At today's Lean Coffee, one of the topics was: "How do you stay on top of communication with the boss and co-workers whileworking remotely?" At the time, I mentioned that this reminded me of the phrase 'Managing Up', and I promised to do some quick searching for more info. Here 'tis:
A lot of articles were about self-promotion and trying to climb the corporate ladder. I was more interested in constructive tips for communicating effectively, particularly in a virtual environment. I found these two articles helpful:
https://www.clicktime.com/blog/managing-up-how-to-nail-remote-work-during-a-pandemic/
For this one, I particularly liked #3 "Aligning Communication Styles": http://www.businesswomanpa.com/manage-up-to-move-up-7-ways-to-manage-your-virtual-manager/
Personally, I communicate with my colleagues via email and Microsoft Teams. I'm also fortunate to have a friendly enough relationship with my CIO that I can text him if I really need eyes on something ASAP. But mostly I try to be aware of schedules and when people are free in case I need to 'thought jack' someone. During my in person office life, I would just get up from my desk and find the person I wanted to speak with. (Yes, sometimes I would hover obnoxiously.) Working virtually has tested my patience, but hopefully improved it somewhat. Knowing I can't expect an immediate response, I try to be better at being proactive, and asking for 'forgiveness' instead of 'permission', as one of the above articles also suggests.
What works for you?
Sorry that I missed the call today! I'm curious if everyone has regular one-on-ones with their managers and key team members? Since working at Tessitura, I have set one-on-ones with my manager and the people I work with frequently. I keep a running list of what I need to discuss and we can work through our mutual lists. For my peers, it's very helpful to just have 15 minute coffees sometimes to make sure we stay connected. In a virtual world, the thing I miss the most are the water cooler moments, so you have to find ways to intentionally create them.
I have a bi-weekly meeting with my Head of Dept and then a weekly meeting with my direct line manager to go through work and since lockdown just trying to keep each other sane! Meetings with people I work with frequently have just moved from in-person to Teams since lockdown.Then since lockdown started our Applications Team has a weekly meeting now we can't just turn our desks around to chat with each other and talk about work or put the worlds to rights.I'm the same as Bobbi, I do miss the bumping into people, especially those that I don't always work with and just having that quick chat.
Yes! I love check ins - (O3s as I call them - one on one) and I think they're critical in management. My motto with my manager is always "no surprises." I talk my manager through everything I'm doing and ask for their feedback/input so they feel I am working in step with their mission. I model that with my direct staff by talking them through my work and letting them know how their work supports/impacts/furthers our team's responsibilities and goals. I always have an agenda for my O3s, nothing formal but I keep notes over the week and share them at our meetings.