Leading at a Distance: Managing Virtual Staff and Teams

This class is one full day and one half-day offered in a participatory live online format.

This class is open to anyone interested in the topic. It is also a required part of the Mid-Level Management Certificate.

Increasingly, we're seeing more organizations with employees who work from home, live in other states and often live in other countries. Learn to "lead from a distance" by understanding the challenges and best practices for working with individuals and virtual teams who are not physically in your office. Learn how to build trust, navigate conflict, make decisions and conduct engaging meetings with virtual staff and teams.

This program is a mix of self-directed learning in Canvas and two live online sessions using the Zoom platform. The self-directed learning exercises will be available in Canvas two weeks before the live session and should be completed before that date.

Participants will be able to:

• Describe the differences between virtual and onsite teams, including the impacts of time, distance, technology and culture.
• Apply the Long-Distance Leadership Model™ to prepare and lead their virtual teams.
• Identify key competencies of high-performing virtual team leaders and members.
• Employ best practices to develop and maintain trust among team members and reduce conflicts.
• Manage virtual team meetings to engage members and make decisions.