The Collaboration Superpowers Podcast

ALISSA CARPENTER is a workplace communications expert and the owner of Everything's Not Ok And That's Ok. She's also the author of a book called "How to listen and be heard". In this interview, we discuss how to harness differences in the workplace, why it's important to have difficult conversations (rather than avoid them), and how to evaluate the appropriate medium of communication (IM, call, email, etc.). For more stories, visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com

DARREN CHAIT is the cofounder and COO at Hugo.team - an app that provides centralized, searchable meeting notes that connect with your favorite tools. In this interview we discuss how asynchronous communication is one of the solutions for your time zone who as, why meeting notes make your meetings more powerful, and why having a comfortable office is more than just comfort. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com

DAN MANIAN is the cofounder and CEO at Donut, a tool which pairs up team members who don't know each other well to spread trust and collaboration across your organization. In this interview we discuss how a simple team building exercise can build a lot of trust. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com

GARY WALKER is the Product Director and remote work consultant at 22North. He is also the author of Ready For Remote. In this interview we discuss the importance of presence in meetings, some of the ways of measuring collaboration, and why we shouldn't throw tech at the problem. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com

JEN BROWN is the Founder of The Engaging Educator and the Author of Think On Your Feet: Tips & Tricks To Improve Your Communication Skills On The Job. In this interview, we discuss using improv to develop and use your listening skills, how to communicate your communication style to others, and how to deal with conflict on remote teams. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com

RYAN ROGHAAR is the Founder of Teammate Apart, a company that teaches those who work remotely - and those who hire them - how to work better together. In this interview we discuss the building blocks of great communication, how to deal with isolation, and why it's important to be generous with your time. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com You can link with Ryan Roghaar on LinkedIn or connect with him online teammateapart.com and ryanroghaar.com.

DAVIT BAGHDASARYAN is the Co-founder and CEO at Krisp.ai, an app that mutes background noise during calls. In this interview, we discuss the three key values of remote working: over-communication, transparency, and fairness. As well as how to work with time zones, tips for leading remote teams, and how to build trust by example. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

MIKE TANNENBAUM is a design strategist, consultant, and facilitator at Humanity LLC. In this interview we discuss how to collaborate as an independant working in companies and virtually, creating a productive environment for yourself, and how to give yourself space to create. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

DANNY PAGE is a TV and radio host turned entrepreneur, now the Chief Revenue Officer at Distribute Consulting. In this interview we discuss how teams can create communication alert systems, do focused isolated work, and redefine the social dynamic that defines the global workforce. For more information, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com. For resources for dealing with the Coronavirus, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/covid19/.

We've reached Episode 250 on the Collaboration Superpowers podcast. In this episode, I highlight 5 of my favorite segments from the last 50 interviews. Featuring: Sue Hope (Xero), Magda Ferretti (Magda Ferretti Coaching & Training), Toby Newman (HERE Technologies), Tim Burgess (Shield GEO), and Wade Foster (Zapier). For more stories, visit www.CollaborationSuperpowers.com.

Michael Sliwinski is the founder of Nozbe, an online task management tool. He's also a speaker, author of the book #iPadOnly, chief editor of Productive! Magazine, and a triathlete. In other words, a real life superstar! We have an action packed discussion about getting things done, trust, productivity, remote working, banning emails, gadgets, and results oriented working. For more stories, visit www.CollaborationSuperpowers.com.

YURI MALISHENKO is an Agile Coach and product owner at Danske Bank - and a visual thinking evangelist. In this interview we discuss how visual thinking can help overcome the complexities of communication and problems solving - and some great tips for getting started. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

Working together on-site presents serendipitous moments where sharing an elevator can turn into grabbing a coffee together. Seeing each other on a daily basis builds trust and increases camaraderie. But when we're remote, we have to work extra hard to feel we're part of a team. So, though we can digitally connect with people all over the world at the click of a button, we have to find new ways of emotionally connecting as well. So how do we create closeness even though we're far apart? How do we reach through the screens? For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: JUDY REES, a former journalist and media executive based in London, U.K., is now known worldwide as a practical implementer of an inquiry methodology called Clean Language. She is also the coauthor of the bestselling book on the topic, Clean Language: Revealing Metaphors and Opening Minds. An agile enthusiast, she works as an online facilitator, trainer, and coach. She recommends using metaphors to visualize personalities and challenges on remote teams. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

Remote workers and distributed teams can both struggle with long, strange hours and working too much in general. As we near the end of the year, we take a look at what it means to feel well-rested. Why should we strive for it? What can we do to better protect our time? What ritual can you put into place that allows you to have good boundaries between work and play. How can you get the maximum amount of rest that you need to feel inspired, creative, and productive? Here's to a well-rested 2020. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

AMIR SALIHEFENDIĆ is the Founder and CEO of Doist, a fully remote company that makes the popular tools Todoist and Twist. In this interview, Amir shares some of the successful and unsuccesful experiments Doist has tried over the years to improve alignment and communication among colleagues. We also discuss the importance and power of asynchronous communication, some tips on what to look for when hiring remotely, and how to prevent overworking. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com .

