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  • LME 036 - My Remote Work Experience - Lessons Learned

    LME 036 - My Remote Work Experience - Lessons Learned
    2025/01/08
    Shownotes: https://www.berndgeropp.com/remote-work-experience Today, I want to dive into a topic that's more relevant than ever: remote work. I'll share my personal experiences leading a fully remote team, explore who remote work is suited for, and discuss why some companies are still hesitant to embrace it. Embracing Remote Work When I started building my team, I made a deliberate decision: we’d work fully remote. That decision shaped everything—from hiring to how we communicate and collaborate. Today, my team consists of four people: Alex, Simone, Ersin, and myself. And yes, we're thriving in a remote setup. But here’s the thing: remote work isn’t for everyone. It demands self-discipline, responsibility, and excellent self-management. If these qualities aren’t present, remote work can quickly fall apart. The Rise of Remote Work In the U.S., remote work skyrocketed during the pandemic, forcing many businesses to adapt overnight. Employees loved the flexibility and saved commute time, and many never looked back. Today, hybrid work has become the norm in many industries. However, tech giants like Apple and Meta are leading a counter-movement, calling employees back to the office. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, famously said, "There’s no substitute for face-to-face collaboration." While he’s not wrong, I believe face-to-face interactions don’t necessarily mean daily office attendance. Instead, they can be achieved through periodic in-person team meetups, which is exactly what my team does. Remote Work Challenges – And How to Overcome Them Managing a remote team isn’t without its challenges. Communication, team spirit, and alignment can become tricky without the right processes in place. But here’s a hard truth: remote work doesn’t create leadership issues—it reveals them. If your team isn’t self-managing or struggles with accountability, that’s likely a leadership issue, not a remote work issue. As I always say, after two years, every leader has the team they deserve. So, if your remote team is failing, it’s time to take a hard look at your leadership practices. Keys to Remote Work Success Over the years, I’ve identified five principles that have helped my team succeed remotely: Clear Communication Channels We use Zoom for meetings and quick check-ins, and emails for longer messages. Everyone is expected to respond within a business day—but immediate responses aren’t required.Defined Responsibilities Each team member owns their domain. For example, Alex handles marketing and video production, Simone manages community and events, and Ersin focuses on leadership coaching. Ownership fosters creativity and expertise.Regular In-Person Meetups Every 4–6 weeks, we meet in person—whether for a strategy session, a conference, or just team-building. For example, we attended a marketing conference in Frankfurt last fall and have a team retreat planned in Hamburg next week. Continuous Learning Professional development is a priority. From conferences like VidSummit in Los Angeles to sales training programs, we invest in learning as a team. Quarterly Strategy Meetings Every quarter, we reflect on our achievements and set goals for the next quarter. This ensures alignment and keeps us moving forward. Who is Remote Work For? Remote work isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s ideal for knowledge workers who value flexibility and autonomy but less so for roles requiring hands-on tasks or constant supervision. For companies hesitant to adopt remote or hybrid models, here’s a reality check: in today’s job market, offering flexibility is often non-negotiable for attracting and retaining top talent. Closing Thoughts Remote work isn’t a passing trend; it’s a fundamental shift in how we work. As leaders, we must adapt and find ways to make it work for our teams and businesses. That means investing in your people, refining your processes, and embracing change. Thank you for tuning in to Leadership Made Easy. If you found this episode valuable, please share it or leave a review. And as always, keep leading with intention and purpose. Until next time!
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    7 分
  • LME 035 - Leadership in 2025: A Fresh Start After the Break

    LME 035 - Leadership in 2025: A Fresh Start After the Break
    2025/01/01

    Shownotes:
    https://www.berndgeropp.com/leadership-in-2025

    Welcome back to 'Leadership Made Easy, the podcast where we simplify the art of leadership for small and medium-sized businesses.

    Its been quite a while since our last episode - in fact, over three years.

    Thank you

    A big thank-you to all of you who have stayed connected, kept listening to past episodes, and even joined our email list during this time. Your support and interest mean the world to me.

    So, where have I been?

    Well, I‘ve spent the past few years focusing on my work in Germany, helping leaders and especially business owners build stronger teams and lead with confidence.

    But I‘ve always known I would return to this podcast, because leadership challenges are universal, and this is where we can tackle them together.

