Key to Thriving Work From Home Teams

Help Your Remote Team Thrive Next Week

March 2020

If you are new to leading a remote team, (or company!), then this may be the best insider resource you will find. Actually, even the most experienced remote leader will learn a new trick or two. 

After all, the next two weeks are going to be critical. If you can’t your teams focused, thriving, and happy, you will have real problems. 

“We have won awards like #3 on Glassdoor and #2 on Fortune’s Best in Tech Bay Area lists, despite almost half of our team working from home and the rest spread out across five global offices, and with me being a remote, work-from-home CEO living in Sedona, AZ.”

15Five Founder/CEO David Hassell has been a dear friend of mine for about a decade. As has his co-founder and Chief Culture Officer, Shane Metcalf. Together they have created one of the most successful distributed teams and cultures in the world. 

David and Shane spent a lot of time last week organizing their best practices into a detailed how-to guide that I want to share with you

David sent me this email. 

Hey Michael 

I just published a comprehensive guide for CEOs and leaders on how to prepare for an extended period of remote work.

https://medium.com/@dhassell/ceos-and-leaders-heres-how-to-prepare-for-an-extended-period-of-remote-work-14968f3d668e

It’s basically everything I know about building an extraordinary distributed team and culture (that’s both high performing AND socially connected) which I’ve done over the past 9 years in building 15Five.

We’ve won awards like #3 on Glassdoor and #2 on Fortune’s Best in Tech Bay Area lists, despite almost half of our team working from home and the rest spread out across five global offices, and with me being a remote, work-from-home CEO living in Sedona, AZ.

Thankfully we didn’t miss a beat with this move to shelter-in-place, and I’m hopeful I can help other leaders quickly adapt.

Jamie Wheal of the Flow Genome Project and author of Stealing Fire shared about it, 

“Amazing piece David — one of the most thoroughly useful, practical and credible guides to the whole remote org building I’ve ever come across. Engaging, humble, optimistic, evidence-based, and illustrated with your own examples of walking this talk. While everyone and their mother rushes into offering new products/posts about remote work, you guys have been at it all along, and the depth of expertise and commitment blazes through. Glad to know you and Shane, and I am sharing this with friends and clients. — Jamie”

If there’s anyone you know who you think could benefit, feel free to share!

David

I hope you find this helpful! 

-Michael 

Michael Costuros // Executive Coach

How to Lead Through a Prolonged Crisis

How to Lead Through a Prolonged Crisis

Here is a tool my clients and I have found very effective this week. It will help you, your family, and your teams in the following critical ways.
Benefits

  • You will feel more empowered
  • You will experience greater clarity
  • You will feel ahead of the eight ball

It will provide these benefits while also reducing feelings of stress, anxiety and overwhelm.
Too good to be true, right? You’re about to find out.

I’m calling this tool The Three Clarifying Questions, and it’s based on the well-known Circle of Influence/Circle of Concern made popular in Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

I am going to provide you two versions.

  • One that you can share with friends, family, and employees.
  • One for leaders that you can personalize

FOR EVERYONE ELSE

First, here is a Circle of Influence/Circle of Concern (CI/CC)you can share with anyone. It has been adapted to address the impact of the Corona Virus. It’s a good example of how you can use the CI/CC tool to address any challenge, even one as complex as leading during a pandemic. I invite you to share this with your family, friends, team, and employees.  



Do you think this could help the people you care about stay focused on concerns that they can actually do something about? If so, share it. 

If you share it with people that you are leading, consider advising them to personalize it by adding their specific items to each area. Making it their own will help them keep this tool top of mind. 

JUST FOR YOU

What makes the above diagram safe to share with anyone also makes it almost useless to you as a leader. What follows is The Three Questions tool for leaders that my clients and I developed this week. 

 

You have heard the serenity prayer. 

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

Well, these are the questions that provide you with the wisdom to know the difference. 

What do you have control over?

What do you have influence over?

What do you wish you had control over but don’t?

