For many in the business book world, a recommendation from Soundview is a big deal. They do summaries of the best of the best, and help their readers find the good stuff. Well, I’m a lucky guy because The Long-Distance Leader- Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership has been named one of Soundview’s Best Business Books of 2018.
Kevin Eikenberry and I are extremely proud of the book. You can find the summary on Soundview here, or visit Amazon. Of course, if you too think this is a helpful book, please leave a review for the rest of the world to see.
Take a look at this picture. None of it is doctored:
Me speaking at the Remote Work Summit at the Eagles Nest Retreat in San Marcos la Laguna, Guatemala
All my life I’ve dreamed of traveling to exotic places, seeing the world, and speaking about my passion; helping people communicate more effectively and making work suck less. This is a moment few people will ever experience (or even believe me when I tell them about it.)
I was miles from home and civilization, speaking at the Remote Work Summit, overlooking the jungle and talking about The Long-Distance Leader. Yes, the attendance was less than expected and disappointing, and yes, I was staying in a place with no air conditioning, a bathroom down the trail that I shared with 5 other cabins (and a passive-aggressive scorpion,) it was the rainy season, and when I wasn’t walking through the rain to the banos, my roof leaked. Travel logistics were a nightmare, but I got to see sights like this:
Lake Atitlan from San Marcos la Laguna
Because of my schedule, I couldn’t stay for the whole conference so I was up at 4:30 Saturday morning for a sometimes-terrifying 6-hour journey to the airport. Passing back through Antigua, I saw Monte Fuego at the end of an alley and took this picture:
Monte Fuego the day before the eruption
Sunday afternoon, my phone blew up with messages, asking if I was safe. Turns out that lovely mountain now looked like this:
The volcano erupted on Sunday, June 3
Basically the paradoxes of life were encapsulated in this trip:
I got to travel to an exotic place to speak about my work and met some amazing people, but it wasn’t the financial success I had hoped for. The story of my life.
It was a frustrating, crazy trip with a lot to whine about, but I saw and experienced things I would never have seen otherwise, and despite the mental and physical exhaustion, I’m grateful to have gone. Also a recurring theme.
I was bitching about some of the logistics and accommodations, and having to be up at 430 in the morning, and leaving the conference early. Yet I got out before a horrible disaster that has left dozens dead and many people unable to get home. I am one lucky sonofabitch.
Readers of this blog usually don’t care much about my day job, but I do. My latest book is “The Long-Distance Leader-Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership.” It is the culmination of years of work and research that I, and my co-author Kevin Eikenberry, are very proud of.
Then you can order the darned thing. Publication date is officially June 5. If you like it, please leave a review and tell all your coworkers and peers. It’s available worldwide in paperback, Kindle and Audio book.
Readers of this blog probably don’t think about my non-fiction work very much, but let’s face it–Lucca, Byron and their colleagues don’t pay the bills. My newest book, co-written with my boss, friend and colleague Kevin Eikenberry is now available for pre-orders.
Looks good, doesn’t it? It is. If you lead remote project teams, or have people working from home and you’re struggling to be the leader you want to be, this book is for you. This book will show you how to engage and communicate with your employees, regardless of where they are. As technology continues to advance, more and more businesses are allowing their employees to work from their homes, as long as they have a good internet connection. If they don’t, businesses are recommending that they look into metronet internet services instead. That should help them to experience a strong internet connection, allowing them to complete their work and stay connected with the rest of the employees.
It highlights things like the importance of being there for your staff, supporting them, understanding their needs and most importantly, motivating them to do their best. But it doesn’t only cover things like work, but also mental health and how to stay active when working remotely, which is just as important to consider when leading a remote team. Remote working is often seen as a tough thing, but with the right guidance and knowledge, it can make your life a lot easier.
A lot of businesses are now starting to work remotely, as they understand that there are so many good benefits to it. Of course, you’ll need some of the products from Agora (https://www.agora.io/en/voicecall/) so that you can regularly check in on them and ensure that communication levels don’t drop. And that also means making sure that you can provide your staff with the relevant equipment. You can check out this link here for more ideas about what you should provide your staff with https://www.officemonster.co.uk/filing-cabinets–1.
Don’t forget that this might differ depending on what your business is, and if you aren’t too sure then double-check with your employees and see if there is anything that you can do to make their job easier. They’ll appreciate that you are in communication with them, and will also appreciate that you want to help them.
If you’re unfamiliar with my non-fiction work, check out my Amazon Author Page for more details.
Much as I’m trying to carve a niche for myself as a novelist, my first books–and the business that pays the bills–are non-fiction and center on business communication. That’s why I’m really proud to announce that (co-written with Kevin Eikenberry, peace be upon him) the new book is at the pubishers.
If you manage a remote team, or work in a place where your co-workers are at home or spread around the globe, I invite you to check out the book. It offers advice such as how to set up a remote document upload flow using software from sites like FilecenterDMS.com, and how to coordinate a team on a remote basis. Since publication date isn’t until the end of April, you’ll be hearing more as the date gets nearer. In the meantime, I blog and write regularly at The Remote Leadership Institute site. Check it out or follow us on Twitter @LeadingRemotely
Check out the book, or my Amazon author page. If you know my work because of my fiction, you’ll find lots of information to help your business life. If you only know me through my day job, I invite you to check out my novels, The Count of the Sahara and Acre’s Bastard. Heck, if you’re bored, check the Stories section on this page for some of my short fiction work.
More to come, I look forward to continuing to share with you. Have a great week.
Okay, so why am I a history freak? Because you can learn from it. This is especially true in business. There’s a book here somewhere about great business lessons from history. This is a YouTube video I made a couple of years ago to illustrate the point.
Are you listening to your chickens or drowning them?
Remember the motto of this blog: Those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Those who do, still can’t do anything about it, but we get to smile smugly and say “told ya.”
available for pre-order. It’s from Berrett-Koehler publishers, and we couldn’t be happier, both with the book and our partnership with B-K.