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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 F E B R UA R Y 8 , 2 0 2 1 of Maine in Orono received a total of $300,000 to develop an autono- mous vehicle smartphone application designed to assist visually impaired in- dividuals and seniors. The funding was awarded through the Inclusive Design Challenge put on by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration within the U.S. Department of Transportation. The university also was awarded $2.8 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to use its polymer 3D printer, the largest in the world, for the preci- sion manufacturing of blades for large wind turbines. Maine Savings Federal Credit Union in Hampden said it donated $25,000 to the RSU 24 building project for a new Grade 6-12 school. According to its fiscal year-end report to the community, Northern Light Health in Brewer announced that, along with its members, the organization provided $260 million in community benefits throughout the state from October 2019 to September 2020. Building a business? TALK TO A NEIGHBOR. Our experienced lenders are more than bankers Our experienced lenders are more than bankers — they're problem solvers and will work with you — they're problem solvers and will work with you to design a commercial loan that's right for you. to design a commercial loan that's right for you. We're proud to support local Maine businesses We're proud to support local Maine businesses with products and services to help your with products and services to help your business grow. business grow. Custom lending solutions are here for you — Custom lending solutions are here for you — and so are we. Let's talk. and so are we. Let's talk. MEMBER FDIC MEMBER FDIC EQUAL HOUSING LENDER EQUAL HOUSING LENDER 1-800-447-4559 | bathsavings.com Justin Dionne Assistant Vice President, Commercial Lending A S K AC E A n s w e r e d b y F r a n c i s E b e r l e , o f P r i c e A s s o c i a t e s The Association for Consulting Expertise (ACE) is a non-profit association of independent consultants who value "Success through Collaboration." The public is welcome to attend its regular meetings to share best practices and engage with industry experts. For more information go to www.consultexpertise.com. Q: There are many things I've learned to like about working remotely, but endless email chains and scheduled Zoom calls to answer simple questions aren't among them. Even when a virtual meeting is appropriate, I feel like I'm out of step. What's going on, and how do I fix it? ACE Advises: In a traditional workplace we pick up informa- tion by chance, often without realizing it. We have coffee- room conversations about project work outside of meetings. We pick up other cues that ease interaction. A messy desk signals that someone is busy, so we know to keep it short. Remote workers feel particularly disconnected. You can- not bump into colleagues two states away. Maine's Luke Thomas, creator of Friday, a communications app for remote teams, has identified three pain points for remote workers: "Knowing what other people are working on, who they are working with, and how they fit into the big picture." The virtual workplace requires us to retune our understanding of what communications meth- ods work for what purposes. "Email is appropriate when the chance of misinterpretation is low," says Thomas. "Real time interactions build relationships and resolve ambiguity." Conversely, some meetings should really have been emails. Video boredom is real. Here are some suggestions for recapturing interpersonal elements missing from virtual meetings: Encourage interaction: Start meetings with informal discussions, quick games or check ins. Don't start right into business. Acknowledgment: Pay attention to each person's personal style and acknowledge their contributions in kind. Think of the difference between horns and balloons. Extroverts like strong affirmations. Introverts like to know that their com- ments and ideas are valuable to the collaborative whole. Learn behaviors: There are tools and assessments that evaluate behavioral styles, motivators, and soft skills and provide the insights you lose in a remote platform. Francis Eberle of Price Associates is a leadership and organization advisor, with over 30 years' experience in both the for-profit and non- profit sectors. He can be reached at francis@price-associates.com For more on this topic, see "Remote Work: Tuning in to the Right Channel" at consultexpertise.com/blog/10038960 @

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