Instructions

  1. Pick any issue you are facing. 
    1. Examples:
      1. Cutting cost
      2. Staying healthy
      3. A slump in sales
  2. Ask these three questions about that issue. 
    1. What do you have control over?
    2. What do you have influence over?
    3. What do you wish you had control over but don’t?

       

  3. Prioritize what you have control over, put attention on what you can influence, and DISMISS WHAT YOU DON’T. BOOM!

I recommend you do this exercise with a big picture challenge and a specific challenge. You will then learn how to apply it to the macro and the micro. 

 

EXAMPLE ANSWERS

I invite you to consider the following example as a starting point for your big picture challenges. It is intentionally incomplete.  Delete what doesn’t work for you, add what does. 

 

CIRCLE OF CONTROL: ++++++

What do you have control over?

Personal

  • Identifying what you need to increase your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health and prioritizing these things so that you are in the best state for making big decisions.
    • Limit your exposure to news and social media. 
  • Identifying the behaviors and thought patterns that diminish your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health and commit to stop doing these things so that you are in the best state for making big decisions. 
    • Limit your exposure to news and social media. #NoNewsBeforeNoon  
  • Strengthen your immune system and cardio health so that you farewell if you catch it.
  • Have a plan for what you will do if you get the virus. 
  • Have a plan for what you will do if someone in your home or family gets the virus.
  • Having the food and supplies you feel you need, enough to put your mind at rest. 
  • Personal financial planning to adjust to the recession. 

Professional 

  • How you choose to lead your followers. 
    • Influence: Your quality of presence, your relatability, your advising/suggestions. Your followers look to you for leadership. Do not shy away from sharing your recommendations! Starting with the graphic above. 
    • Impact: The decisions you make that impact your followers. 
  • Financial scenario planning and strategy for the new reality. 
  • Business scenario planning and strategy for the new reality.
  • Have a plan for what you will do if someone in your company gets the virus.

CIRCLE OF INFLUENCE ++++++

What do you have influence over?

Personal

  • Doing what you can to avoid getting the virus until after the peak. 
  • Reducing the concerns of loved ones by proactively checking in with them. 

Professional

  • Investor relations: Proactively managing your investor’s concerns. 
  • The level of fear in your company culture: Proactively leading them through the fears. 
  • Finding additional sources of investment and revenue.  

CIRCLE OF CONCERN ++++++

What do you wish you had control over but don’t?

  • – What the government will do.
  • – What the virus will do.
  • – What the economy will do.
  • – How long this will last.
  • – How people respond to your choices.
  • – What anyone outside of your innermost circle thinks, does or believes.

Let me know if you found this helpful. Any and all feedback is truly appreciated. 

Cheers,

Michael

Leader’s guide to making great decisions during a pandemic

Leader’s guide to making great decisions during a pandemic

How do you make great decisions in a state of total uncertainty? Important decisions for yourself, your family, your employees, your company and your investors, all on the same day! This may be the greatest leadership challenge of your life.

Allow me to share what has been working for my CEO clients and what DIDN’T work for me.

I’m ashamed to admit that I came a bit unglued yesterday. Looking back, I can see that fear hijacked my thinking. What bothers me most about what happened is this.

While it was happening, I had no idea. I thought I was on my game! But really, my thinking, decisions, and actions were distorted by fear. Fear that I didn’t realize I was experiencing.

That scares me.

Luckily the only downside was overbuying food on a Sunday afternoon and insulting my father. (Sorry dad!)

As an executive coach to CEO’s, it’s my job to be on my A-game! If this happened to me, it could happen to you.

I wrote this best practice guide based on what’s working for my clients and what I learned not to do. If only I had written this two days ago! Truth is, I couldn’t have written it without yesterday’s experience. Viva paradox!

#1 Limit your news and virus research intake! Nothing will distort your thinking as much as a news binge. One hour spread across an entire day is enough to grok what you really need to know. Set specific times Resist the urge to look

#2 Pick three people who think differently than you and sanity check all your big decisions with them. I am getting calls from clients asking “Hey Michael, what do you think about this, am I being paranoid?” Now that’s smart.

