Managing A Remote Team

You have a fantastic team of people under your managerial eye. They’re committed, skilled, and hardworking and… all in separate locations. Welcome to the new normal, where leading a remote team is an essential skill you’ll need to acquire.

The face-to-face interaction that we previously relied on has now been replaced by virtual connection demanding even more effort in delegating, stimulating, and communicating.

Working with remote teams comes with many challenges and how these challenges are overcome will separate a manager from a leader. Structure and guidelines are more essential than ever – but so is being supportive, empathetic, and resilient. Leading a team that you don’t see daily requires some innovation when it comes to methods of communication and workflow. 

Here are a few tips for leading your remote teams to success:

Communication and trust – resist the urge to micromanage.

Trust your team to do their work and provide precise goals and expectations, so each team member understands what their everyday priorities are. 

Develop and implement clear remote work policies.

These policies should include how to address security concerns, logistics, workflows, and processes for communication. Something to focus on here is establishing expectations around responding to after-hours emails and texts. This helps employees maintain a healthy work/life balance and prevents them from burning out which, without the physical separation between home and the office, can be more common when working from home.

Engage with your remote team daily – build a sense of belonging and purpose.

Daily calls can be valuable to assess workloads and address any issues. This could be as easy as routinely checking how your team is feeling and asking if they need any extra support.

Remember to listen and engage with your team. The more valued they feel, the more motivated they will be – which is more important now than ever that a central workspace isn’t there to create that sense of cohesion and to work towards a common goal. Working remotely can be a lonely business where not feeling heard or valued can lead your team tofeel despondent.

As a manager, you have it in you to lead a remote team successfully, and you must regularly apply the above skills to instil a sense of routine and consistency.

Sign up with us at https://mind-channel.com/course-list/#remote-working to find out more about how to successfully manage your team remotely, as well as other highly relevant COVID-19 related skills that you and your team could benefit from.