    Over the last years I build a small but mighty team. Everyone in my team is an expert in their field. In one of the next episodes I will introduce them to you.

    Working with such a great team was a game changer for me. And that is now why I finally have the time to focus on this podcast again.

    Trends in 2025

    As we step into 2025, the landscape for leaders continues to evolve. Whether you are leading a small team or managing a growing business, the challenges are real - From hybrid work environments to the integration of AI and technology, to retaining great talent in a competitive market.

    But let me tell you: leadership remains the single most important factor in a business success.

    In todays episode, I want to share three key trends that I believe every leader should focus on in 2025:

    1. Empowering Hybrid Teams: Many of us are still adapting to managing people both in-person and remotely. All my team members are working remotely. I‘ll share my experience how this works in detail and I’ll give you my tips on how to create trust and accountability in such a team.
    2. Leveraging AI Without Losing the Human Touch: AI is a powerful tool for efficiency, but the best leaders know how to balance data-driven decisions with emotional intelligence.
      Over the last 12 months I played around with AI for my business and I interviewed several experts on this matter. Some results are fascinating, others are rather sobering. So I’ll keep you updated on my AI Journey in this podcast.

    3. Building Leadership at Every Level: In 2025, the best teams won‘t rely on a single leader. In one of the neyxt episodes of this podcast I‘ll share my ideas on how to identify and develop future leaders within your team.

    Each of these trends represents a unique challenge, but also an incredible opportunity. And in the coming weeks, we‘ll dive deeper into each of these topics.
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    8 分
  • LME 034 - Tips For First-Time Managers

    LME 034 - Tips For First-Time Managers
    2021/06/27

    Today I talk with Mike Ashie from the YouTube channel: "Leadership with Mike" about tips for first-time managers.

    Find his YouTube channel Leadership with Mike here:
    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX_oT8liQty9EL7ZJVpz3RA

    Find the Shownotes here:
    https://www.berndgeropp.com/tips-for-first-time-managers-with-mike-ashie
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    32 分
  • LME 033 - How I Learned To Delegate

    LME 033 - How I Learned To Delegate
    2021/06/26

    When I founded my first company, a high-tech start-up, together with a partner more than 25 years ago, I had a completely wrong idea of ​​managing people. In this post, I'll talk about how I learned to delegate and give you tips on how you can learn it, too.

    Find the shownotes here:

    https://www.berndgeropp.com/how-i-learned-to-delegate/

    If you'd like to watch the video, check it out here:
    https://youtu.be/y1PJpAMeuyg

    Subscribe to my leadership impulses here:
    https://www.berndgeropp.com/subscribe/
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    14 分
  • LME032 - Why I quit my job as a highly paid manager!

    LME032 - Why I quit my job as a highly paid manager!
    2021/05/24

    A manager always works in a sandwich position. I explain my struggles with it and why I decided to leave the corporate world more than 10 years ago.

    Shownotes:
    berndgeropp.com/quit-job

    Watch the video here:
    https://youtu.be/QnTTgi1nPSs
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    9 分
  • LME-031 - Why one-on-one meetings?

    LME-031 - Why one-on-one meetings?
    2020/11/05

    One-one-one meetings create trust: Why do you need them? What do you actually talk about and how often should you do one-on-ones?

    Shownotes:
    https://www.berndgeropp.com/one-on-one-meetings

    Video:
    https://youtu.be/QPsUBZsCFps
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    10 分
  • LME030 - New as a manager: 5 important tips

    LME030 - New as a manager: 5 important tips
    2020/10/06

    When you are new in your manager role, you surely don’t want to make any unnecessary mistakes, don’t you?

    You want to become a good manager. To meet the challenges of your new role, I will give you my five best practical tips to become a good leader.

    You'# find the shownotes here:

    https://berndgeropp.com/episode030

    If you like to watch the highly entertaining YouTube-video-version, click here:
    https://youtu.be/_wlwpSXVfp0
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    13 分
  • lme029 - How to set goals with your employees

    lme029 - How to set goals with your employees
    2020/08/11

    Goal setting with employees is not easy. How can you be successful with it? Here are my 5 most important tips you should know!

    Find the Shownotes here:
    berndgeropp.com/set-goals-with-employees

     
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    11 分