To the extent that it is possible to manage a virtual network, I managed “Closeness at a Distance,” a private LinkedIn-based group, for the last 3 years. Before I concluded my role last month, I drafted the following farewell post to share 3 of my lessons learned as a “local virtual network manager”. The group is designed for the benefit of professionals who want to learn more about working well in virtual environments across geographies and cultures. It has grown and continues to live—now under the leadership of my savvy co-Managers who authored an important book by the same name—and I look forward to continuing on as a faithful member. Of our peak activity, select discussion titles included: “How to Create ‘Purple Space’”; “Anticipating 2014 & Remembering 1980”; and “E-mail Isn’t Dead, It Only Smells Funny.” [Insert your smiling face here.] When asked about my future virtual endeavors, I responded that I was considering publishing monthly posts to grow my online identity by sharing my professional expertise and personal character. This is the first of my posts! Keep your “virtual dial” tuned in to this space where our virtual presence intersects. You can expect expert insights and thought partnership around the opportunities awaiting us in the diversity of our 'glocal' world. Here are my reflections on lessons learned: Give Without Mindfulness of Virtue: In his 1923 book, The Prophet, Lebanese writer, Khalil Gibran, shared a message about giving not for the glory of self, but for the good of others. He wrote, “And there are those who give and know not pain in giving…nor give with mindfulness of virtue; They give as in yonder valley the myrtle [tree] breathes its fragrance into space.” Similarly, as a contributing manager to the Closeness at a Distance group, I learned to post content without the expectation of “likes,” comments or anything else in return. This may seem counterintuitive— Aren’t virtual networks to facilitate quick and easy exchange? My approach doesn’t mean that I don’t ask for readers’ engagement with my fabulously thought provoking and informative posts- I do! Though, I know that anything posted online is in competition with everything else to win hearts and minds. It’s what my co-Manager and virtual learning guru, Dr. Marcus Hildebrandt, taught me is called the 90-9-1 Rule: 90% of a virtual community will never contribute; 9% will contribute a bit; and 1% of members will generate most of the action. Show Your Face: Create an online identity that represents value-add. As far as we want to participate as professionals in the global marketplace, our worth must be virtually visible. My Career Coach, Kevin A. Johnson of Chicago, has helped me discover how I have sometimes “under-sold” myself professionally, which has not supported me in establishing equitable professional relationships or opportunities. I make it a point to offer my full self in virtual interactions as I do f2f. In one of the public Closeness at a Distance webinars, another of my co-Managers and business-astute global consultant, Line Jehle, guided us through the how and why of building an online identity. Online, our identity is made up of our photo; how we share our personality through questions and comments; and, our professional credentials. We “sell ourselves short” within virtual networks when we do not show up as whole human beings to which others can relate and reach out. Detach from Outcome: Why try to control people or ideas in virtual space? Influence here is about the power of attraction, as Stefan Meister, another of my three co-Managers and global management trainer extraordinaire, reminds me. Honestly, I had held the Harvard Business Review LinkedIn group as a model of a virtual network for its one-million-strong-popularity and non-stop activity. Though, the group I managed— while it has not evolved in the ways that my co-Managers and I envisioned— has taken on a character and an attraction of its own. It has grown sustainably and steadily in diverse membership, and remains sufficiently-sized to allow for people to both give to the group in meaningful ways and be seen. In my role, I learned to detach myself from anticipated outcomes after doing what I can strategically. Increasingly, I served the network open to the possibilities that community brought. And, perhaps the community has taken shape in the hearts and minds of members. What are your thoughts on showing up with our full selves to a boundless virtual world? Virtually yours,
Malii Brown Subscribe to receive blog posts delivered fresh monthly into your inbox at [email protected].
20 Comments
1/15/2019 02:07:58 am
Reading this post of yours has extended my knowledge on virtual reality. I like the way you present your ideas. I think there are number of things to learn from you about the virtual reality. Will you help me?
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1/15/2019 03:33:51 pm
Thank you kindly for your comment and compliment! Pleased to hear that this post extended your knowledge. Glad to hear from you via the Contact form on this site (http://www.engagebetween.com/contact.html). Be well, Malii Carolyn, EngageBetween
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11/13/2019 10:03:32 pm
I believe in the fact that most of people feel powerful online. But in the real world, they are hesitant to voice up their opinions. It has been proven to some of the people I know because they tend to express explicit opinions in the virtual world but act like a puppy in the real world every time they are ask for their opinions. I guess, this is a practice that we need to break. If you feel and act like you are powerful online, then better learn to fight for it up to the real world. You should always be consistent!
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9/12/2022 04:16:23 am
Thanks for sharing this useful information! Hope that you will continue with the kind of stuff you are doing
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9/13/2022 03:23:36 am
Great Article! Thank you for sharing this is very informative post, and looking forward to the latest one.
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9/21/2022 05:40:16 am
Sincerely appreciated. I'm grateful for this wonderful article. Keep sharing!
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10/6/2022 11:36:02 pm
The world is becoming more virtual every day. It's hard to tell if it's for the better or worse. The way that people interact with others has changed drastically over the past few years and it will continue to change as new technologies are developed. Some people are skeptical about virtual reality because they believe that it will change our lives for the worse, but I believe that it will make our lives better.
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10/7/2022 03:39:13 am
What an exquisite article! Your post is very helpful right now. Thank you for sharing this informative one.
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