Still working from home?

Will you, like our team at ICL, require changes to your team dynamic and organizational systems to adapt to working virtually for the rest of 2020?

This summer, we connected with you on social media to share tips and advice for working from home. If you missed a post or just want to revisit some best practices, now you can read all 6 Tips in one place. Each tip includes additional resources and links to help guide you and your team through this time of remote work!

Read ICL’s entire ‘Weekly Words for Working from Home’ series for advice on mastering virtual meetings, balancing work and home life, and optimizing your time as a leader.

 1. Find a balance between work and home life

As you continue your work supporting your community and the environment during these uncertain times, we encourage you to take care of your well-being.

• Create a space in your home that is dedicated to work. When you leave that space, it is easier to switch out of work mode and clear your mind.
• Stick to a schedule. Try to wake up and go to bed at the same time every day
• Take active breaks from the computer screen. Walk your dog or have lunch with your family.
• Eat a healthy lunch – outside if you can!

 Click Here to read more best practices so that you can continue to make the most of working from home.

2. Make sure your team is well adapted and happy

Adaptive leaders know how and when to change their leadership approach to better suit the needs of your staff, colleagues in the field, your board, and your community. Show your team you are still available for personal, real-time conversations. A one-on-one Zoom, Facetime, or a simple phone call shows how committed you are to a mutually beneficial relationship.

Read more about adapting your work to motivate your team:

• Now Is The Time For Adaptive Leadership – ICL
• How To Keep Your Team Motivated Remotely – Harvard Business Review
• 8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees Mental Health – Harvard Business Review

3. Take this opportunity to focus on where your organization has room to grow.

Has working from home changed your organization’s impact? The Strategy Triage Tool can help you visualize which activities should be prioritized and which can take a backseat. Take this time to analyze what your team is doing to help get your organization where it wants to be.

Read more about the Annotated Strategy Triage Tool here: Reimagining Strategy In The Context Of COVID-19 – Center for Community Investment

4. Adapting effective meeting techniques to the virtual world.

Many organizations now use video conferencing as alternatives to in-person meetings. As a leader, you may find yourself in a facilitation role. It is important to have the proper tools in place to make sure these virtual collaborations are mindful of all participants’ time restraints, focused on progressing toward your group’s goals, and conducive to group participation, feedback, and active reflection. You may even find that remote meeting and virtual collaboration techniques bring added enthusiasm to your group discussions!

Read more about techniques for facilitating effective virtual meetings here:

• Mastering Virtual Meetings – Train Your Board
• Training Remotely: A Facilitator’s Guide – Train Your Board
• 7 Tips For Effective Remote Collaboration – ICL

5. Connecting with your audience in a virtual setting. Keys to adaptive leadership!

Leading webinars and trainings from home can create barriers to personal connection, but good leaders must be able to adapt to new circumstances. Here are some ways to connect with your audience in a virtual setting:

• Use icebreakers to foster personal connections
• Set aside time for questions/comments throughout the meeting
• Encourage sharing the microphone
• Utilize the VARK Guide by making content accessible to all kinds of learners: visual, auditory, reading/writing, Click Here to learn more about the VARK Guide

Additional Resource

7 Presentation Tips for Speaking Online in a Virtual World – Gigi Rosenberg

6.  Which remote workspace is best for online collaboration in your organization? Find your ideal platform!

Using a virtual workspace is great for team collaboration and makes it easy for leaders to track group progress. These workspaces have different accommodations, the trick is to find the one that best suits your team and collaborative needs. Prioritize what your team values – communication, creativity, software interaction, or some combination – then narrow down your options.

Here are a few collaborative tools that our staff uses:

• Microsoft Teams
• Mural
• Slack
• Google also has a few workspace functions, like Sticky Notes, & Jamboard!

Learn more about finding your ideal platform here: Best 5 Virtual Workspace Software For Team Communication – Timecamp

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As we all continue to adapt and discover remote work methods that work best for us, ICL here for you as a resource. Please contact us if there is a way we can support you or the groups you serve.