Effective leadership in a global workplace requires more creativity and diligence than ever before. Never in the history of the world have more people worked so far apart geographically yet more closely for critical deliverables.
Gallup recently reported that 29% of remote-capable jobs are exclusively remote, while another 52% are hybrid.1 The challenges arise with remote team members residing in time zones across varying states and provinces, regions and continents. Finishing the math, you see that only 20% are fully onsite as of this poll.
How to Lead Remote Teams
It is essential for remote leaders first to understand the challenges that arise when managing remote teams. Obstacles that can originate from working remotely include:
- Minimal in-person supervision
- Social isolation
- Difficulty maintaining work-life balance
- Trouble accessing information
- Unlimited distractions at home
Good leaders view challenges as opportunities to grow and develop solutions to ensure their team continues performing as expected. Below are some steps to take to ease the transition.
Establish Expectations
Remote work becomes more productive and rewarding when managers set clear rules of engagement. Every team member should have a clear outline of their goals, responsibilities and standard daily tasks—set communication guidelines for how the dispersed team will function effectively as a unit.
Invite the team to create these expectations together—a “team agreement”—so there is fairness and ownership, which leads to mutual accountability. Also, set expectations for the optimum times of day for team members to contact their manager and the manager to contact each team member.
Provide Well-Structured Communication
For remote or hybrid teams, a little overcommunication is best. Schedule regular calls with project teams to assess progress toward their goals—record meetings to allow people to review portions at their convenience. Follow meetings with succinct written summaries that confirm decisions, assignments and due dates. Allow your team to establish norms so they know where and how to reach you and each other quickly and where and how to capture work where several are contributing concurrently.
Make an extra effort to keep remote personnel updated on corporate and departmental news. As a leader, you should provide feedback on any changed priorities. When finished, step back while remaining available for questions and comments. Consider conducting video chats regularly to foster camaraderie among colleagues, as well as holding online celebrations, such as a virtual birthday or work anniversary party.
Build Trust Within Your Team
Although regular communication is essential, avoid micromanagement. Employees must have confidence that you trust they work as hard as they would at the office, including keeping similar working hours and retaining productivity.
If you check in with remote employees throughout the day and ask them to show their work, they may believe you do not trust them. Remote teams can be effective, especially with a supportive manager. Your support, guidance and trust will go a long way toward assisting your team in producing their best work while also helping them feel connected to the organization.
Personalize Your Approach With Each Employee
Ask each person regularly what is working well and what isn’t. Inquire about the team members’ views of fairness and be willing to adapt processes and standards to work well for all. Polls and surveys could be helpful here with a large team. Encourage their ideas and solutions, then commit to any changes you want to make or even try temporarily. Exercise humility and empathy as you receive feedback that may surprise you. Commit in word and deed that distance or lack of in-person contact will not hinder the team’s optimal performance.
Don’t Presume They Are Available 24/7
Compelling everyone to be available for 16-18 hours is unreasonable. Research confirms that engagement, productivity and innovation decline when people don’t step away to enjoy personal pursuits like rest, family and hobbies. As much as you want your team members to work hard and care about their success, you want to avoid putting them at risk of burnout by always asking them to be available.
Set a precedent that after-hours emails or messages will not be responded to until the next workday (unless urgent) and then practice what you preach! It is necessary to teach this by example. Setting clear boundaries between work and non-work life is critical for remote jobs, as it will help keep team members happier and more productive.
Don’t Assume Remote Is Easier and Overload Your Employees
Every person has the same number of hours in a day and a personal capacity for knowledge, attention, creativity and skill. Not being in close proximity to some teammates can create challenges that make remote work more difficult, not less.
Don’t Micromanage
This is the quickest way to erode and destroy trust with those you lead. The Situational Leadership® Model enables you to vary your leadership style and avoid excessive under and over-leading, preventing bias in leading certain people one way and others another. Reporting work hours and output is broadly understood, particularly by those working remotely, so establishing how every team member (office, hybrid, remote) will be responsible to the others for their portions of the work should be settled as a team. Revisit this element of the team agreement regularly to maintain transparency and accountability.
Don’t Forget the Human Element
Each person has a desire to work and build a successful career. Each joined the organization for a reason and likely resonated with the organization’s mission, values, products and services. Each wants their skill and experience to be used and valued. Each needs affirmation, appreciation and even celebration for workplace accomplishments.
Use a checklist, if necessary, to ensure that you thank each person frequently and sincerely for their hard work. With four generations in the workplace, use all avenues—email, texts, digital message boards, “shout-outs” verbally in formal gatherings and even hand-written notes. Ask which they prefer so your message is received.
Learn More With The Center for Leadership Studies
Leaders in companies worldwide are winning the battle to facilitate clear communication and consistent engagement in their global and remote teams. We trust that every tip given here will propel you to more effective leadership and engagement of remote teams.
Are you interested in learning more? Discover how Remote Leadership enables leaders to increase communication, create trust and inspire cooperation among their remote teams!
