The Virtual Manager Collection (3 Books) (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)

Build Productive Relationships

All the shared documents in the world won’t help you if your coworkers don’t trust you. Maybe they don’t think you’ll be available if they need to reach you, or they don’t lobby for your name to be thrown out for consideration when a team is forming to work on a new product. Perhaps they’re constantly nagging you: “Any update since the last time I asked (thirty minutes ago)?”

The success of your collaboration comes down to the relationships you’ve created—relationships that exist, in part or in total, on phone lines and through satellite signals. In this chapter, you’ll learn to establish and maintain rapport, credibility, and true mutual respect from a distance.

“Meet” your colleagues

If you’re working remotely ...