Connecting Global Hybrid Teams
Thank you for joining us for FountainBlue's September 5 Front Line Managers Online program, on the topic of 'Connecting Global Hybrid Teams'. Please join me in thanking our panelists.
as a Marketing Leader - Robin Kwok Product Marketing Lead, Core & Growth PanasonicWell
as a Program Leader - Sondra Bollar, Senior Director of Program Management, Oracle
as a Technical Leader - Sam Gupta, Technical Program Manager, Pure Storage
We were fortunate to have such passionate, diverse and articulate panelists speak on the topic of Connecting Global Hybrid teams. Although they represented a range of perspectives and backgrounds, they had much in common:
They are seasoned people managers who motivate and inspire their teams to deliver business results.
They are experienced leaders adept at agilely addressing the technical, logistical, process and market challenges which naturally arise as technology companies evolve and grow.
They are exceptional problem solvers with successful track records, and are committed to driving the success of their teams, their organization, and the community overall.
Below is a summary of their insights and advice around connecting global hybrid teams.
Be Strategic
Communicate aspirational goals which connect the team, independent of where they are located, of whether they meet in person, of their educational and professional background.
Create opportunities for teams to be collaborative and creative in making progress toward these aspirational goals.
Be clear on what's known, do what you can to identify the unknowns, and help manage the feelings around the things that are unknown.
Make detailed plans and work with people above, below and around you to proactively address the changes which inevitably occur as you implement the plan.
Leverage the tools which allow you and your team to embrace the hybrid strategy adopted by your organization.
Break up projects into manageable chunks that global hybrid teams can manage efficiently.
Put People First.
Put your people first, as they are the key to delivering both short term goals and long-term results.
Make the time to meet and connect socially.
Collaborate with your team to draw on the diverse perspectives of everyone.
Build a culture where everyone feels safe to speak up and participate.
Be Culturally Sensitive.
Be flexible and adaptable enough to work with people from other cultures, from other timezones, with other perspectives. In fact, understanding their needs and accommodating their needs will help drive both engagement *and* results.
Have the cultural awareness to know the social boundaries.
Walk a mile in the shoes of others, so that you can better understand their perspective.
Communicate and Connect.
Be clear on the roles and responsibilities for all parties and collaborate to define how these jobs and tasks will be shared across the team and between teams.
As a manager and leader of global teams, don't expect to always get it right because everything is changing so fast, but keep trying to get it right, especially around communication.
Practice leading and managing in nonprofits and with mentoring.
Advice for working with a 'dysfunctional' team:
Collaborate with the team to create and/or fix the team culture so that the team performs well and connects with teammates.
Work with the team to create a communication and management style which better connects people *and* better delivers results consistently and sustainably.
The trend toward managing and leading global hybrid teams will continue to grow and evolve, so leaning into your skills, knowledge and success will positively impact the team you've joined.