The Art of Working Remotely

explained that an excess of any of these most common emotions (joy, anger, anxiety, overthinking, grief, fear and fright) could cause dis-ease in the body. That spelling is intentional: dis-ease representing a lack of feeling of ease or well-being, as well as potential illness. Rather than holding strong emotions in and allowing them to create tension and illness, my acupuncturist talked about methods for releasing them in traditional Chinese medicine:
• physical expression (exercise, acupuncture, tai chi)
• mental/emotional expression (writing, talking about feelings, therapy)

Things will always change, regardless of your industry. I found out very early in my career that things never remain constant. Managers come and go. Policies change. Companies buy and integrate other companies. Technologies rise and fall in popularity. Change is inevitable! The important part is how you react to it. Some changes are unsavory, and you might rail against them and rally the troops. You must simply embrace other changes the best you can.

t’s tough to be visible when you’re remote. You have to be a passionate advocate for yourself. It’s the only way to counter the “out of sight, out of mind” realities that remote work reinforces.

Get to know the people on your team beyond a purely professional level. What motivates them? What are their concerns? Knowing the whole person will help you more effectively lead them.

Be friendly and approachable. Your team should feel free to share opinions without fearing consequences. They should share personal details and discover, with delight, that they’re not alone. They can realize that their manager has fears, hopes and dreams ... like they do.

Don’t take credit for their work! You may be the manager, and may have helped create the climate for your team to work, but they actually did it. Didn't people lift you up and give you opportunities to be visible earlier in your career? It’s time to pay it forward.

Management is like conducting an orchestra. As the conductor, you should know the music and the players inside and out. You should be able to point to a section (oboes, trumpets, percussion) and know what they’re supposed to be doing. However, when a composition could be better, conductors don't abandon their perch. You don't see them rush into a section and start playing along (or worse, replacing a musician). Don’t micromanage. Trust your team to do the right thing and give them the tools to do it.

Remote workers must be good writers. After all, most of our interactions are virtual! Written communication is prevalent, persistent, and therefore important. How many of these do you interact with daily? Emails, instant messaging, business requirements, Slack updates, wiki pages, trouble tickets, and texting threads. We’ve all been on the receiving end of bad communication. Poorly organized thoughts can be amplified by the wrong words.

Multitasking is the mother of all distractions.

Search for “Carla Harris” at ted.com and check out her talk titled “How to find the person who can help you get ahead at work.”