SUE HOPE is a Learning Specialist at Xero, an online accounting software company for small businesses. Sue and her colleagues have created the Meaningful Meetings program within Xero to encourage others to increase the productivity of their online meetings - and the results are promising! Company meetings are starting to have more structure, take less time, and be more productive and fun. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com. Sue's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sue-hope-9429898/

LINE MØRKBAK is a Global Consultant and Learning Professional and the Founder of Global LEAP Consulting. She give sclients suggestions on how to revamp traditional management tools; how to utilize the cultural mix of global and local teams; how to harness the productivity of dispersed, virtual collaboration as well as introduce Improv techniques to build trust among leaders or team members. For more stories visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

YANN TOUTANT is the CEO of Econocom NL, the €6bn digital services company in the Netherlands, as well as the President of the French Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands. Yann is a strong believer in the 'location independence' movement. He believes the associated focus on experiences versus possessions presents a new opportunity to Corporates. In this interview we talk about how companies can get themselves remote ready. For more stories visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

MAGDA FERRETTI is a business trainer and organizational psychologist helping Polish companies introduce home office policies. Her PhD research focused on leadership in virtual teams and she uses that knowledge to help managers transition to leading from a distance. In this interview we discuss why managers are hesitant to go remote and what they need to do to develop new competencies for leading remote teams. For more stories visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

TOBY NEWMAN is a Lead of Learning & Development at HERE Technologies. He helps support and create a learning culture throughout a global organization of just under 10,000 people. In this interview, we talk about how to create a culture of learning in your organization, where people don't wait for learning to happen to them. But instead, seek out opportunities to satisfy their curiosities. And he gives us some tips for improving how we learn from each other online. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

WAYNE TURMEL is the cofounder of the Remote Leadership Institute and the coauthor of The Long Distance Leader: Rules For Remarkable Leadership. In this interview, we discuss what makes a good remote leader, how to build trust on virtual teams, and how to give great online presentations. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

REBECCA CORLISS is the VP of Marketing at Owl Labs, the makers of a 360 degree video conferencing camera called the Meeting Owl. In this interview she gives her expert tips for hybrid meetings (remote + in person) and tells us how the hybrid team at Owl Labs works from wherever they are most productive. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

ABBY DOWNING is the partner and creative director at The Superfan Company, an all female team of pop-culture enthusiasts creating powerful programs and products that engage superfans. In this interview we discuss how Abby's team communicate with each other internally - and deal with the different communication styles their clients have. We also discuss how to manage being always on, how to deal with conflict, what to look for when hiring remote colleagues, and how artists are making more personal connections with their fans. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

JAY HYETT and RUMA DAK are Delivery Coaches at Envato, a collection of themed marketplaces where creatives sell digital assets. Envato allows their employees to work from wherever they are most productive, and even encourages them to travel for 3 months of the year. In this interview we discuss how they stay aligned, profitable and connected with a workforce that works from anywhere. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

MARK KILBY and JOHANNA ROTHMAN have written a book called "From Chaos To Successful Distributed Agile Teams: Collaborate To Deliver". In this interview we dive into why they wrote this book and how distributed teams can be agile and successful. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

PILAR ORTI and MAYA MIDDELMISS of Virtual, Not Distant have written a book called "Thinking Remote. Inspiration for Leaders of Distributed Teams." In this interview we talk about why they wrote the book and we dive into the content of 5 of the 13 chapters. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

TIM BURGESS is the Director at Shield GEO, a company that helps others manage and employ their international employees. Tim's colleagues work in 9 different countries across all time zones. In this interview he shares how they manage time zone issues, how they maintain their company values, how they promote team building, and the tips they use for hiring great remote workers. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

LIAM MARTIN is the co-founder and CMO of TimeDoctor.com and Staff.com, which are tools that help manage remote employees productivity. Liam is also the co-organizer of Running Remote Conference which is the largest conference on remote work that's held each year in June. In this interview, we discuss how to manage, communicate, and hire on remote teams - and why you should join the Running Remote conference. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com

WOUT HERMANS is a part time digital strategy consultant working as the Enterprise Transformation Manager at MURAL - and - a part time digital nomad. In this interview we talk about how the team at MURAL works remotely, and Wout's experiences on Nomad Cruises. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

DAVE HECKER, cofounder at SourceSeek, is a seasoned tech executive, speaker, and author with an exclusive focus on distributed team software delivery. Before working with any offshore team, Dave will spend time with them in person to assess whether it will be a good fit or not. For more stories, visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

LAURA FREW is the Partner at Holacracy One, a company that promotes self management practices for organizations. They are also 100% remote! I talk to Laura about how Holacracy One works, their quarterly retreats, their non-management practices, hiring and firing people, and how they manage their time. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

