The Virtual Leader: How To Manage A Remote Workplace

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

By 2025, an estimated 70 percent of the workforce will work remotely at least five days each month. In The Virtual Leader, Takako Hirata, an experienced leader of large international virtual teams, shares her proven methods for thriving in the remote workplace with the help of new leadership principles.

Remote work is here to stay.

As a result, remote leadership is now a core competency for most executives and managers.

Leaders cannot simply transfer what they’ve been doing in the office to the remote context. While the goals remain the same—efficiency, engagement, community—the means of achieving those are very different.

In The Virtual Leader, Takako Hirata shares the proven leadership methods she has developed over nearly a decade coordinating teams across the globe as the head of international business development at ROHTO Pharmaceutical.

Hirata has seen firsthand that while the remote environment presents its own set of obstacles, the opportunities for innovation far outweigh the challenges. Because remote work is only advantageous when it’s done right, she offers workers and leaders a comprehensive guide to making the most of the world of remote work through strategies such as:

• Conserving office rituals in the remote environment
• Cultivating trust
• Enabling clear and efficient communication
• Making your company leaner and reinvesting in your teams
• Maintaining mental and physical health
• Conducting productive meetings
• Minimizing distractions and maximizing focus
• Managing new expectations for employees