How to Lead from a Distance: Building Bridges in the Virtual Workplace

The days of going to work and seeing everyone you work with are gone forever! The ways we “see” each other, communicate, build teams, establish trust, collaborate, and achieve results have all changed. What was once a non-traditional way of working is now commonplace and an increasing reality for leaders across a broad spectrum of organizations and industries. A growing number of leaders manage and lead each day from a distance – through technology tools that connect them to remote teams, virtual workers, telecommuters, and distance employees. And they do this with the need to control costs, retain talent, ensure clear communication, manage productivity, maintain motivation, and achieve results. It’s a challenging task…. and an increasing reality for every leader. If you’re one of the growing legions of virtual leaders, How to Lead From a Distance is the book for you!

Debra A. Dinnocenzo is president of ALLearnatives©, a provider of learning resources for people in the virtual workplace. The firm specializes in telework, virtual teams, and work-life balance and helps people lead more productive and balanced lives.

A seasoned senior executive and experienced virtual leader with more than two decades of corporate and academic experience, Dinnocenzo has an extensive background in human resources sales and marketing. A dynamic speaker, consultant and author, she is a nationally recognized expert in the field of telework and a frequent speaker at national conferences on virtual workplace and work-life balance issues. She is often quoted in the media and is widely published on virtual work strategies and techniques. Dinnocenzo is the author of 101 Tips for Telecommuters and co-author of Dot Calm: The Search for Sanity in a Wired World. Both are published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers in San Francisco.

An active member of her community and industry, Dinnocenzo serves on numerous boards, including the Telework Coalition; AAA (American Automobile Association); University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Passavant Hospital; and Passavant Hospital Foundation.

Dinnocenzo holds Bachelor of Science and Masters of Arts degrees in Management from Central Michigan University. She holds an adjunct faculty position with Duquesne University where she teaches an online graduate course, Leadership in the Virtual Workplace. Additionally, she serves on the faculty of the Institute for Management Studies.