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          Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

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          MITX: Networking Event

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Bostonchamber
Bostonchamber
  • Events
        • Events

          • Overview
          • Events Calendar
          • Chamber Awards
        • ...
          Economic Inclusion
          The Racial Wealth Gap Series: Investing in the Workforce: Building Work, Building Wealth

          This event is part of the Chamber’s new series, The Racial Wealth Gap.

          07/13/2022

          2:00pm - 3:00pm

          Virtual

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Networking
          Chamber Networking Group

          This free, members-only event is designed specifically for our small to medium-size member companies who want to expand their network of contacts, generate new business leads, and learn the most effective strategies for networking.

          07/19/2022

          8:00am - 9:00am

          Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Networking
          MITX: Networking Event

          Join us for the fist in-person MITX event of the year! Come and network with people in the tech and innovation industry.

          07/26/2022

          5:00pm - 8:00pm

          Sam Adams Taproom

          arrow-go
          Read More
  • Learning & Development
        • Learning & Development

          • Overview
          • Call for Nominations
          • Resources
        • Boston’s Future Leaders

          Our Boston’s Future Leaders (BFL) program provides emerging leaders with a socially conscious and civically engaged leadership toolkit, as well as the opportunity to apply their knowledge through experiential assignments.

          Read More
          Transformational DEI Certificate

          We are now recruiting for our 2022 fall DEI cohort! We hope you’ll join us in our mission to increase DEI fluency and change in the Boston business community – starting with you.

          Read More
          Women’s Leadership Program

          Our Women’s Leadership Program enables you to take your leadership to the next level by arming you with the most in-demand leadership toolkit.

          Read More
  • Economic Inclusion
        • Economic Inclusion

          • Overview
          • Economic Inclusion Committee
          • Fierce Urgency of Now Festival
          • Pacesetters
          • Resources
        • ...
          Economic Inclusion
          Economic Inclusion

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • ...
          Pacesetters
          Pacesetters

          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

          arrow-go
          Read More
        • Sorry. No post found with this slug!
  • Policy & Impact
        • Policy & Impact

          • Overview
          • Leadership Councils
          • Amicus Advisory Board
        • GET INVOLVED IN OUR POLICY FOCUS AREAS

          Business Climate
          Read More
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          Read More
          Health Care
          Read More
          Housing & Development
          Read More
          Talent
          Read More
          Transportation
          Read More
  • Our Networks
        • GBCC’s Networks

          • Overview
        • OUR NETWORKS

          City Awake

          City Awake empowers young professionals in a variety of ways that encourages these rising leaders to stay invested in the region’s future success.

          Read More
          BIMA

          BIMA (the Boston Interactive Media Association) serves a vibrant community of like-minded professionals from agencies, brands, publishers, and ad-tech companies with business interests in the New England market.

          Read More
          Women’s Network

          For more than 25 years, the Chamber’s Women’s Network has connected female professionals of all background and career levels. Today, our Women’s Network is the largest in New England, strengthening the professional networks of women each year.

          Read More
          MITX

          Through MITX (the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange), we’re building valuable connections between the people and ideas behind technology and its impact on the future of customer experiences, all to create a community that’s finding tomorrow’s solutions together.

          Read More
          Pacesetters

          We are developing an ecosystem of corporations and partners with the influence and buying power to transform economic inclusion for minority business enterprises (MBEs).

          Read More
          Small Business

          We support small business through public policy initiatives, events designed to connect small businesses in Greater Boston to their peers and established business leaders, professional development offerings, and free small business advising.

          Read More
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        • About Us
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          Explore our mission and values to better understand how we are leading the business community forward.

        • Membership Directory
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          Not sure if you’re a member?

          Our member directory is your resource to discover, connect, and engage with Boston’s businesses from every industry and sector.

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Seven Tips for Managing a Virtual Team for the First Time

April 9, 2020

In our current reality, we’re all trying things for the first time – whether it be living through a pandemic, homeschooling kids, working remotely, or managing a team. Research shows that this presents both opportunities and challenges. Did you know that trying something new actually improves your brain function?  It may create new connections between brain cells by changing the balance of available neurotransmitters and changing how connections are made, says Dr. Kathryn Papp, neuropsychologist and instructor in neurology at Harvard Medical School.

And sure, trying new things might be good for us, but it’s also REALLY hard! Famous author and researcher Brenee Brown mentions in her new podcast that trying new things can take you up to three times as long and requires us to be vulnerable and push ourselves in really tough ways.

In talking with some stellar participants and alums from our Women’s Leadership Program and Boston’s Future Leaders program, we crowdsourced our top tips for those who are managing remotely for the first time to help you as you adapt, whether for the first time or the first time in these current circumstances.

  1. Keep a Schedule – communicating with your team will be critical to developing trust and establishing a good workflow. This can also help mitigate excessive emails and consolidate information flow. Find a consistent time and platform to connect whether it be on Slack, Google Hangout, Zoom, or a daily email to stay current on project timelines. Don’t forget to infuse some personal positivity – a new favorite activity, motivating quote or recent Netflix binge! 
  2. Embrace Faces – the power of seeing people makes a big difference in how you communicate and helps thwart the loss of non-verbal communication. Try it out if you haven’t yet and see if it works for your team. Keep in mind that not everyone will be able to use video 100% of the time. 
  3. Adapt your Style – There’s a lot of wisdom out there suggesting that a good leader adapts their management style to their direct reports. This also applies to managing remotely. What works for one team member might overwhelm another. While establishing good communication channels is key, don’t overdo the uniformity. For example, pay attention to who is and isn’t comfortable speaking up on a video call and be sensitive to caretakers who may have a different schedule. “Regular work hours” may be different for folks depending on other things they’re juggling. Find a way to check in with them so you can do your job as manager even better.
  4. Build Team Unity – During your check ins, find a way to get everyone’s voice heard in both a personal and professional way. It helps everyone stay present and connected. It could be a silly question that you do a round robin with (everyone has a turn to answer) like “What do you put on toast”? This is great when you’re working across global teams too. Then you can move onto your project updates. 
  5. Repeat Important Messages – We’re all operating in a new norm and important messages are being relayed in a variety of ways. Your team might be more receptive if they hear the message from you as their direct manager vs. seeing it in an email from senior management.  Or they may need to make sense of it together and what it might mean for your team.
  6. Avoid the Urge to just Email – When you have a question that might require back and forth, try to do a video call or use a messaging platform like Slack. To successfully work virtually, you need to infuse some personality and playfulness into your communication to keep people connected as humans.
  7. Re-calibrate your Expectations – In an increasingly complex personal and professional environment, managing the normal flow of work is just not reasonable. Take the time to acknowledge the challenges, remind yourself of your work’s purpose, prioritize your and your team’s wellness above all, and reassess and set realistic expectations of your staff members.

For more tips on effectively managing remote teams, watch Professor Tsedal Neeley, of Harvard Business School’s video below!

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