I think the future is here, and it’s a virtual workforce. There are many reasons for people to gather together. And probably many reasons why some organizations need people located in an office complex.
But a virtual workforce—and even a virtual company—works. And leading virtual teams has become an essential skill.
Hassan Osman (@hassano) wrote and published a Kindle ebook entitled “Influencing Virtual Teams: 17 Tactics that Get Things Done with your Remote Employees“. He recently contacted me because I had written a review of Jason Fried’s book on virtual organizations. It is a short book, but full of good advice. Many of his tactics I’ve used to great success.
Osman is a senior manager at Cisco Systems, plus he’s done some research at Harvard related to this space.
This is from my review on Amazon:
First off, this is a valuable book. I have managed virtual teams for the past 12 years. I’ve used many of his points both for virtual teams and some are practical for in-person teams, as well. Those points worked. I only wish I had seen some of his other points back than. (Today my virtual team is just my “virtual assistant” and me as I’ve become a solo entrepreneur.)
I like the no-nonsense style. I read it rather quickly, but I know I’ll refer to it again. Not to mention using it as a reference for my own blogs. He promised no fluff, and he delivered.
