WLP361 Can Chatbots Affect Connection in Remote Teams?

In this episode, host Pilar Orti talks to Sagar Chandni, who describes himself as a distributed work practitioner and a strategy leader with a heart. We talk about the nuances of these terms and the evolving nature of work, particularly in India where Sagar is based. Sagar discusses his work with startups and the challenges and opportunities they face, and shares his approach to informed leadership, ethical business strategies, and workplace inclusiveness, as well as the importance of embracing a mindset shift and approaching work in a way that fosters meaningful connections and positive impact both personally and professionally. He also gives us a view of the startup landscape in India. Yes, we cover a lot in this episode! Find out more about Sagar and his work: Connect with Sagar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sagarchandni/ Check out his LinkedIn show Virtual Global Leadership Podcast Subscribe to his newsletter: https://strivewithsagarchandni.substack.com/ For a written summary check out https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/leader-with-heart

Host Pilar Orti is joined by Doug Haines, the founder of Kalium and Marketing Pros. Doug's entrepreneurial journey began with Kalium, where he successfully recruited talent from South Africa. This positive experience inspired him to launch Marketing Pros, an agency connecting South African marketing professionals with global opportunities. In this episode, Doug discusses the development of both ventures and his strategies for maintaining a robust talent pool. For the full show notes check out www.virtualnotdistant.com  Find out more about Doug Haines and his companies: Marketing Pros: https://www.marketingpros.co Kalium: https://www.kalium.co.uk/ If you’re looking to expand your team and want to talk to Doug about your best options, find him on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/doughaines/ or email him as per the end of the interview.

In this episode, host Pilar Orti shares her new framework showing how we connect at work, and talks about some of her other projects.  If you'd like to be alerted when the Remotely Shakespeare wall calendar comes out, head over to remotelyshakespeare.com  For more information check out www.virtualnotdistant.com  

A special episode to celebrate the launch of the revised edition of The Long-Distance Leader, written by Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel, who returns to the show with another conversation that made host Pilar Orti laugh plenty of times.  The conversation takes a critical look at the “hybrid” workplace - is it a compromise, a hostage negotiation? Or is the problem that we’re all transitioning to a new era of knowledge work, and are uncomfortable with uncertainty? Wayne also covers the role of trust, building a culture fit for hybrid and proximity bias. Summary blog post: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/challenges-of-hybrid   Find out more about the book here: kevineikenberry.com/products/the-long-distance-leader Check out Wayne’s website too: wayneturmel.com And if you’d like to hear more from the authors, listen to Wayne in episode 238 or hear from Kevin Eikenberry in episode 181.

In today’s episode, host Pilar Orti catches up with Frédérique Lloyd Bougreau, about how she transformed her career and lifestyle by setting up a Pilates studio in rural France. They talk about cultural adaptation, building a business in a new environment and the Importance of movement and exercise as we progress through life.  Frédérique’s contact details are over at her website: https://www.pilatesbienetre.com/contact.html As always, you can find Pilar over at www.virtualnotdistant.com 

For today’s Recommendations episode, Pilar is joined by Catherine Nicholson, co-founder and creative director of The Virtual Training Team. Before they move onto this month’s reading and listening recommendations, Catherine talks about her recent interest: the blend of generations in the workplace, and how to make the most out of them. Recorded on 7 August 2024 For the full set of show notes, head over to  https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/generations-workplace

In this episode Pilar talks to Justin Gignac, co-founder of Working Not Working, and Nicolina Jennings, the company's VP and Managing Director. Our guests share the origins and evolution of Working Not Working, and how what they’ve learned about engagement and belonging led to their new platform NTRNL. They make a strong case for increasing employee retention by creating an infrastructure that makes internal opportunities - and hidden talents-  visible to all. You can find a summary over at www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/working-not-working Check out Working not Working https://workingnotworking.com  and NTRNL  https://workingnotworking.com/ntrnl 

We are joined by regular guest Theresa Hollema who has been doing some thinking with host Pilar Orti on the topic of Bonding within remote teams, versus Bridging, where team members create bonds with other parts of the organisation. Plus, Theresa has her own reading and listening recommendations to add to Pilar’s. You can connect with Theresa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theresasigillitohollema/ And check out the resources on her website: https://virtualacrosscultures.com/ Let us know what you thought of the episode over at www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact You can find an summary of the first part, plus all the links we refer to here:  ww.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/bridging-remote-teams 

A new player has entered the field in the world of work: generative AI. As remote teams increasingly rely on asynchronous communication, have AI chatbots become go-to resources for quick answers and idea validation? What does this mean for our workplace relationships and social skills? Maya Middlemiss and Pilar Orti discuss! For more detailed show notes head over to www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/chatbots  You can message Pilar through the Virtual not Distant website: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us and get hold of Maya over at Remote Work Europe: https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu/ .

Host Pilar Orti talks to Henry O'Loughlin, founder of Buildremote. As he shares his journey from running a fully remote marketing agency to creating Buildremote, Henry discusses the pitfalls many companies faced during the pandemic and how his experience led him to develop a "remote operating system" playbook. The conversation evolves into a thought experiment looking into the future of work, exploring concepts like the four-day workweek, the growing trend of freelancing and the creator economy, ending in a not-too-distant future where traditional employment structures become networks of one-person businesses collaborating globally. Connect with Henry on LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/henry-olaughlin/ Check out the Remote Operating System at Buildremote buildremote.co For a summary blog post, check out https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/work-evolution  05:05: Four-Day Workweek and Remote Work Connection 08:03: Future of Work and Questioning Traditional Practices 17:49: Freelancing and the Creator Economy 26:12: Resistance to Change in Traditional Work Structures 28:22: Challenges of Managing Part-Time and Freelance Workers 30:18: Remote Work: Learning Curve and Comparisons