Meeting Guide
How to be a good coworker and leader during this crisis
Overview
Working from home and leading a team remotely can be challenging, particularly if you’ve never done it before. Here are some practical resources to help you stay connected to your co-workers and direct reports during COVID-19. It also helps to remember that working from home is a privilege, and many workers are unable to do so.
Pre-Meeting Prep
- If you’re covering this topic in your virtual Circle this month — ask members to review one or more of the below resources in advance, or review them together at the start of your meeting
Resources
Check-In
Group activity
5 minutes or less
An icebreaker is a powerful tool to help us become present with one another and ourselves. Use this icebreaker to see how your Circle members currently feel. Go around your Circle and share an update on how you’re feeling using the traffic light colors:
- Green (mostly good)
- Yellow (mixed feelings, unsure, or just OK)
- Red (mostly not doing great)
You can also briefly share why you’re feeling that way if you’d like.
Discussion Questions
Group activity
Approx. 35 minutes
These questions are designed to help you and your Circle members connect over common challenges, share your best strategies to overcome them, and workshop solutions together.
Pick one question to start with and move on to the other questions if you have time.
Leading remote teams
- If you’re leading a team remotely, what challenges have you encountered?
- How have you handled those challenges?
- What tactics have worked well for you in leading a team remotely?
- Based on your recent experience, do you have any advice on leading a team virtually?
Staying connected to colleagues
- What techniques are you using to foster connections with your coworkers? Which of these has felt most meaningful to you?
- What are some of the barriers to building authentic working relationships virtually? How have you been dealing with those barriers?
- How is your workplace handling the move to virtual connection or communication?
One Action
Group activity
Approx. 10 minutes
Come up with a One Action
Individual activity
Approx. 5 minutes
We recommend you close every meeting by committing to a “One Action”—one concrete thing you’re going to do before your next Circle meeting to step outside your comfort zone, practice a new skill, or try something new, based on what you’ve discussed today.
Next time you meet, update your Circle on your One Action (what you did and how it went).
Take a few minutes and ask everyone to write down their One Action.
Share your One Action with your Circle
Group activity
Approx. 5 minutes
One by one, go around your Circle and share your One Action. Move quickly from member to member, and consider cheering one another on as you go.
Wrap-Up
Group activity
Approx. 10 minutes
Finalize logistics of your next meeting
Group activity
Approx. 5 minutes
Before you break, make sure you have the basics covered for your next meeting, including day and time. Decide what you’re going to do, when you are going to meet next, and who is going to send out ideas. You may also want to talk through what worked—and what didn’t—in today’s meeting so you can brainstorm improvements going forward.
Close on an uplifting note
Group activity
Approx. 5 minutes
Think of one small moment of joy you can plan for this week. Go around your Circle one by one and share what you’ll do. Alternatively, take a few minutes to write down something you’re grateful for—and share it with the group, if you’d like to.
