Our thought leadership in blogs and podcasts

Leading Web Meetings? Learn the Darned Program!

You can't get the most from webmeetings and webinars if you are so worried about the technology that you can't focus on your objective. Learn the platform and you'd be amazed what they can do.
Build a (Mostly) Fail-Safe Emergency Plan For Your Team

Waiting for a disaster to put a team crisis plan in place is asking for trouble. One of the industry's leading experts offers tips on how to prepare your remote team for a crisis.
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #270 Crisis Management for Managers Neil Chapman

Today Wayne Turmel talks about something we all need to know and hope never to use- how to handle our teams and ourselves in a crisis. Neil Chapman is the expert on the subject, having been in the center of the BP/Deep Water Horizon spill for the past year. You’ll learn a lot. Plus we quote Winnie the Pooh and a Canadian Heroine, which means no one’s heard of her.

Don’t forget great webinar workshops available from GreatWebMeetings.com each month!
Managers Need to Ignite Their Remote Leadership Capability

Leading remote teams is a core competency for managers today. Staying positive and connected isn't easy. Tips for rekindling your-- and you're team's attitude.
Having a Team Communication Plan is Great- Making It Work Is Something Else

Just as no battle plan survives the first contact with the enemy, your team's communication plan needs to be tested, tweaked and even scrapped if your team is to thrive.
Brainstorming and Mindmapping Remotely Isn't Easy, But It's Worth The Trouble

New tools make leveraging the brainpower of your remote people possible, but it won't happen by accident- it takes careful planning and good facilitation skills. Are you up to it?
The 6 Hardest Lessons Virtual Teams Have to Learn

New research shows 6 key lessons virtual teams and their leaders need to learn if they're going to be successful. You could learn the the hard way, but why?
The Cranky Middle Manager #269 Virtual Team Success Darleen DeRosa

Today Wayne Turmel is joined by Darleen DeRosa, co-author of Virtual Team Success: A Practical Guide for Working and Leadin
Virtual Meetings Are Like Broccoli: 8 Tips for Better Virtual Project Meetings

You know you need to eat your veggies but there's always an excuse. You also know you need to plan and execute good virtual meetings. Here are 8 things you know but often don't bother to do.
Snowpocalypse Strategy: Don't Wimp Out. Do Test Your Remote Work Policy

Pa. Governor Rendell thinks we're a nation of wimps. But snowfalls this big give you an opportunity to flex your remote-work muscleÃ¢â¬âand keep productivity up.
Salesforce.com Buys Dimdim: Is Anyone Planning to Train Those Salespeople?

Salesforce.com has bought the online presentation tool Dimdim. This means online presentations have become a mainstream skill for today's sales professional. It doesn't mean they can do them worth...
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #268 Built on Values Ann Rhoades

Today Wayne Turmel talks to author Ann Rhoades about her new book: “Built on Values, Creating an Enviable Culture That Outperforms the Competition”. Can you consciously create a culture or is it someth
Don't Let "Post-Holiday" Letdown Threaten Your Remote Team

If you think post-holiday letdown is only for kids, you're not thinking about how it impacts your remote employees. Tips for strengthening relationships for the start of a new year.
4 Pitfalls of Remote Teams- What to Watch For

One of the biggest challenges for managers of remote teams is striking the balance between micro-managing (trying to see and know everything that's happening at every moment) and not monitoring...
Does Having Remote Workers Cost or Save Money? How Do You Know?

Remote teams are often put together to save money- but your metrics might not tell you the whole story. Are you measuring output as well as bottom line costs?
The Cranky Middle Manager Show #267 Radical Management with Steve Denning

Okay, after 267 shows the term “radical” might be a bit of a stretch, but what WOULD be radical is if we actually acted on what we know needs to happen. As managers it’s our job but it ain’t easy. We talk to Steven Denning, author of “The Leader’s Guide to Radical Management: Reinventing the Workplace For the 21st Century”. Oh, and we look at what happens when you try to get radical and don’t follow through like poor Alexander Kerensky and we get a quote from Mark Twain.
How "The Hype Cycle" Explains How We Adopt Technology (Or Not)

If you've ever been part of a technology roll-out that fizzled, you know how expensive and frustrating it can be. You have carefully chosen a vendor, made a big splashy announcement, (maybe) made...