It’s that time of year again: time for wrapping things up neatly with a bow, and looking back on a year full of activities with an equal dose of nostalgia and realism, along with the resolve to make next year even better.

Yes, ‘tis the season for fourth quarter post-mortem meetings! Or, if you prefer, reflective evaluations. (What did you think I was referring to?)

Unsettling as their moniker may sound, post-mortems are a critical part of our professional journeys because they offer us all the chance to learn and grow. They help us to gain critical insights into what worked, and what didn’t, and most importantly, determining why certain things happened in the way they did and how we can improve upon them next time.

This isn’t an opportunity to point fingers. If anything, post-mortems should be a team-building experience as a way to examine past actions and their results. Finally, you’re able to assemble a collective outlook to guide future projects and...

I don’t have to tell you that industry is evolving at a rapid pace. No matter the vertical or sector, the changes we’re witnessing now once took years, even decades to happen.

What does this mean for you? The battle for top global talent is in full swing. Competition is heating up in companies around the world, including those that have distributed personnel and those that are remote-first. In the latter two, in fact, remote leaders like you are placing an emphasis on learning and development (L&D). They’re not only viewing this as a perk for potential hires; it’s a valuable and highly strategic investment in their business.

But if you haven’t already started planning for next year, don’t panic—however, it is time to get a move on. Here’s how to assemble a blueprint that works for your company.

There are three basic components to any winning L&D strategy that aligns internal training with your business needs and goals:

1....

Gratitude.

It's as important to discuss with your loved ones as it is with your colleagues, supervisors, and peers. And while gratitude is certainly a powerful word, it’s even more influential in action.

Like many things in life, gratitude is often better demonstrated than described.

As 2018 comes to a close, professionals across the U.S. will soon be firing up their ovens (and their appetites!) for the annual Thanksgiving holiday feast with family and friends. They’re likely thinking about all the things they’re thankful for this year, and may even mention these at the dinner table. (I know I will, before the tryptophan sets in, that is…)

In our ever-distracted era, this kind of direct connection and sharing is a truly beautiful thing. Don’t you think it’d be ever-more-inspiring if we all prioritized showing our gratitude not just in November, but throughout the year?

It’s a smart move in EVERY context, including at work. Small acts of...

Dozens of speakers delivered valuable advice to a couple hundred remote workers and digital nomads last week at Nomad City. 

It was an incredible learning experience—not just because of the facts, information, and processes that were so generously shared. It was because the content was relevant to the audience.

They told stories. They gave clear examples. They answered questions. They gave feedback. It wasn’t just speakers delivering information. It was a conversation. 

That makes all the difference between an interesting learning experience and a transformative one: 

Discussion. Conversation. Synchronous exchange of ideas.

But… you work remotely. And that means that conversation is not likely to occur organically. You have to make it happen.

How can you do that?

1. Plan. Decide what you want to get out of the discussion and who should be involved. Do you want to check and extend understanding of a concept? Incorporate new ideas into a...

Guest post by Linda Ginac, CEO of TalentGuard 

The world of work is changing rapidly, thanks in part to the advances made in the technology marketplace. As companies continue progressing toward a more modern approach to operations, it is no surprise that an estimated 63% of businesses have remote workers among their ranks. What may be shocking is that half of these organizations have no remote work policy, including the absence of career pathing capabilities for those who work outside the confines of a traditional office. Remote workers deserve the same type of career development frameworks and opportunities as on-site employees, but the distance can make this task more daunting. The good news is that technology makes this less of a challenge for organizations with remote employees.

Here’s what companies need to know about the importance of career pathing among remote workers, and how to implement a sound process for achieving it.

Why Career Pathing Matters

Companies...

This is a guest post by Chanell Alexander of The Remote Work Life. 

In 2016, 43 percent of employed Americans said they spent some time working remotely according to a Gallup survey. This study also found that the opportunity to work from home is becoming a more substantial factor in where employees are deciding to work. So, it is safe to say that remote work is on the rise. However, the variety of jobs that are classified as remote are not as diverse as one would think. According to a study by Flexjobs, there are seven popular industries for remote work.

Where are Most of the Remote Work Jobs?

 Flexjobs outlined healthcare, information technology, education, sales, customer service, accounting, and hospitality as common fields for remote work. However, the common denominator for all the positions listed in these fields is the accessibility of the internet. Jobs like customer support, teaching, medical coding, transcription, auditing, and travel agency can be...

New Employer, New Employee = Fear of the Unknown 

A new hire. A new job. 

The word new in this context expresses unknown. 

In a situation where a new employee is brought onto a team, there are a lot of unknowns on both sides: 

The employee is not certain of what to expect of their new position and team; and 

The employer is not sure whether the employee will be a good fit or not.

Those unknowns can cause tension and anxiety, not to mention unmet expectations, dissatisfaction, disengagement, and employee turnover.  

In a remote environment, there are even more unknowns because you must rely only on virtual communication methods to communicate and understand expectations. 

How can you reduce unknowns?

There are several ways you can reduce the number of unknowns in a new hire situation. 

Remote Employers can: 

• Thoroughly vet candidates by going through various rounds of interviews,...

 Learning and development doesn't just happen in a formal class setting—it can happen anywhere. And one of the beautiful things about the internet is that there is plenty of inspiration to be found for all sorts of topics—including how we work. There is no better example of a source of new ideas than TED. Here are 10 TED talks that will inspire you to work differently, or at least consider the possibilities. 

1. Jason Fried, Why Work Doesn't Happen at Work

2. Stefan Sagmeister, The Power of Time Off

3. Simon Sinek, How Great Leaders Inspire Action 

4. Arianna Huffington, How to Succeed: Get More Sleep 

5. Linda Hill, How to Manage for Collective Creativity 

6. Luis von Ahn, Massive Scale Online Collaboration 

7. Celeste Headlee, 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation 

8. David Grady, How to Save the World or at Least Yourself from Bad Meetings 

...