PMcrunch

Few weeks ago, I wrote a post about leadership in a virtual world in which I stated the limitations to achieve top leadership when not being directly engaged on site. The idea was that if a manager is not on site with regular phase time with subordinates, customers, associates, colleagues, and other stakeholders, he or she is not at all being positioned for increased leadership responsibility. In that post, I even sited Jack Welch and one of his most recent Welch way podcasts in which he stated that leadership will be very elusive for those in virtual positions. My thinking of this just in these last few weeks have shifted.

In short, I think the ability to lead in a virtual world actually does take a great deal of management skill and in today’s time does provide opportunity for upward mobility. In breif, while there may be situations where you simply need to be there physically, there also are many situations where this is futile, if not impossible. So, in the end, the answer about whether a manager can attain an upper management position while working virtually is "it depends".

Here is one case in point. I know a manager that works for Cisco and he works out of his home. He has direct reports thoughout the United States and has, in the recent past, had direct reports internationally. Prior to the economic downturn, he was working the majority of his time out of his home office and, otherwise, was on the road to various locations to meet with his people and customers. Recently, cutbacks have been quite severe including extreme limitations on travel and nearly all of this travel have been eliminated, leaving work at the home office as the whole work experience at this point in time. Now this office, believe me, is quite well connected; with advanced teleconferencing, VTC, instant messaging, virtual meetings, and everything else possibe in place. I would say this is truly testing the limits of leveraging technology for virtual management. I know another individual who’s involved in managing the support of large and complex computer systems used on trading floors in manufacturing and other complex and highly service oriented applications. He has a team that is widespread and virtually everyone on his team works out of their homes. Occasionally, some of those team members go into their office in New York City. But from what I hear, the office is usually fairly empty. Activities having to do with support typically involve the ability to simply connect people, information, and facilities together very rapidly in just the right combination in order to get the job done. It is the ability to rapidly deploy such a virtual support team that is critical to be able to provide the customer support that his company provides as a core competency.

In discussing the issue of upward mobility and the virtual work force, these professionals have no doubt that they are on an upward tragectory and that they are very much at the center of the management fabric in their organizations. Despite the fact that they work most of their time on their home, they feel very connected and very much a part of the company.

So, in today’s interconnected technology-driven world, there is not only tremendous "virtual" opportunity but a very high degree of upward mobility for those working in the virtual world. Each situation is unique and individuals must reconcile with what is required in their particular situation. Each person must recognize what makes their company tick and, in particular, what makes functions in their area of responsibility tick. If they can do that, they can provide leadership and can be in a position to recognize how much phase time is needed and how much virtual time will suffice.

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John Reiling, PMP
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