John Eades* says with the current Coronavirus emergency many teams are working remotely for the first time. He has some advice for making success out of this adversity.
Working remotely is finally here because of the Coronavirus, and many managers just got uncomfortable.
Not only because of the virus, but now they are being forced to lead a remote team.
Executive leaders at organisations like Wells Fargo, Amazon, Apple, Google, and many small to medium-sized businesses have instituted remote work policies to keep employees safe.
While I commend these companies, there is no doubt there are many managers that are now responsible for leading a remote team without any prior experience.
Leading teams is hard. Leading an entire team that’s new to working remotely is even harder.
Many people can manage a remote team, but leading them is much different.
A leader is someone whose actions inspire, empower, and serve in order to elevate others over an extended period of time.
Add a remote workforce and living out this definition of leadership becomes challenging for a few key reasons.
These include team member uncertainty and fear regarding Coronavirus; technology issues related to working remotely and often less work because of the slowdown.
If you find yourself in a position of leadership and are now responsible for leading a remote team, here are a few best practices to help ensure you are leading and not managing.
Embrace Flexibility: The biggest hurdle is the mindset shift required to be successful.
Working remotely doesn’t mean people have to be tied to their desks from 8am to 5pm.
In fact, it’s an opportunity to align with what employees already want – flexibility.
In a recent Deloitte study, 94 per cent of respondents said they would benefit from workplace flexibility in the form of remote work and flexible hours.
It’s time to let go of the old belief system and to trust your people.
Make sure they know they have the flexibility to manage their own time.
One of the significant benefits of remote work is being able to go for a walk, enjoy a workout, or have lunch/dinner with family.
Many people are balancing their children being home during this time as well.
Address the Problems Head-On: When my seven-year-old son found out two weeks of school were cancelled, he beamed with excitement.
He didn’t realise he would be doing his schoolwork from home, not taking an extended break.
Most professionals are working from home for the first time, and it’s essential to ensure the entire team is on the same page.
The best way for organisations to continue to thrive is for people to work hard in the face of adversity.
Each person is now responsible for their results more than ever, and the mindset of working remotely versus a passive mindset is paramount.
Educate them on the typical struggles they will face working from home.
The recent report found the biggest struggles for remote workers to be the following.
Collaboration and communication; loneliness; not being able to unplug, and distractions.
Instead of avoiding these, make your team members aware of the struggles they are likely to face and ask them how they are going to create systems to overcome them.
Maintain Team Meetings: If you are leading a remote team, your ability to run effective team meetings will make or break you.
Not only do they provide a platform for communication and connection, but most importantly, they will keep everyone engaged and accountable if done correctly.
Set a weekly Zoom meeting (video on) on Monday or Tuesday and require everyone on the team to attend.
My favourite structure for effective remote team meetings goes like this.
Personal Updates — Weekend activities, news, etc.; overview message about current priorities and recent wins, and individual updates.
With this last one, each team member updates the entire group with three things: One thing they did last week that helped; what they are working on this week, and where they need help.
If there isn’t enough work to do because of the current environment, these team meetings are an opportunity to challenge yourself and your team members.
Urge them to be proactive in finding new ways to aid the organisation or develop skills they didn’t previously possess.
Show Authentic Appreciation and Care: You won’t have the opportunities to show appreciation for the work your team is doing in person.
So it’s essential you show members authentic appreciation in one way or another.
Something as simple as a “thank you” text will go a long way.
If you have been leading a remote team for a while or you are brand new, know you are capable of leading your remote team through this unprecedented time.
Embrace the discomfort of your virtual environment and elevate your people to higher levels of performance.
*John Eades is the Chief Executive of LearnLoft a leadership development company. He can be contacted at johneades.com.
This article first appeared on John’s LearnLoft blog.
