabus, Vision Plan template, Budget Evaluation Guide, SWOT template, Speaking Tricks and Tips, Teambuilding/Ice-Breaker Games, Disciplinary Procedures, Mediation Guide, Roberts Rules Cheat Sheet, Sample Employee Evaluation, and a Certificate suitable for framing.
Students in teams will develop the following projects: a mission statement, logo, SWOT and evaluation tool, strategic vision plan and budget, CSR innovation strategies, slide presentation, live pitch, resource map, team retreat plan, and communications plan and policy.
