Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams

by Larry English

Overview

Virtual work isn't the model of the future-it's here now. But many companies struggle with setting their employees free from the office without sacrificing culture. Centric Consulting CEO and cofounder Larry English is here to guide the way.

Twenty years ago, Larry and his friends weren't happy in their consulting jobs. The long hours took a serious toll on their personal lives. So they built their own company where employees could work virtually and the culture would contribute to both the business's success and employee happiness. 

Since then, Centric Consulting has expanded to over 1,400 team members with operations in 13 US cities and India-and everyone works remotely some or most of the time. As Larry unpacks everything he's discovered about creating and sustaining a culture of collaborative teams, you'll learn: 

• How and why you need to cultivate an atmosphere of trust in a virtual environment
• How to recruit and hire team members for remote work
• How to build strong relationships with people you don't see every day
• How to scale your virtual company without sacrificing culture
• How the right software tools can help build culture
• How to be a great virtual team member

Sprinkled with funny, insightful stories from Larry and other Centric employees, Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams is the ultimate guidebook to remote work and a successful virtual culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781735056708
Publisher:	Centric Consulting
Publication date:	06/10/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Larry English is the CEO and cofounder of Centric Consulting, a management consulting firm that guides you in the search for answers to complex digital, business, and technology problems. Before Centric Consulting, Larry worked for a large international consulting firm out of college until he got burned out at 25. He and his newlywed wife backpacked around the world as he tried to find his path in life-and he did. Shortly after returning home, he and his like-minded pals founded Centric with a focus on changing how consulting was done by building a remote company with a mission to create a culture of employee and client happiness. Today, Centric is a 1,400-plus person company with offices in 13 US cities and India. Larry is father to four boys and husband to an adventurous wife. They reside in Columbus, Ohio. Larry is donating a portion of the royalties he receives from Office Optional to charity. To learn more about him and how to become an office optional company, visit LarryEnglish.net.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Crap, We've Started a Virtual Company

Chapter 1: Remote Work 101: It's All about Trust

Chapter 2: Digging Deep to Discover Your Virtual Culture

Chapter 3: The Most Important Parts of Your Culture Can't Always Be Taught

Chapter 4: How to Hire Culture Amplifiers and Virtual Work Superstars

Chapter 5: Scaling Your Culture with a Cultural Training Program

Chapter 6: Separate but Connected: How to Build Strong Virtual Relationships

Chapter 7: Impactful In-Person Meetings, Unforgettable Memories, and Deep Bonds

Chapter 8: Continuous Feedback, Continuous Culture Improvement

Chapter 9: Crappy Collaboration Tools Can Sink Your Culture

Chapter 10: The Secrets to Becoming an Outstanding Virtual Team Member

Conclusion: Building Culture Never Ends

Acknowledgments

Appendix: Centric Consulting Culture Awards 2008-2019

Notes

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

"If there was ever a time to know how to build a virtual workforce, this is it. Larry English gives you a step-by-step plan to build it out, create the right culture, and avoid costly mistakes."

-Shep Hyken, customer service and experience expert and New York Times bestselling author

"Office Optional is full of critical culture guidance and practical advice for not just running a successful virtual company but for running any company. I also run a nearly virtual company and thought I had it figured out, but Larry's book shared ideas and insights I had never considered. This is great content for the beginner as well as people already well-versed in remote working. Don't miss this timely read!"

-Lisa Stein, founder and CEO of Revolutions, Inc.

"We are wired for connection, and Office Optional is coming in the nick of time. Every executive, entrepreneur, and small business owner will want to read this book now. Larry serves up bite-sized strategies and tactics interlaced with engaging stories that bring to life what it's really like when you create a virtual culture, not just a virtual workforce."

-Laura Cooke, CEO of Positive Foundry

"The transition from an office to remote isn't a trend, it's our new normal. If your company can't work remotely, you can't compete. Both as an entrepreneur, and leading products within Microsoft, remote teams have been my secret weapon. They've unlocked access to top talent, speed to execution, and a cost efficiency that's helped me drive 10-times results in diverse sets of environments. In learning from Larry in Office Optional, I'm excited for you to make remote work your secret weapon too."

-Matthew Mottola, product leader, author of The Human Cloud, built the Microsoft 365 freelance toolkit

"Wherever you and your company are on the continuum of working from home, Office Optional is an important read. Larry shares practical lessons, specific tactics, and many detailed examples from his team in an accessible and informative approach. Centric's story emphasizes the key strategic value that results from intentionally creating and supporting a strong company culture in a virtual world. A strong culture isn't just an abstract idea in Office Optional. Larry brings culture creation to life with specific strategies, tactics, and stories to support the journey. When 20 years of experience is contained in such an easy-to-digest book, there is no need to invent our own unique solutions as we seek to thrive in a virtual or hybrid workplace."

-Kent Johnson, CEO of Highlights for Children

"It's very clear that enabling remote work is more important than ever, and that it will continue to have lasting value beyond the COVID-19 outbreak. We are committed to building the tools that help organizations, teams, and individuals stay productive and connected even when they need to work apart. Thanks to Larry and Centric for sharing how Microsoft Teams is doing just that in Office Optional."

-Jared Spataro, corporate vice president for Microsoft 365

"I've had the wonderful opportunity to speak to hundreds of companies. I found Centric to have not only such an enthusiastic culture of happy people, but a C-suite that was thinking ahead of the curve rather than being late adopters. Larry is so quick to create such a useful book in a time when all industries are scrambling to embrace the new frontier of remote work! He is staying ahead of the curve and ensuring collective communication and company growth through creating virtual protocol that will bond, inform, and keep everyone rocking! You go, Brother Larry!"

-Mark Schulman, drummer for P!nk, speaker, author

From the Publisher