Laura’s Winning Ideas

Mark Vickers of the Institute for Corporate Productivity has a white paper out which outlines the state of management in the virtual realm. Click here to take a look.

My experience backs up his research: Corporations think good managers are able to manage virtually, as well as site-based, but unfortunately this isn’t true.

In my experience and research, superb virtual managers differ from superb site-based managers in several ways. I found by tracking manager’s profit performance that there is a distinct difference between the managers who were successful with virtual projects, and the managers who were successful site managers. Virtual skills might be taught, but the skills aren’t intuitive to successful site-based managers.

Organizations with an advantage in the next decade:

• Train managers in Virtual Skills
• Watch for new managers whose natural talents give them an advantage in virtual realms, and make sure these folks are promoted to best advantage
• Evaluate managers to match the skill set to the specific challenge.

Read about the results we found by clicking here. 

Things to do now:

• How are the virtual management skills in your team? Proposal teams need these skills to manage proposals across offices and with subcontractors. Do you struggle to communicate action needed? Have you built rapport with those you’ve never met?
• Second, how are the virtual management skills of your project managers? Can you document capabilities in this area? Now would be a good time to dig up statistical evidence of your firm’s virtual management expertise. This will be a real deal maker for capable firms who can prove their virtual management expertise.

And of course, if I can help, please call me! I’ve worked with several large organizations to train and help identify upcoming virtual managers. Lately, I’m training managers of one branch of the U.S. military.