Introduction xiii
How I learned to Develop Virtual Power Teams xvi
2020: The Tipping Point for Global Change? xvii
Part I: Building Trust and Clarity: Discovering, Dreaming and Goal-Setting 1
1 From Failure to Amazing Success in Global Teams 3
What Causes Global Teams to Fail? 9
What Do All High-Performing Teams Have in Common? 10
Establishing Your Foundation 14
2 Personality in Focus 17
How to Start Building Trust in Your Team 21
The Importance of Empowerment 23
3 The Strengths Matrix 27
How to Uncover People’s Natural Strengths 34
How this Works in Practice 36
Why Personality in Focus and the Strengths Matrix is a Magic Combination 37
How to Create a Team Vision 38
4 Interdependent Goals 41
Start by Defining the Hottest Issues for your Team 46
The Thinking Behind Smart Goals 48
Creating Smart Goals 50
Name your Team 51
Developing your Strategic Roadmap 51
Sharing Responsibility 52
Getting the Best from your Team 52
Part II: Establishing Structured Communication: Active Collaboration and Coopetition 55
5 How Everyone Can Contribute and Shine 57
How to Maintain Engagement in your Regular Team Meetings 67
Always Have an Agenda 68
Change the Format Once a Month 68
Allow People to Ask Questions 69
The importance of Time Management 69
Making Time for Personal and Professional 70
Don’t Have Too Many Meetings 71
How Often Should Virtual Teams Meet in Person? 71
Setting the Agenda for an Annual Meeting 72
6 Bridging Time Zones and Knowledge Management 75
Finding the Optimum Time for Meetings 81
Coping with Language Barriers 82
How to Deal with Challenging Accents
(And Make Sure Everyone is Understood) 83
Agree on a Channel for Urgent Communication 85
Knowledge Management 86
Encourage People to Join a Community 88
Build Regional Zonal Communities 89
Best Practice for Online Communication 90
7 Regular Feedback 93
How to Structure a Performance Feedback Session 98
Learn the Difference Between the Development Plan and Performance Feedback 99
Why is this so Important in Virtual Teams? 100
Practice Generous Listening 101
Use the Magic Words 102
Speak About Possibilities 102
Tips for Sharing Team Feedback 103
The Formula for a Virtual Power Team 105
Key Takeaways on Feedback 106
8 Cross-Company Cooperation and Coopetition 107
An Evolving Environment 111
How to Build Trust 111
The Need for a Collaboration Agenda 112
Structured Communication is Essential 112
Finding your Optimal Culture 113
Don’t Forget Personality 114
Defining Intra-Organisational and Inter-Organisational Coopetition 114
Where Does Inter-Organisational Coopetition Come From? 115
Where Does Coopetition Lead? 115
Why you Should Explore Cross-Company Coopetition 116
High-Profile Examples of Coopetition 117
How to Establish your Win-Win 118
Developing the Right Mindset for Coopetition 119
Part III: Uniting Global Teams: Leveraging Global Community 121
9 Praise, Praise, Praise 123
What Qualities do you Need to Stay Motivated When Working Virtually? 129
How to Motivate and Retain Key Team Members When you Work Remotely 130
How to Make Decisions in Hybrid Teams 133
10 Building the Optimal Team Culture 135
Case Study 139
The Leadership Scale 142
Tips For Leaders To Adjust Their Leadership Style 144
The Four Levels of Meetings 145
Tips for Adjusting Your Decision-Making Process 147
Tips to Adjust to Different Conflict Styles 149
Finding Your Optimal Team Culture 149
11 Establishing a Winning Spirit 151
My Team 155
The Early Stages of the Project 155
Taking a Different Approach 156
The Road to Tenerife 157
The Outcome 158
How to Apply This to Your Team 158
What if You Don’t Have the Budget to Be Generous? 159
Use Tangible Tokens 160
Don’t Forget About People’s Families 161
12 Next Generation Leaders 163
Building Virtual Power Teams Under Virtual Power Teams 168
Ways to Develop Next Generation Leaders 169
Top Tips 169
Case Study 170
Virtual Power Family 172
Why it’s Important to Foster Gravity in Your Virtual Family 173
What Can You Learn From Being Part of A Virtual Power Family? 174
Applying These Principles to Long-Distance Relationships 175
Maintaining Global Friendships 176
Connect With Your Parents 176
Co-Living to Be Part of A Community 177
The Importance of Community 178
My Advice for Living and Working Remotely 178
Setting Up Your Virtual Working Environment 179
13 Building Power Communities 183
Case Study: Youth Against AIDS 187
Lessons for a More Remote Future 191
The Importance of Frequent Updates 193
Regular Updates are Essential for
Strengthening Bonds 193
Be Clear On Your ‘Why’ 194
Case Study: Teach For All 195
Empowerment and Trust Building 197
Responding to Any Major Change or Disruption (Including A Pandemic!) 198
Case Study: The Covid-19 Pandemic 198
The Road to Digitalisation 201
Career Visibility When Working Remotely 204
Conclusion 207
Using the 10 Big Rocks to Foster Gravity 207
Focus on Gravity 208
Epilogue 211
Index 215