#3 Decide here and now that you CAN NOT BE SURE what will happen. You DO NOT have a crystal ball. Even the experts are not sure and the internet will not make you an expert. If you are feeling SURE, that’s a sign that you are under the influence of fear. Fear craves certainty so it will create it. Apply rule #1 & #2 immediately.

#4 Calibrate for fear distortion. Whatever you decide is the worst-case scenario for a given situation, reduce it by 10-20%.

#5 Don’t share information unless it has been validated by a news source you trust.It could be fake like that text about the lockdown. Spreading fake news is embarrassing. I know. I have done it twice since the crisis started and I don’t like admitting that.

#6 Maintain your daily wellness practices. Exercise, meditation, break dancing, whatever gets you out of your head and into your body. Do it more than once a day. Use this time as an opportunity to connect with nature and spirit. You need to be more YOU than ever. Your followers need YOU, not your fears. Do what it takes.

#7 Choose entertainment that takes your mind off of what’s happening. Stand up comedy, romantic comedies, movie classics. By all means, don’t watch Contagion or anything else that might feed your fears. Fear seeks food so it will want you to do what feeds it. Resist!

The fact that you have earned the position you have means that you have what it takes to lead through this. I hope these guidelines help keep you and I on our A-game.

Michael

 

 

How to Screen a Candidate for the Ability to Perform Under Pressure

How to Screen a Candidate for the Ability to Perform Under Pressure

(UPDATE: Read the bonus advice from recruiter Ron Jennings in the comments below.) Finding a person that will meet or exceed your expectations during the early phases of a startup is mission critical. So much is riding on the success of your early hires.

In addition to the right skill and culture fit, you want to hire people who thrive at a 7-9 stress level, don’t crack when it spikes to 10.

I just finished a session with the Founder/CEO of a company that is hiring two executives. They have a million in seed investment and one shot to make this work.

My suggestions are meant to be a starting point, to get you thinking about the questions you should ask to figure out in advance how a candidate will perform under stress.

BUT WHAT YOU THINK?
~ If you have an additional best practice to add, share it with me in the comments.

~ If you think I’m wrong, challenge me in the comments.

~ If you have a question, ask me in the comments and I will answer you.

~ If you like the video, click the like button so I know that I have contributed to you!

– Who do you know that would find this information valuable? Text them the link to this video.

In service,
Michael

++++++++++
VET ME:
www.linkedin.com/in/mcosturos

WORK WITH ME:
clients {at} mcosturos.com


FROM THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT: Take Michael’s subjective advice at your own risk. Every situation is different and requires special attention. The advice I share is intended to stimulate your own thinking, not replace it. You are the expert in your situation.

How to Get Your Founder/CEO to Make a Decision

How to Get Your Founder/CEO to Make a Decision

You want to move forward but you can’t until your founder/CEO makes the final decision and you’re tired of waiting…

Here’s a technique that could get them to decide today that does not run the risk of coming off as disrespectful. Below you will find a starting point email template you can use should you decide to follow through on the strategy I offer in this video.


DRAFT EMAIL TO YOUR CEO
(Please consider this as a starting point that you customize to fit your unique situation.)

==============


Hi ____,

I know that you are wanting to have the information you need to decide on the VP of Marketing position. I think you may get the clarity you need if I present the latest pros and cons as I see them. Take a look, if it’s not helpful, you can delete this email. 🙂

(Start with restating the ultimate goal the decision supports.)

Our goal is to realize the full revenue and brand building opportunity that comes with getting the most out of the Vegas trade show.)

(Remind them of the strategies being considered to meet the goal.)

To achieve this we agreed that we need someone operating at a VP of Marketing level because the current team does not have the experience.

(Remind of the decision to be made.)

The options we identified are either to hire somebody now or promote from within.

Here are the pros and cons supporting each option as I understand them.

Option A: Hire new
– Pros list
– Cons list

Option B: Promote from within
– Pros list
– Cons list

(Make your recommendation.)

I recommend we hire new for these reasons…

– List your reasons.

I’ve checked in with the team and here is where they stand.

