November 3, 2024 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes)

The Brick Chronicles

Sarah Thompson, CEO of Baxter’s Bricks, leaned back in her chair, sipping coffee as an email from Rick Nelson, COO, popped up.

Subject: Virtual Marketing Team is Melting Down – Help.

Rick strolled in. “Marketing teams on fire. Deadlines missed, no one’s communicating. Jan’s on it, but they might need some backup.”

Sarah nodded. “Let Jan fix it. If they hit a roadblock, I’ll clear it. Otherwise, I’ll stay out of the way.”

Enter Jan, Director of Marketing to the Rescue: Jan knew her team – Lisa in Texas, Anna in Pennsylvania, and Blake in Idaho had stopped functioning.

Messages were ignored, and no one knew what anyone else was doing.

Jan called an emergency zoom meeting. Lisa furiously typed, Anna had her arms crossed, and Blake’s camera was off.

“Alright, team,” Jan began, smiling. “We need to fix this before it gets worse. What’s going on?” Anna jumped in. “I’m doing everything while Lisa ignores my messages. And Blake? Does he even work here?”

Blake’s camera flickered on. “I’m here! And yeah, I’ve been keeping weird hours.” Lisa chimed in. “I’m drowning in projects and no one’s giving me the info I need!” Jan kept smiling. “Okay, here’s the fix. We’ll turn this around.”

The Turnaround Plan

Daily Check-ins: “We’re doing 10-minute daily stand-ups. Everyone shares what they’re working on and what they need. No more guessing.”

Clear Roles: “Anna, you’re in charge of content. Lisa, you’re managing deadlines. Blake, you’re on analytics. Everyone sticks to their role.”

Core Hours: Jan grinned. “Blake, no more vampire hours. We need you available during daylight.”

Team Connection: “Once a week, we’ll do a virtual happy hour. No work talk. Just fun. Trust me, it helps.”

Leadership in Action

Jan’s plan clicked into place quickly. Rick checked in during a leadership meeting. “How’s it going?” Jan grinned. “The check-ins worked. They’re talking again, and deadlines are back on track.”

Rick nodded. “Good. Let me know if they need more support.”

Sarah, monitored progress, but stayed focused on the bigger picture. She didn’t need to intervene. Her role was clear: stay out of the way unless something major happened. Her job was to give guidance when needed and to knock down barriers.

The Comeback

With daily check-ins, the team started functioning smoothly again. Blake showed up on time (and awake), Lisa got the clarity she needed, and Anna finally felt like she wasn’t carrying the load alone. The happy hours? They became a team favorite—Blake even won the ugliest dog contest during one.

Campaigns were back on track, and deadlines were met. What started as a meltdown turned into a victory.

The Lesson

In their leadership check-in, Rick shared the result with Sarah. “Turns out all they needed was communication and clear roles. They’re a well-oiled machine again.” Sarah smiled. “That’s what leadership’s about, giving your team what they need and getting out of the way.” Rick raised his coffee. “And a virtual happy hour doesn’t hurt either.”

Key Takeaways

Baxter’s Bricks handled the virtual team crisis by empowering Jan, the Director of Marketing, while Sarah, as CEO, monitored progress. Clear communication, defined roles, and team connection turned dysfunction into a win. Great leadership means stepping in when necessary and trusting your team to do the rest.

“Success in managing virtual teams isn’t just about technology.
It’s about ensuring every team member feels connected, valued, and seen.“

-Peter Drucker

Lead from your heart. Lead to Win.

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