LeoWolfert/Shutterstock
The onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic opened the eyes of the global workforce to the possibilities of remote work. This tumultuous period challenged traditional work structures and forced industries to adapt to a new way of operating. Although many offices have since returned to standard operations, the majority of workers have embraced the idea that they can perform their jobs entirely from home. This shift has given rise to a new era of productivity — one where teams operate remotely and leaders guide without relying on in-person interactions. In this article, we will discuss success strategies for leaders who are new to managing remote teams and for adapting to this evolving landscape.
Reimagining How to Lead
Assuming the role of a remote leader demands acknowledgment of new realities. Primarily, the absence of a physical office means a departure from the customary day-to-day minutiae and spontaneous ‘water cooler’ conversations. Instead, the majority of interactions will be deliberate and planned, necessitating a purposeful effort to foster a shared culture.
Begin developing a sense of camaraderie by establishing recurring weekly team meetings. These sessions should be utilized as critical opportunities to create personal connections among team members and remind everyone that they are operating in this new and often challenging environment together. Communicate your intentions behind each weekly meeting and determine whether a session’s focus will be strategy-based or social. For strategy meetings, ensure that everyone shares their top priorities and deadlines for the week. Additionally, allow individuals to communicate current challenges they are facing and encourage the team to collaborate on proposed solutions.
Social meetings are equally important to building a remote team culture. These sessions should instead focus on learning about individuals aside from their positions. Consider hosting social sessions quarterly and provide opportunities that encourage bonding. If your team is new to each other, you can make use of games, such as Jeopardy, to reveal unique and fun facts about members. Additionally, if your team relishes in challenges, consider hosting a virtual escape room where members have to collaborate in unique ways to accomplish goals. While these meetings may incorporate non-traditional elements, connect them back to your work, and ensure that everyone understands the aim is to develop bonds and trust amongst the team.
Encouraging Empathy
Remote work has many benefits; however, a prevalent challenge that seems to have persisted beyond the pandemic era is the potential for employees to experience feelings of isolation and loneliness. One effective strategy to combat this challenge is to schedule regular one-on-one meetings with each of your team members, specifically dedicating time to discussing their well-being. These sessions should go beyond typical work-related discussions and provide a safe space for employees to express their thoughts, concerns, and feelings in a supportive and confidential setting.
Regularly connect with your employees on a personal level to gain insights into their emotional states and identify signs of stress or burnout. You can also discuss symptoms that may be affecting their performance. Personalizing your approach with each individual will pay off over time and contribute to a work culture in which individuals feel heard and supported.
Sharing a Language and Process
Lacking physical proximity to your team will necessitate providing a new way for individuals to connect. To achieve this, start by ensuring that your team adopts unified platforms for communication and information sharing. While email remains a staple for business communication, consider incorporating a separate platform to host continuous dialogue. Applications such as Microsoft Teams and Slack allow groups to collaborate on documents in real-time and share information without the formalities of email exchanges. With both applications, your team members can seamlessly upload documents and edit them together while making comments.
Utilizing a shared intranet can also allow your team to have access to shared files and commonly utilized applications. An intranet is a private web-based network that only allows access to members within your organization. While you should customize this to your team’s needs, it is critical that everyone must be able to obtain and store the information they need wherever they are physically located.
Further, work management platforms such as Todoist and Google Tasks can help you track your team’s workflow. These applications allow you to create projects, assign participants, and check off to-do list items in real-time. You can also assign deadlines and organize items by the order of their priority for your team. These platforms can sync with your organization’s calendars and ensure that everyone knows who is responsible for specific tasks and what has been accomplished.
Trusting the Process
Leading a remote team requires everyone to develop an increased sense of trust. You will no longer have access to knowing exactly how your team members are approaching their responsibilities at all times. Instead, you will need to focus on setting clear goals and directions for your team without defining exactly how to get there. A best practice for encouraging productive remote workers is to empower your team to work however and wherever they need to accomplish their tasks. For some individuals, accepting a remote position may mean that they are now surrounded by family and distractions in their homes. In these cases, encourage team members to work from an alternative space, such as a library, coffee shop, or co-working center. Many libraries are now equipped with soundproof rooms in which individuals can reserve and create office set-ups away from their homes. For others who gain inspiration from social interactions, co-working spaces will allow them to recreate an office environment where they can bond with others throughout the day. One important caveat to this loosened approach to leadership, however, is that you will still want to require team members to be available during the same standard operating hours regardless of where they are. While you relinquish consistency of how and where work occurs, you will want to provide parameters for when people are available and when tasks need to be completed.
Navigating Uncharted Landscapes
Serving as a remote leader will provide you with unique challenges and opportunities. This new way of operating will require you to develop a strengthened sense of trust and camaraderie amongst a team that will rarely, if ever, meet. Ensure that you are providing everyone with the tools, resources, and knowledge they need to be successful. Lastly, focus on promoting the ‘why’ behind goals instead of the ‘how’ and remember that you are all charting this new territory together.