John: new
Jenny: Promote
Meg: Promote

If you want me to get the reasoning behind each of their positions I can do that for you.

(Now you can prompt a decision.)

Maybe this gives you the clarity you need to make your decision now? If so, what do you want to do?

If not, and there is something I can find out for you that would enable you to decide now?

(Humble yourself and provide an opt-out.)

I’m sure there are many factors you are considering that I am not aware of. I trust your judgment. I hope you find this helpful, if not, feel free to delete it.

– Signed,

your name

==================


That’s it!

In the video I provide you with critical texture, color, and context, so please listen to it before using this template.

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

~ If you think I’m wrong, challenge me.

~ If I missed something important, ask for it in the YouTube comments and I will answer you.

~ If you have a best practice of your own on the topic, share it with the community in the comments.

~ If you like the video, like it, so I know that I have contributed to you.


In service,
Michael

++++++++++
VET ME:
www.linkedin.com/in/mcosturos

WORK WITH ME:
clients {at} mcosturos.com


DISCLAIMER: Take my subjective advice at your own risk. Every situation is different and requires special attention. The advice I share is intended to stimulate your own thinking, not replace it. You are the expert in your situation.

How Practically Guarantee Your Next Hire Is a Big Win

How Practically Guarantee Your Next Hire Is a Big Win

The cost of a new hire not working out is astronomical. Over the years I have helped prevent or resolve countless new hire breakdowns and I have one master tip that will practically guarantee your next hire works out even better than you had hoped!

After watching this 3:24 minute video you will not forget to apply my key filtering question before making your next hiring decision.

The problem usually starts when the existing team lead is implicitly or explicitly expecting to be promoted into a role you want to hire someone for. So you have a real problem. How do you get the existing team leader to accept and work with this person as their superior even though they’re expecting to have that position?”

Here’s the rule to follow. Only hire somebody who is clearly superior or clearly junior to the current leader of the department they are joining. You know that they are clearly superior if your existing leader is truly excited to learn from them. If they are not then you can bet that they will not respect them as their leader. If they don’t, this leads to the team dysfunctions that typically lead to one of the two leaving within 9 months. The time, money and emotional bandwidth it takes to untangle this mess are astronomical.

So before you make an offer letter, be sure the answer to the question, “Is _______ genuinely inspired by the opportunity to work with _______?” is YES.

I’D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.

~ If you have an additional best practice to add, share it with me in the comments.

~ If you think I’m wrong, challenge me in the comments.

~ If you have a question, ask me in the comments and I will answer you.

~ If you like the video, click the like button so I know that I have contributed to you!

– Who do you know that would find this information valuable? Text them the link to this video.

In service, Michael

++++++++++

VET ME: www.linkedin.com/in/mcosturos

WORK WITH ME: clients {at} mcosturos.com

 

FROM THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT: Take Michael’s subjective advice at your own risk. Every situation is different and requires special attention. The advice I share is intended to stimulate your own thinking, not replace it. You are the expert in your situation.

How to Recruit a Startup Rockstar (who doesn’t need the money)

How to Recruit a Startup Rockstar (who doesn't need the money)

How do you get a startup veteran with a rockstar record (and all the money they need to live a life of leisure) to join your startup?

Start by getting them to agree to be an advisor.

Here is a simple method you can use that worked for me.

1. Before talking, identify the leverage you have. Other than money, what does your venture have to offer? (Meaning, purpose, prestige, or experience.)

2. Do your homework and figure out how what you have to offer may be a fit for the candidate.

3. Adjust your pitch story in such a way that it is easy for the candidate to recognize how joining your venture will meet their unmet needs.

4. Get an intro and ask them to lunch to talk about the possibility of becoming an advisor. Getting them to join as an advisor is the first step.

5. Keep the meeting casual, share your story. Key: DON’T TRY TO SELL THEM, let the candidate find their next chapter in your story for the company.

6. Ask them, in a relaxed way, what aspect appeals to them the least? Start with the negative so you end on the positive. Don’t try to change their mind, just hear them out. Be a thought partner.

