Power Teams Beyond Borders

PETER IVANOV is an internationally renowned executive coach and business consultant. He is a highly sought-after keynote and conference speaker whose message of how to lead virtual teams has resonated with over 6,000 live audience members in over twenty countries. Peter holds a Master of Science in Mathematics from Sofia University and fluently speaks five languages. He has successfully led 100+ member online and virtual teams that have delivered proven results for many firms across the globe. His work with virtual teams has earned Peter several corporate and industry awards, including the Global IT Connect Award. He is a passionate advocate for agile virtual teams and remote leadership.

• Introduction xiiiHow I learned to Develop Virtual Power Teams xvi2020: The Tipping Point for Global Change? xviiPart I: Building Trust and Clarity: Discovering, Dreaming and Goal-Setting 11 From Failure to Amazing Success in Global Teams 3What Causes Global Teams to Fail? 9What Do All High-Performing Teams Have in Common? 10Establishing Your Foundation 142 Personality in Focus 17How to Start Building Trust in Your Team 21The Importance of Empowerment 233 The Strengths Matrix 27How to Uncover People’s Natural Strengths 34How this Works in Practice 36Why Personality in Focus and the Strengths Matrix is a Magic Combination 37How to Create a Team Vision 384 Interdependent Goals 41Start by Defining the Hottest Issues for your Team 46The Thinking Behind Smart Goals 48Creating Smart Goals 50Name your Team 51Developing your Strategic Roadmap 51Sharing Responsibility 52Getting the Best from your Team 52Part II: Establishing Structured Communication: Active Collaboration and Coopetition 555 How Everyone Can Contribute and Shine 57How to Maintain Engagement in your Regular Team Meetings 67Always Have an Agenda 68Change the Format Once a Month 68Allow People to Ask Questions 69The importance of Time Management 69Making Time for Personal and Professional 70Don’t Have Too Many Meetings 71How Often Should Virtual Teams Meet in Person? 71Setting the Agenda for an Annual Meeting 726 Bridging Time Zones and Knowledge Management 75Finding the Optimum Time for Meetings 81Coping with Language Barriers 82How to Deal with Challenging Accents(And Make Sure Everyone is Understood) 83Agree on a Channel for Urgent Communication 85Knowledge Management 86Encourage People to Join a Community 88Build Regional Zonal Communities 89Best Practice for Online Communication 907 Regular Feedback 93How to Structure a Performance Feedback Session 98Learn the Difference Between the Development Plan and Performance Feedback 99Why is this so Important in Virtual Teams? 100Practice Generous Listening 101Use the Magic Words 102Speak About Possibilities 102Tips for Sharing Team Feedback 103The Formula for a Virtual Power Team 105Key Takeaways on Feedback 1068 Cross-Company Cooperation and Coopetition 107An Evolving Environment 111How to Build Trust 111The Need for a Collaboration Agenda 112Structured Communication is Essential 112Finding your Optimal Culture 113Don’t Forget Personality 114Defining Intra-Organisational and Inter-Organisational Coopetition 114Where Does Inter-Organisational Coopetition Come From? 115Where Does Coopetition Lead? 115Why you Should Explore Cross-Company Coopetition 116High-Profile Examples of Coopetition 117How to Establish your Win-Win 118Developing the Right Mindset for Coopetition 119Part III: Uniting Global Teams: Leveraging Global Community 1219 Praise, Praise, Praise 123What Qualities do you Need to Stay Motivated When Working Virtually? 129How to Motivate and Retain Key Team Members When you Work Remotely 130How to Make Decisions in Hybrid Teams 13310 Building the Optimal Team Culture 135Case Study 139The Leadership Scale 142Tips For Leaders To Adjust Their Leadership Style 144The Four Levels of Meetings 145Tips for Adjusting Your Decision-Making Process 147Tips to Adjust to Different Conflict Styles 149Finding Your Optimal Team Culture 14911 Establishing a Winning Spirit 151My Team 155The Early Stages of the Project 155Taking a Different Approach 156The Road to Tenerife 157The Outcome 158How to Apply This to Your Team 158What if You Don’t Have the Budget to Be Generous? 159Use Tangible Tokens 160Don’t Forget About People’s Families 16112 Next Generation Leaders 163Building Virtual Power Teams Under Virtual Power Teams 168Ways to Develop Next Generation Leaders 169Top Tips 169Case Study 170Virtual Power Family 172Why it’s Important to Foster Gravity in Your Virtual Family 173What Can You Learn From Being Part of A Virtual Power Family? 174Applying These Principles to Long-Distance Relationships 175Maintaining Global Friendships 176Connect With Your Parents 176Co-Living to Be Part of A Community 177The Importance of Community 178My Advice for Living and Working Remotely 178Setting Up Your Virtual Working Environment 17913 Building Power Communities 183Case Study: Youth Against AIDS 187Lessons for a More Remote Future 191The Importance of Frequent Updates 193Regular Updates are Essential forStrengthening Bonds 193Be Clear On Your ‘Why’ 194Case Study: Teach For All 195Empowerment and Trust Building 197Responding to Any Major Change or Disruption (Including A Pandemic!) 198Case Study: The Covid-19 Pandemic 198The Road to Digitalisation 201Career Visibility When Working Remotely 204Conclusion 207Using the 10 Big Rocks to Foster Gravity 207Focus on Gravity 208Epilogue 211Index 215