JOHN RIORDAN is the Director of Support Ireland at Shopify. In this interview we discuss how to build conscious connections using video conferencing and pop-up offices, finding your cadence and socialize when working from home, how to manage the feeling of being always on, and tips for managing remote teams. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

JESSE HOUWING is a trainer, coach, and tinkerer who likes to make software development fun. Jesse and I met (in person) at the nlscrum Meetup in Amsterdam where I asked him about remote pairing and mobbing. In this episode, he talks about the benefits and challenges of pairing and mobbing remotely and highlights the importance of having the right attitude and tools to make it work well. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

Does dressing up matter when we work remotely? In this episode we explore both the psychological effects of dressing up and the practical effects of what to wear for optimal video calls. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

WADE FOSTER is the CEO and co-founder of Zapier, a workflow automation tool used by over three million people to connect the work apps they use every day. Zapier is a 100% remote company with over 200 people. In this interview we talk about hiring, managing, aligning, and building a 'rockin remote team. Wade shares his experiences, challenges, and recipes for strong team building. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

Many of us struggle to keep our energy levels up during the cold and dark winter. This podcast is dedicated to what you can do to keep going, even when you want to hibernate. For more stories, visit https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

SARAH NOKED is the founder of Sarah Noked OBM, and online business management agency. Her team works with entrepreneurs and creatives in all stages of business to provide the structure and business management support they need. In this interview we discuss how to streamline your virtual office and get the help you need to scale your business successfully. For more stories, visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

There are many ways to communicate with our virtual colleagues: face to face, video, email, group chat, telephone, social media. But each form of communication has its pros and cons. While those pros and cons are fairly obvious, it's good to take a step back every once in a while and reevaluate how we communicate with each other in various scenarios. For more stories visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

MANUEL PISTNER is a virtual team enthusiast and Founder of flashhub.io. He went from a colocated team of 40 people to a virtual team of 180 in under one year. In this interview Manuel talks about why and how he transitioned his team, what he struggles with, and how he scaled in such a short time. For more stories, visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

Holiday parties can be daunting - even if you're all in the same physical location. This week, we discuss some idea to help you celebrate the holidays with all members of your team, especially those who work remotely. A great give for any remote team are the Collaboration Supercards! To learn more about them, visit: https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/supercards/.

FRANK COTTLE is the CEO of Alliance Virtual Offices and Chairman of the Alliance Business Centers Network. He is a recognized expert on flexible working, the virtual office movement, and 'third place' working. For more stories, visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

People and companies are going remote for different reasons. Today's Superpower Hour tells the stories of why we go remote. From multi-nationals to freelancers, what motivates us leave the office? And there are a few tips for how to go remote sprinkled in. For more stories, visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

Molood is the founder & host of RemoteForeverSummit.com, an Agile Coach and CEO of Everemote (Remote Forever), a blogger & keynote speaker. In this interview we dive into what distributed agile teams are struggling with, characteristics of a good remote leader, and how to manage your time to be effective and prevent burn out. For more stories, visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

"Remote work isn't a fit for everyone. One of the biggest keys to a successful remote team is accurately identifying talent who will excel in a remote environment." So how do you 'accurately identify' the best talent? Armed with a clear picture of exactly what you need, you craft an interview to help you assess as well as possible how the candidate would fare on the job—down to replicating the remote communication that team members employ every day. For more stories, visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

DOV TSAL is an independent Agile Coach who makes organizations sharper and more effective by aligning their teams, leaders, and value streams. Dov is on a mission to improve meeting culture - the fun way! He's developed a tool to spice up any meeting - online or in person. For more stories, visit www.CollaborationSuperpowers.com.

In the "Up and Coming Tools" series, I highlight a few tools that looked particularly interesting and great for the remote community. KitchinTable, Focusmate, Greenback Expat Tax Services, Retro Tool, and Giftedd. For more stories, visit www.CollaborationSuperpowers.com.

ALEXIS MONVILLE is a member of the Engineering Leadership Team at Red Hat and the author of Changing Your Team From The Inside. 60% of Red Hat's engineering team work remotely. In this interview, Alexis discusses what they struggle with, how they communicate, what it takes to lead a remote team, and how to deal with conflict. For more stories, visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

As remote workers, many of us are freelancers or sole proprietors that work for a number of different clients. Yes, we have the freedom to work when and where we want. But we are also in an very vulnerable position when our invoices are paid late – or not at all. Going after the money can be a time consuming and expensive process… sometimes not worth the effort depending on the amount of the invoice. So what can we do? For more stories, visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.

TOM SCHWAB is a Navy veteran (with experience in running nuclear power plants) and an expert on inbound marketing. He is the owner of InterviewValet.com and his entire team works remotely. In this interview Tom shares his views on hiring remote employees, characteristics of a good leader, how to deal with conflict, and advise for those who are just starting to build their businesses. For more stories, visit www.collaborationsuperpowers.com.