7. Then ask, what aspect of the opportunity appeals to them most? Talk casually about that. Don’t sell them, meet them where they are at. Be a thought partner.

8. Play close attention to their body language and notice what part of the opportunity most peaks their interest. You can trust body language more than words.

9. End the meeting in a friendly way, ask if they are willing to have a follow-up conversation next week.

10. Write a summary email. An outline of points below:

1. Great conversation.
2. Acknowledge something you learned from them that you value.
3. I enjoyed considering the possibility of you coming on as a formal advisor. In fact, I am now confident that you would be a great fit.
4. I appreciated learning that X, Y and Z aspects of the role seem to be a good fit for you. I also appreciate knowing that X and Y aspects are much less appealing.
5. Thanks for agreeing to meet again. I’d like to take our exploration a step further. I’d like to learn what would need to get from where you are to a clear yes. Who knows, maybe we can make it happen! Take my advice at your own risk. Every situation is different and requires special attention. The advice I share is intended to stimulate your own thinking, not replace it. You are the expert in your situation. I just hope this helps.
-Michael

 

:::::::::::::::::

Is there an approach that you’ve found that works even better? Ask me a question about what I have shared.

If you liked this subscribe to my channel to be notified when I add new videos weekly: https://tinyurl.com/startupfoundersolutions

You got this!

Michael

 

VET ME: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcosturos

WORK WITH ME: http://apply.mcosturos.com

DISCLAIMER: Take my subjective advice at your own risk. Every situation is different and requires special attention. The advice I share is intended to stimulate your own thinking, not replace it. You are the expert in your situation.

Why You Should Consider an Acqui-hire BEFORE Your Series A

Why You Should Consider an Acqui-hire BEFORE Your Series A

Consider using your seed funding to execute an aqui-hire that solves your recruiting and speed to market challenge! In this video, Bryan Franklin, the first-time founder/CEO leading Outbound Works will explain why and how he pulled off an acqui-hire just months after his seed round.

Wake Up To The Power and Quality of Sleep

Wake Up To The Power Of Sleep

Since I can remember I thought I knew all I needed to know about sleep. Most of my opinion oriented around the overachiever motto, “I’ll sleep when I drop.” Boy, was I wrong! Little did I know that our ability to realize our full potential is directly linked to the quality and quantity of sleep we get. 

I’ve spent the last few months learning about sleep best practices and testing them out. I’m excited to share my most valuable and actionable insights with you. 

You are about to become a fan of Dr. Matthew Walker…

He is considered the world’s foremost expert on sleep science. The following videos were made while he was promoting his world-changing book, Why We Sleep.

Here are the videos I recommend in order of priority.

Appetizer: 5 min introduction to Dr. Walker’s thesis

Main Course: Dr. Walker presenting at Google – Will blow your mind!

Desert: Studies show naps work better than caffeine – TEDx

Interested in learning about power naps and more?

I have made a YouTube playlist for you containing the best quality and most inspiring educational videos on mastering your sleep.

Take a look and see which titles intrigue you most. The video playlist is unlocked, so if you have a favorite sleep hacking video to share please add it to the list!



DJ Sets That I Am Loving

A while back my friend Mike Normand sent me a link to a DJ set on Soundcloud by Heimlich Knüller. I’ve since listened to all of his published DJ sets and have come to love every single one!

I’ve selected one for you. Click here.

BUT START THE MUSIC AT THE 40 MINUTE MARK.

I hope you enjoy Heimlich half as much as I do.

DJ Deckard’s Summer Jams

In the last week, I keep coming back to three sets that DJ Deckard has on his Soundcloud over and over. I recommend that you start with the 70’s & 80’s hits mashup jam!

The ’70s & ’80s hits mashup jam

My Definition of Chill Vol. 6 Jukebox Hero by Deckard-DJ 

The funky retro mashup jam

Pool Mix #20 Greg Wilson by The Pool 

The retro hip hop and rap mashup Jam

Deckard – Party People 5 Space Cowboy Saloon EditionÂ