How to Succeed as a (Newly) Virtual Leader

Previously, we discussed how it’s possible to communicate remotely and get work accomplished with the aid of ever more innovative digital technology. We then examined why this new way of working can present a challenge not only to virtual leaders but also to their team members. So let’s continue to explore more helpful ideas that can assist you in managing your virtual team in the best way possible!

Reset Roles and Responsibilities

Some people really love working remotely and have no desire to go back to normal office life. However, others may lack motivation or feel challenged in other ways. It might not be obvious who is struggling at first, but your job as a virtual leader is to assess how each team member is coping. So, during your one-on-one meetings, ask questions along the following lines:

·       How are things going for you?

·       What challenges are you facing? 

·       What is it you need to be successful? 

·       How can I, or other team members, help?

These discussions will give you the chance to re-evaluate each individual’s particular strengths and weaknesses. For example, you may discover that it’s necessary to move jobs or responsibilities around or enroll those who feel less comfortable in training sessions.

·       Example: One of your team members excels at running meetings in person but lacks either the facilitation or technical skills to conduct them remotely. 

·       Example: You have a team member who participated actively during in-person meetings but says hardly anything in virtual meetings.

Handle Change Carefully

Because change - like taking on new work or exchanging roles - can bring on sensitivities in people, it’s essential to shape any suggestions you make as opportunities to grow in the job. Your aim should be to diagnose your co-worker’s strongest and weakest points and provide them with guidance when they are struggling. By placing them where they can best succeed, you will be helping your colleague develop, and your entire team will become more productive. 

In your talks with each team member, ask for their thoughts and feedback on how the team can be improved. Remember that authenticity, respect, and empathy form the foundation of strong leadership.

Keep the Big Picture in Mind

When working remotely, it’s all too easy to stay glued to your computer, fielding email after email, in an earnest but completely unorganized fashion. With your to-do list squarely in front of you and no work colleagues to pull you out of your head, it’s tempting to stay buried in the weeds. 

However, you are a virtual leader, and people need to rely on you for direction, especially in these uncertain times. This means that you may have a multitude of small tasks filling up your calendar, but you need to be able to pick your head up and keep at least one eye on the bigger picture.

Carve Out Some Time for Strategy

Be sure to set aside some time to work on your organization’s business strategy vs. working in its business operations. For example, you can choose to block off some time on your calendar to think about strategy. Or, if your thoughts are already clear on that point, schedule a strategy session with your team. 

Use this time to revisit fundamental questions about your organization and the business it’s involved in. Ask yourself the following:

·       Do our customers (or clients) see our value proposition clearly? 

·       Can we find opportunities to enhance our business model? 

·       Are my team members sufficiently engaged, inspired, and productive to do their best work?

Here’s an idea from Michael Porter’s classic piece, What Is Strategy? He wrote:

“New [strategic] positions open up because of change…new needs emerge as societies evolve.”

What can you take from this? First, the changes you are experiencing because of the Covid-19 crisis will probably open up opportunities for your organization and you as a leader. Second, in a time when it’s easy to focus only on defense, it’s up to you as a virtual leader to take the offense and be on the lookout for new opportunities. 

Strengthen Your Company Culture

Right now, your team needs to feel connected to each other and also to your organization’s mission. A good way to accomplish this is to routinely schedule sessions for each team member to shine a spotlight on and share “wins” delivered to customers, the team, or the business as a whole.

Your aim should be to tie the sharing of these “bright spots” to the organization’s values, vision, or mission. At the same time, you should restate the organization’s purpose and the essential role played by everyone in striving to achieve it.

·       If time for meetings is tight, a quick email, slack page, or other non-verbal communication types can be used.

You also might want to consider prioritizing some team-building pathways that were somewhat less essential before your team members were scattered remotely. Some ideas are virtual social hours, fitness challenges, art sharing clubs, book clubs, meditation groups, team musical performances.

