Loud Thinking March 23, 2015 at 01:27PM

THE MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY: Harvard Business Review

March 23, 2015

Build a Relationship with Your Virtual Boss

Working virtually requires taking a proactive approach for building a relationship with your boss. To develop trust, ensure clear communication, and establish accountability:
Set rules for communication. People on virtual teams assume that connecting more often solves the problem of distance. But this usually leads to information overload. Instead, set an appropriate cadence of communications: Is it a daily call or a weekly call?
Build interpersonal trust. Commonalities bind virtual teams together. Send an email to your boss sharing more about who you are. Have regular personal-professional check-ins at the start of meetings by spending 30 seconds or so sharing what’s going on personally and professionally in your life, including happy events and challenges.
Go overboard to help your boss. Generosity accelerates emotional bonding and shows you care about your boss’s success.
Agree to be candid. Don’t be conflict-avoidant – it’s one of the most destructive attributes of many company cultures.

Adapted from “Working Smoothly with a Virtual Boss” by Keith Ferrazzi.

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