Connecting with new people can be a challenge. More for some than others. In work, and in life, knowing how much to share, where the line is, what it is okay to ask ... this was always tough. And when every team on the planet suddenly became a distributed team.. the stakes got higher. 

And as welcoming as the solutions are for some, they have the opposite impact on others. Some people love virtual escape rooms and virtual happy hour. Others just wonder why they are being required to spend even more time on Zoom.

Jed and Sophia Lazar have a better answer. They've developed Cozy Juicy Real, and game which, up until now has been 100% virtual, but by the time you find this podcast it will be available in a physical form as well.  It is a board game that will take you and your team through a series of questions and activities where you are invited to learn more about one another, one step at a time.  It is designed to provide players with a feeling of safety as they begin to open up and share. They start with low risk (cozy) questions and work their way towards juicy and then real questions. In order to win, you have to be open to answering questions AND asking questions. 

If you have a team that is struggling to connect, or that you are hoping will connect at a deeper level, Cozy, Juicy Real may be just what you are looking for. 

NOTE: This podcast was recorded in video so you can see the game. If you'd like to check that out: https://bit.ly/3JJOynW

To learn about the new physical version of the game:
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cozy-juicy-real/its-game-time


Connecting with Jed and Sophia
Connect Fest: http://connectfest.world/
Team building: https://www.cozyjuicyreal.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cozyjuicyreal
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cozyjuicyreal/
Email: hello@cozyjuicyreal.com

Building Trust and Connection In Your Team with Cozy Juicy Real

Agile 2023 is almost here! Mark Kilby, Tim Nolan, and I are putting the final touches on our session Tuning Your Distributed Team with a Right Environment Exercise. We are looking forward to sharing some of the things we learned in Modus Cooperandi’s Lean Agile Visual Management Certification program. The workshop will be held at Agile 2023 on Tuesday, July 25th from 2:00 PM to  5:00 PM. 

This video gives an overview of our workshop and some of the key concepts we will be covering with the participants. 

If you are attending the conference for the first time, it can be a rough week so we've also got tips for how to get the most out of the conference and how to best survive the week.

This was originally recorded in video. You can find that version here:https://youtu.be/FKwIETj0xzM

Tuning Your Distributed Team with a Right Environment Exercise at Agile 2023 Preview

My guest today on the Grownlearn podcast is the Empress of Remote Work Valentina Thörnen. 
Valentina specializes in collaborating with executives and leadership team members of tech companies who achieved substantial success before the pandemic. These companies transitioned to a remote work setup during the pandemic and now seek to sustain a distributed or hybrid model. However, their hastily created policies during the pandemic lack cohesion and require streamlining.

Valentina Assessment Tool:
https://remotethatworks.com/radar/

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Apple Podcast/i-tunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/grownlearn/id1515759956
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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1bUIDGbSQl4BlHeNeeJfva

Grownlearn Youtube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU4PNa5gUnrjmh50td5U3XQ

For strategic advisory inquiries to Grownlearn 👉 www.grownlearn.org

Welcome to Grownlearn! We are a trusted Business Partner with years of experience in group strategy, specializing in both organic and inorganic growth.

At Grownlearn, we help businesses identify new business opportunities and pursue effective strategies to achieve their growth goals. Our founder’s extensive professional network of experts and mentors allows us to bring on board the right person or team based on the specific needs of the company we’re working with. We work closely with management teams to assess their company’s strengths and weaknesses and develop strategies to improve performance and increase profitability.

In addition to our consulting work, we host the podcast Grownlearn, where we share expertise and insights on a wide range of topics, including personal development, career advancement, relationship building, financial management, and more.

On our website, you’ll find a range of resources to help you grow and succeed in your personal and professional life, including insightful blog posts and informative videos. Our deep understanding of business operations, market trends, and consumer behavior allows us to share insights and strategies that can help you achieve your personal and professional growth objectives.

Whether you’re a startup or an established business, Grownlearn can help take your business to the next level. Connect with us today to explore how we can help your business transform and grow.

Maximizing Team Performance in Remote Teams.

On Friday, December 8, The Agile Alliance is hosting a MiniCon on the Future of Artificial Intelligence. During the event, Mark Kilby will be hosting a roundtable discussion with the speakers to explore the ways AI is poised to impact how we work and what it will take to utilize it in an ethical and responsible way. 

Mark joins me in this episode of the podcast to discuss why he made a conscious decision to get schooled up on AI, how he’s going about doing it, some of the key learnings he has had along the way, and his take on what the future of AI has to offer those of us work in the agile space and project management.

The Future of AI MiniCon
If you’d like to learn more about the Agile Alliance’s Future of AI MiniCon: https://tinyurl.com/mw5ww3w2

Contacting Mark
If you’d like to contact Mark: https://www.markkilby.com/

Distributed Teams
And if you need some help with distributed teams, you should pick up a copy of From Chaos to Successful Distributed Agile Teams which Mark co-authored with Johanna Rothman. I cannot recommend this book highly enough! https://tinyurl.com/22vvnyjx

The Future of AI with Mark Kilby

Summary
In this conversation, Dave Prior and Jim Benson discuss the challenges of remote work, the impact of collaboration tools on productivity, and the importance of creating humane workspaces. They explore the dynamics of meetings, the toxicity of over-communication, and the need for regular maintenance in team processes. Jim shares insights from his course on cleaning toxic waste in workplaces, emphasizing the significance of visual management and effective communication to foster a healthier work environment.