·       Even something as simple as beginning a meeting by asking people to share a video, a meme, or a photo that gives them joy can foster camaraderie. 

Virtual Leadership: Final Thoughts

Is there a silver lining to our current business environment? I would say yes. The virtual leadership skills you are building now in a time of crisis will still serve you after Covid-19 is finally in the past. While there is probably no reverting to exactly how things were before, new opportunities will continue to open up. 

We may be heading to completely virtual workforces on a scale we’ve never experienced before. But, thanks to this unforeseen time we are in, your virtual leadership skills can rise to meet the challenge.

If you feel you are way behind with the virtual skills necessary to lead effectively in this era of remote work, Shaping Development can help! Contact us to learn more.

Managing the Invisible Worker

One major result of the COVID-19 pandemic is the rise in the number of employees working remotely. This represents a revolutionary transformation of the workplace. After all, before the advent of modern technology, the only option (and the pre-COVID norm) was for people to work together under one roof. Accordingly, management techniques have relied heavily on physical proximity and “face time.”

As more companies become location-independent by integrating remote working into their business models, managerial strategies need to change. If you are increasingly finding yourself having to manage remote employees, here are some helpful strategies.

1.    Let Go of Face Time

One key feature of traditional management has been the reliance on face time as a performance indicator. During fixed hours of the day, people viewed in their office chairs are assumed to be working (whether or not they really are!). So if your team members are working remotely in their pajamas, how can you tell who is really working? And what if you have some employees in the office while others are working from home?

What is necessary here is a move to focusing more on management by objectives. This technique should be used for everyone, regardless of whether they are working remotely or in the office.

2.    Treat Remote and In-Office Team Members Equally

A major component of successfully managing a team with remote and in-office workers is equal treatment. It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of out-of-sight, out-of-mind when you can’t see some of your team members.

This strategy doesn’t just apply to teams with a mix of in-office and at-home workers; it also applies to any dispersed company. If you are not in the same room or on the same floor as everyone else you work with, you need to develop the mindset that everyone is a remote worker.

You may already be halfway there in this way of thinking. If you have to take an elevator between three or more floors or walk between buildings in the rain, you behave as if the other person is remote by typically using email or the phone instead of face time.

3.    Adapt Traditional Management Techniques

All remote managers should actively use traditional management techniques such as regular one-on-one meetings, recognition for work done well, development of trust, delegation of authority, and regular reviews with no surprises. However, to manage today’s increasingly remote workforce, virtual connection and collaboration skills are essential to build solid relationships, drive accountability, manage projects, and deliver results.

The Benefits of Effective Remote Management

·        Improved worker retention: Remote working options enable people to have more control over where and when they work best. This is widely acknowledged to increase employee engagement and satisfaction and reduce employee turnover. Moreover, people can continue to work for an organization even if they relocate, removing the need to fill vacant positions.

·        A wider applicant pool: Remote work enables companies to hire the best person for the job, regardless of location. It also attracts qualified people who cannot or don’t choose to commute to an office - think a parent with young children, a caregiver with an aging parent, and individuals with disabilities.

·        Emergency preparedness: If coworkers are situated in one physical office, then there is an organizational single-point-of-failure. However, teams can continue to operate in a virtual environment even if the company’s physical building is closed or if transportation is disrupted by strikes, snowstorms, earthquakes, or some other significant event.

The Future of Remote Management Is Here

Statistics about remote work show that before the pandemic, many people were working from home occasionally. The number of remote workers has continued to grow and has been greatly accelerated by COVID-19.

The reality faced by managers today is vastly different from that of previous generations. In today’s day and age, many organizations have dispersed teams that may extend across different cities, states, and countries. Remote working is here to stay, which means you need to develop expertise in remote management techniques.

Need Help to Develop Your Management Skills?

Shaping Development offers you Personal Development Coaching tailored to your unique needs. Let us help you shape the skills necessary to lead and manage in this new era of remote working. Contact us for more information!