CHAPTER 1

Champion Virtual Team Potential

The first challenge of creating powerful virtual teams is to quickly get peopleto "get" this fact:

There is a social revolution and a business revolution going on, and virtualteams are on the cutting edge.

The way we did business before is over. Does your CEO understand that? Do yourstakeholders understand that? Does the Board understand that? Does everyone whois or will become involved with the team understand we need to transform? That'sthe message of virtual teamwork. That's what is so important for everyone torealize before a virtual team or alliance even starts to take form. The socialrevolution is not just about consumers and entertainment. It's about enterprise.The virtual revolution is not just about relating as we once did through newmedia. It's about relating in all new ways. Virtual teams aren't just aboutbeing able to work across boundaries with new islands of cooperation. Virtualteams are about vast integrated webs of influence, generating and sharing ideas,collaborating instantly, having complete mobility, and forming dynamicpartnerships as never before. It's not a minor change. It's a paradigm shift.And every time there's a new paradigm, it's time to reconfigure and reboot. Cutand start over. Embrace the whole dynamic new way of thinking about how virtualteams and alliances work and share the exciting news. The entire world (almost)has gone social—and mobile and virtual.

Perfect Phrases to Create a Dynamic Vision of Virtual Teams

As you can tell from the previous paragraph, there's a lot to be excited aboutwith virtual teams. A clear vision motivates action. Use the following phrasesto help you paint a picture of virtual teamwork possibilities that is socompelling that people won't just dabble. They'll be dazzled and dive in deep.

* Subject line: The Vision of Virtual Teams for (Organization Name, ProjectIdea, Etc.)

* Most of us don't have a comprehensive idea of the dynamic power of virtualteams today. That's why I created a short (time, example: five-minute)presentation on how virtual teams can dynamize our (company, team, project,etc.). It's a (SlideShare/YouTube video, etc.). Please click here (and enterthis password:_______________), enjoy, and post comments below. I invite you topass it on.

• Virtual teams and virtual team technologies have evolved so much that insteadof causing barriers, distance managing actually leads to more collaboration andteam-work than most collocated teams experience. It's like having all thoseexperts in the same room.

• You wouldn't believe what people are doing on virtual teams these days! Theyshare best practices at lightning speed and support each other on the groundwhere they are. They give people information they need when questions come upduring client meetings or right as they reach impasses in their work. They haveinstant meetings and troubleshoot when problems arise, and they catch errorsearly on. They collaborate in small and targeted chunks just when input matters.They're really up to speed with business trends today.

• Virtual teams are about connection. They're cross functional, and that breaksdown the hierarchy and distance silos. It's just not true anymore that peoplecollaborate more in collocated teams. The fact is that if people are more than50 feet away from each other in the same location, they don't collaborate much.Virtual teams have the team on their desktops, mobile apps, and phones. Theycarry the team around with them, and that's a lot closer than 50 feet.

• My experience with virtual teams is that we bounce ideas off each other a lot.There's a dynamic immediacy—a back-and-forth. That means projects moveforward at a faster clip. Input happens at earlier stages, so we make changesand adapt sooner—which is extremely efficient when we need quick answers.

• One great thing about virtual teams is the capacity to update team members onthe activities of the team as a whole without needing to be physically present.Members can address the group for input and ideas more readily.

• There's more flexibility in virtual teams. Because travel time means turningon your laptop or iPad and logging on wherever you are, it's easier for peopleto fit virtual meetings into their calendar. That means they can be availablemore readily.

• I've had fabulous experiences with virtual teams. For example, (give a briefexample). We never could have accomplished (achievement) like that if we hadlimited ourselves to a headquarter location.

• If we go virtual in forming this team, we can create satellite teams inlocations close to the customers. That will save costs and ensure our teams arealigned with the local culture.

• Companies that approach working virtually as a progressive and competitivestrategy are more likely to survive and thrive in the coming decades. I wantthat to be us.

• Virtual teams provide us with options. We won't be limited by physicallocation from getting the right people on the team. That means people can be apart of projects they...