Takeaways
	•	Work should be done without fear or trepidation.
	•	Remote work requires understanding information needs within teams.
	•	Meetings often become unproductive due to over-communication.
	•	Context switching can lead to frustration and decreased productivity.
	•	Creating humane workspaces is essential for team dynamics.
	•	Regular maintenance of team processes prevents issues from escalating.
	•	Collaboration tools need to be used intentionally and effectively.
	•	Visual management can help reduce workplace toxicity.
	•	Toxic systems lead to hiring toxic leaders.
	•	Addressing workplace toxicity is a collective responsibility.

Chapters
02:11 Introduction to Jim Benson and Work Dynamics
05:09 The Challenges of Remote Work and Collaboration Tools
08:07 Meeting Overload and Productivity Killers
11:14 Communication Tools and Their Inefficiencies
14:11 The Impact of Context Switching on Work
17:07 Creating Humane Workspaces
20:10 The Role of Tools in Team Collaboration
23:08 Cleaning Toxic Waste in Work Environments
26:15 Conclusion and Course Information

Links from the episode
Cleaning Toxic Waste Course: https://modusinstitute.com/course/toxic-waste
Modus Institute: https://modusinstitute.com/
The Collaboration Equation: https://www.collaboration-equation.com/
The Agile Network December Micro Conference (Dec 16-17): https://theagilenetwork.com

Contacting Jim
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimbenson/
Email: jim@moduscooperandi.com

Are Your Collaboration Tools Hijacking Your Productivity? with Jim Benson

Fresh out of the studio, Yuying Deng, Co-founder and CEO of Esevel, shares her transformative journey from corporate lawyer to healthcare operator to tech entrepreneur with our guest host, Yana Fry from  @yanatvsg .  Yuying discusses how the pandemic's sudden shift to remote work in April 2020 revealed critical gaps in IT infrastructure for distributed teams, inspiring her to launch Esevel—a platform now serving companies across 88 countries. She reflects candidly on the hardest lesson from her first startup: the importance of listening to customer feedback rather than being defensive about her vision, a mistake she refuses to repeat. Yuying challenges the traditional HQ-centric worldview, advocating that "HQ should be a mindset, not a location," and shares how Esevel deliberately builds leadership opportunities for talented professionals regardless of whether they're based in Manila, Singapore, or São Paulo. Last but not least, Yuying shares what great would look like for Esevel's future: becoming the indispensable tool companies think of first when scaling global teams, while proving that talent and performance matter more than location.

"Many companies that say they do distributed and remote work actually still have a very HQ-centric worldview. That means leadership is in HQ, strategy is formed in HQ, and high-impact jobs are in the HQ as well. So when they hire remote and distributed teams. For example, in the Philippines, Brazil, and India they use these more as back-office functions. So you have very talented people who join them there, thinking that they could rise in a global company. But very soon they find that they hit a glass ceiling and are no longer able to advance, and so they move on to another firm. I think that’s a massive waste of talent, especially if you’re talking about here in Asia. This is the world’s fastest-growing region. People are ambitious, people are bright, and they are able to take on leadership positions if they’re given the opportunity to. This is one thing that we have really tried to reverse at Esevel. You do not have to be at HQ in order to rise into a leadership position. As long as you perform your job and perform it well, we look at performance more than location. So I think that is one thing that has to shift: HQ shouldn’t be a location. HQ should actually be a mindset. And I think that’s something that a lot of remote companies or distributed work companies have correct when it comes to that."

Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Quote of the Day by Deng Yuying
[02:00] Introducing Yuying Deng, CEO of Esevel
[02:25] From lawyer to operator to founder
[03:32] MBA at INSEAD shaped entrepreneurial journey
[03:53] Built community care division for Orange Valley
[05:44] Esevel: IT operations platform for distributed teams
[07:56] Company DNA shaped by pandemic remote work
[10:16] Managing operations across 88 countries globally
[12:39] Failure is a feature, not a bug
[14:33] Operational complexity and doing boring work well
[16:35] Future of hybrid and remote work
[19:48] HQ should be a mindset not location
[21:25] Characteristics needed for remote work success
[22:40] Growth opportunities regardless of employee location
[26:14] Support network essential for founders
[29:31] Ethical principles learned from parents
[30:33] Vision for Esevel and family independence
[32:28] Partnership requires mutual support for success
[36:34] Legacy focused on happy, independent children

Profile: Yuying Deng, CEO of Esevel: https://esevel.com
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuyingdeng/

Guest Host: Yana Fry from Yana TV: @yanatvsg  
LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yanafry/

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. 

How to Scale Global Teams Without an Office through Esevel with Deng Yuying

The Analyse Podcast, formerly Analyse Asia, is a weekly show that dissects the pulse of business, technology, and media across the world. Hosted by Bernard Leong, it features in-depth conversations with leading journalists, senior executives, visionary authors, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders who shape industries and ideas. Each episode dives into the most important trends and stories redefining how the world builds, scales, and innovates — from Asia to the globe.

A podcast about Agile and Project Management

Grownlearn is a dynamic and insightful podcast that delves deep into the world of business model transformation. Hosted by seasoned professionals with a passion for innovation, the podcast features engaging interviews with the foremost experts in the field. Each episode invites listeners to explore the strategies, challenges, and successes of businesses that have undergone significant transformations. From disruptive startups to established enterprises, Grownlearn provides a platform for the best minds in the industry to share their experiences, insights, and lessons learned. Whether you're an entrepreneur, business leader, or simply intrigued by the ever-evolving landscape of business, Grownlearn delivers thought-provoking conversations that inspire and inform. Tune in to stay ahead of the curve and discover the keys to unlocking growth and success through transformative business models.

New tracks tagged #Distributed Teams