Essay --

Effective Virtual Leadership Josh Henson Shorter Universityâ€Æ' EFFECTIVE VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP Twenty first century technological advances in communication have broken down almost all of the physical barriers to communication in the world today. Today a person can communicate with almost anyone in the world at any time. Leaders in today’s workplace face new advantages and new challenges when it comes to advances in communication. The traditional workplace is changing as the virtual workplace expands. Research indicates that one of the biggest challenges to companies today is finding leaders with the skills to thrive in a complex and changing world (Dennis, Meola, Hall, 2013). Leaders of today need to be able to reach across differing cultures, many time zones, and they need to collaborate and build alliances across geographic distances (Dennis et al., 2013). Leaders today need to have a global mindset which includes operating from multiple sites, directing workers at multiple locations and working with clients in different geographic areas (Dennis et al., 2013) . In a recent study by ASTD.org entitled Virtual Leadership: Going the distance to manage your team, a survey of five hundred and five managers found that ninety-nine percent responds affirmatively when asked if their employer provides some employees to opportunity to work virtually (Mandzuk, 2014). A virtual workforce is described as any team whose members are not all physically under the same roof, as long as the participants have complementary skills and knowledge that produce greater value when they work together than if they worked separately. A virtual team can be local, national, or global, with members from one firm or many. Teams can be made up of full-time... ...dgment. According to the article qualitative judgment is the ability to formulate and select the right options (You can’t be a wimp, 2013). Qualitative judgment involves moving from the big picture down to the concrete, developing a diverse and trustworthy social network, and thinking through second and third order consequences ( You can’t be a wimp, 2013). Qualitative judgment is the second quality of a great leader. The third quality of a great leader is credibility. The lack of credibility will keep your ideas from ever being accepted in the company (You can be a wimp, 2013). Credibility according the article is gain by listening to diverse and contradictory views, building support from the board, employees and outside constituents, and having the courage to make the best decision for the company despite its popularity (You can’t be a wimp, 2013).