Technology has changed the way we work, think, and even play. Since the economic downturn, many businesses have sought out ways to reduce costs using technology as well as reducing certain forms of overhead. Add on top the ability to hire someone around the world to work while you sleep and you have an enticing opportunity to manage a virtual team. Sounds easy, right? Its not as easy as you’d think. Consider the problems of consistency, vision, and the need to communicate directly. Here are some common problems with managing a virtual team and what you can do about it.

1. Distance and Meetings. The question really is, how often should I meet in a face to face meeting? There has been a lot of research on this, and the answer is…it depends. If your team is relatively new, more often is better. If there are multiple tasks at hand, or if the tasks are very complex, suggesting that guidance is critical to insuring overall success, more frequent face to face meetings are important. A critical component to face to face meetings means planning them out. Each individual involved should be able to count on the time and frequency so as to plan accordingly. Nothing worse than a surprise meeting. By the way, face to face meetings may mean using Skype, iChat, Google Hangout, etc. Each of these can do the trick, but again, it depends on the type of work.
2. What technology should I use? Again it depends on what you’re doing, how you’re managing, and so on; however, here are couple to things to consider: (a) Keep it simple, (b) Choose reliable service (nothing worse than scheduling a virtual meeting and no one can access it, and (c) Make it accessible to all who need to access it.
3. Coordination of Tasks. How do I make sure everyone is doing what they should? And even more important, how do I prevent bottlenecks? Because virtual teams usually do not know what each other are doing, what they overall objective is, etc., it’s easy to have a breakdown of communication and miss a deadline. The key is this: communicate with each member to insure each knows their part and then, at least weekly (and more frequently if a highly complex task is required), have a group (or virtual group) meeting to discuss tasks at hand, what has not happened, what has changed, and any other pertinent information. This will be the life or death of a virtual team. Forget this and you’ll become frantic and wonder what just happened!

Let us know if we can help!

Based on the Blog:  Mortensen, M & O'Leary, M. (2012). Managing a Virtual Team [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/04/how_to_manage_a_virtual_team.html?awid=8211852297013117554-3271 Photo Source: http://www.roederconsulting.com/projectmanagementvirtualteams.php 

Ever wonder how to market your company on a grand scale? Here’s a thought. What if you changed a building in to your brand? Check out how you might be able brand your company on a BIG SCALE!

If you’re interested, please contact us at: (561) 288-0573.

Time Savers and Time Wasters

Hopefully these tips have helped you identify one or more areas you can improve your time management skills. Time management is usually a great indicator of a leaders ability to hold his or her team accountable to what they should be doing (with exception of those in businesses they run themselves).  To learn more about these or other business management tips, visit us at www.HedgehogConsultingInc.com or contact us directly at Info@HedgehogConsultingInc.com.

Time Savers and Time Wasters

Everyone wishes they had more time. Even I do! When I feel that time is getting away from me, I recall the old adage, “You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein” (H. Jackson Brown, Jr., Life’s Little Instruction Book).

So what is the best way to use time? Remember, it’s all relative. As a business owner, your time is money, so here are a few suggestions to improve your time management skills.

1. Track Your Time – No this is not one of those track and analyze and make changes. I have found that those who pay attention to the time while they work become immediately more effective. I guarantee, you’ll find a few hours in the day that you wasted with busy work that wasn’t really important. Identify those items and don’t repeat them. Just paying attention improves your time and will probably give you the best return.
2. Prioritize Your Week – What is important to do next week? What things should be doing this week to improve your odds of getting that job completed without being rushed at the end? For example, I know I have a presentation next week. Ordinarily I’ll wait until the days before and finish it up. This time I spent a few hours over two days to complete the presentation. The presentation looks much better and I felt a lot less stressed.
3. Group Similar Tasks – Troubled by phone interruptions? Don’t answer the phone. Let it go to voice mail (or have your secretary answer it). Pick up the messages on your time. Rarely is something so important that you must answer that call and respond right then and there. Unless it’s your boss or your best/biggest client, ignore it. Set a time each day (or a couple of times if you get a lot of calls) to make and return phone calls.

More to come next week!

I have written about this before, but here’s a video version.

Source: Goleman, D. (2002). Primal Leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

What’s a QR Code and how do I use it?

By now, you’ve probably seen a code on a billboard, bus stop or magazine ad. Does this application make sense for you and if so, how do you implement it? Let’s take a closer look.

When Should I Use Them?
Since, QR codes have been developed as a quick response reader by a smartphone camera, it’s better to create QR codes that take the user to a mobile version of your website rather than your full website. Why? Because your full website won’t be fully functional on a mobile screen. By sending the user to a mobile version, they’ll be entering an experience truly designed for the environment they’re in – through their smartphone.

The Options Before You
So what are the options?

1. Have a version of your full site for a mobile site; this is a dedicated mobile site of your website.
2. Create a mobile landing page that will instruct the user to contact you and guide them to go to you full site
3. Have your site designed to work on all platforms

As smartphone usage is only growing further thanks to the iPhone and Android market,it’s time to get serious about incorporating a whole new element of excitement into your marketing by creating your own personalized QR code.

This guest was provided by Rony Pineda. He is an expert in creating specialized QR Codes. His designs take the QR Code to the next level, giving them attitude and a special look. For more information, visit www.fon1.us.  If you’re looking for a great way to create a unique QR Code, you can see some examples at this link.

If you need any help, please let me know by emailing me at Rob@HedgehogConsultingInc.com.

Happy New Year!