WLP334 Popping in for a quick hello... and some Shakespeare!
21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
Release Date: 08/10/2023
21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
In this episode, Pilar interviews Jaap Linssen, the founder of OrangeTrail, a company that helps organisations navigate change and adopt new ways of working. Jaap has been helping people in organisations collaborate and communicate through harnessing the power of technology since 2011. Through Jaap’s examples, they talk about asking questions to drive engagement, developing team narratives to strengthen teamwork, the adoption of genAI in organisations and social learning. And building a business exporting farm cheese. Of course. Here are some links for you to check out: Find out more about...
info_outline WLP356 April Monthly Reading and Listening (and Watching!) Recommendations21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
We’ve struggled this month to create a collection around remote work, so we’ve gone a bit “around the edges” - but it’s still all relevant to our audience. There is much content around hybrid work at the moment, and it tends to have more of a “how to” angle to it , so we often give it a miss. So, please send through anything you think we might add in future episodes. Coffee Break Articles 05.00 MINS Via Sketchplanations via Skift via Human Resource Management Journal (Wiley) Grabbed from profile on previously-known-as-Twitter. via Wired.com Article +...
info_outline WLP355 Career Pivots, Team Connections and Work Life Identity21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
In today’s episode, Pilar Orti interviews Amale Ghalbouni, a former executive strategy director turned coach. Amale shares her experiences navigating career pivots, rediscovering purpose, and helping individuals and teams foster deep human connections. They talk about the changing nature of work, and the importance of preventing burnout. Find out more about Amale on . Check out For a summary blog post, head over to
info_outline WLP354 What's Going On: Experiments in Networking21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
Maya and Pilar discuss some of the ways in which remote workers are networking. And very special guest Matt Ballantine shares his experiment “100 coffees”. Recorded on 21 March 2024. To get in touch, head over to Maya shares a recent event she ran as part of , with Ali Meehan on “speed networking”. Someone else organising networking-type events is Lisette Sutherland from Collaboration Superpowers, who is running virtual coworking sessions: Maybe this kind of event is something organisations could run, instead of assuming the best way for people to connect is through face to...
info_outline WLP353 Promises and Perils of Generative AI in Software Development21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
In today’s episode, tech journalist Jennifer Riggins talks about the impact of generative AI on the world of software development, focusing on the challenges faced by DevSecOps teams in keeping up with the accelerated pace of code creation enabled by GenAI tools. She raises important questions about the potential risks posed by generative AI, such as the introduction of vulnerabilities and intellectual property issues, and emphasises the need for organizations to establish clear AI governance policies to mitigate these risks. You can read the full summary and show notes (created by...
info_outline WLP352 The Impact of Remote Work on Culture and Collaboration21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
Today’s guest is Linda Redell, Head of Talents and Culture at the hybrid company . With a diverse workforce spread across multiple countries, Linda and her team are responsible for maintaining the company culture and employee well-being. The shift to remote work has brought challenges and opportunities, with a focus on creating spaces for physical interaction, revamping onboarding, and fostering engagement. Connect with Find our more about Homelike nd what it’s like working there: For a summary of the conversation, check out
info_outline WLP351 Laying Yourself Off as a Manager and Reading and Listening Recommendations March 202421st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
Today’s post is the audio companion to the Virtual not Distant monthly newsletter, which you can Every month, Pilar shares with readers articles she’s come across on the web, books she’s read (or is reading) and podcast episodes she’s listened to. And today, she’s joined by who is an Engineering Leader specialising in virtual leadership.| Marcus is back on this show, this time talking about his recent professional transition: laying himself off from his job as Head of Engineering. This has been a very difficult decision to take, but he’s followed his own principles, and stayed...
info_outline WLP350 Being a Freelancer in Film and Theatre Production Design21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
In this episode, Production Designer Kate Rance shares her diverse career spanning theatre and film. She compares design approaches across industries, her affinity for hands-on craft versus managing teams, and learning new skills through her eclectic projects. Kate and Pilar used to work together on theatre productions (many years ago!) and Kate has designed www.virtualnotdistant.com , as well as Check out Kate's website, For detailed show notes, head over to www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/film-production
info_outline WLP349 What's Going On: Digital Culture21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
Maya and Pilar tackle the topic of "digital culture" in organisations, with this article as a springboard: "What is digital culture? The teams best prepared for change use modern digital communication tools, feel comfortable learning new ones and continually adapt how they work." By the team at Slack, 29th July 2022 Pilar mentions the book "The Rise of the Frontline Worker" 35.00 mins In other news… City.com 17 Sept 2023 39.00mins Personal updates: Remote Work Europe keeps growing, with new countries joining: Belgium, Cyprus and Turkey now have their own groups,...
info_outline WLP348 Nurturing Team Growth through Conscious Leadership21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
In this episode, Barbara Mutedzi describes conscious leadership and its role in transitioning to remote work, with particular reference to her work in Zimbabwe. Throughout the episode, Barbara advocates for the need for leaders to embrace self-awareness, adaptability, and empathy to create more resilient, inclusive, and effective work environments. Find Find out more about . For a summary of the episode head over to:
info_outlineWe're taking a break from our regular schedule this summer, but Pilar couldn't help it and she's popping in to let you know about some of her plans - including some adapted Shakespeare, which you can follow below.
Please share your thoughts through our contact form. https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us
Why should I love these tools so? 'Tis odds
They never will affect me. I am simple,
Each tool beckoning with promises untold,
And I love all. To master all of them is futile;
To delete them is senseless. Out upon’t!
What trials are we workers driven to
When remote work has claimed us! First, I saw Slack,
I, seeing, deemed it a worthy app;
It has as much to charm a worker in it
(If it please to bestow it so) as ever
These eyes yet look’d on. Next, I yearned over Trello,
And so would any mind o’ my conscience
That ever dream’d, or pledge’d time management
To a fresh and appealing task. Then, I lov’d the whiteboard,
Extremely lov’d it, infinitely lov’d it;
And yet it had its flaws, as all do too;
But in my heart was Google Suite, and there,
Lord, what a coil it keeps! To see a multitude of apps
All accessed with one click, what a heaven it is!
And yet its name’s a fleeting ones, and scarce lasts
One generation of remote.
Then, there is Dropbox, a cloud aloft,
A refuge for files, a sanctuary for documents.
Its sync, its share, its version history,
Did cause my heart to leap, my mind to marvel.
Yet, it too had its flaws, its limits, its expenses,
Its conflicts, its deletions, a horror to behold.
And now, there's Notion, a novelty it used to be,
With its pages, its databases, its all-in-one workspace.
It promises the universe, it promises the moon,
But oh, what a learning curve, what a mountain to ascend!
Yet, I cannot resist, I cannot deny,
The allure of these apps, the promise of productivity.
Oh, what a world, what a world of apps!
A blessing and a curse, a delight and a burden.
To navigate this sea, to master these tools,
Is a task Herculean, a labor of love.
Yet, I am but a worker, a humble knowledge worker,
Lost in the sea of apps, adrift in the ocean of remote work.
And yet, on the horizon, a glimmer of hope,
The promise of AI, the dream of automation,
To lighten our load, to ease our burden,
A new dawn for the remote, a new era for work.