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.

Time Management for Leaders: 7 Tried and True Tips

As a leader, it seems that many things conspire to prevent you from focusing on your main roles – increasing sales and propelling your organization forward. This is why effective time management for leaders is crucial to your success. And, it's not just about getting everything done – it's also about having a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day and avoiding burnout. The following are seven time management tips for leaders to help you balance your responsibilities.

1.    Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize

Prioritizing what you want to accomplish is your number one time management for leaders step. Commit to writing the most important tasks you want to get done this week and this month. You can even go further out and include this quarter or even this year. Your list should be confined to the level of tasks (not projects.)

·      Example: Your project might be preparing for an upcoming tradeshow. Your tasks might be training your staff to manage your booth or getting your marketing materials ready.

Give each task a deadline but leave some blank time to cope with those unexpected tasks that will inevitably pop up to steal away your time and attention. 

2.    Avoid Robo-Checking Your Email

Your email inbox is waiting to enslave you! Don't let yourself be subjugated. Set aside regular times to read and reply to messages. Let your co-workers and employees know when you will be electronically available. Request that they only contact you during your offline hours by calling or texting with urgent issues. And don't be tempted to respond to those email pings and pop-ups that will keep alerting you even when you've gone home for the day. Silence your phone when you retire for the night or leave it in another room.

3.    Organize Your Emails

You'll spend less time in your inbox if it's organized. Here are some ways to keep your inbox from taking you over.

·      Delete emails you're never going to read again.

·      Unsubscribe from those recurring emails you never read.

·      Use folders and categories to keep your inbox organized. Use labels such as Action Items, Reference, Waiting, and Archives. If you have no problem keeping on top of your folders – particularly those labeled Action and Waiting – use them as your daily to-do list.

·      Have your mail automatically sorted into particular folders as soon as it comes in. 

·      Make use of a helpful app such as Boomerang for Gmail. With Boomerang, you can draft an email and then schedule it to go out later. You can "boomerang" a message out of your inbox and have it return later when you actually need to address it. You can also receive a reminder if you haven't received a reply from a recipient after X number of days.

4.    Use Your Calendar Wisely

Choose the kind of calendar that works best for you - on your computer, on your phone, or the old fashioned way - on paper. Better yet, use a calendar that you can access on your desktop and on all of your devices. Immediately transfer any appointments you quickly jot down on paper on to your calendar. You could also use your calendar to schedule specific times to complete a task or a project. 

Most electronic calendars also allow you to create several overlapping calendars, e.g., a personal and a work calendar. This is a helpful feature to avoid double-booking yourself. Some people like to have a planning calendar. When there's an event you might attend, or if you're going back and forth with someone to schedule an appointment, you put it on your plan calendar. So they look tentative in your schedule, assign a light color to your plan calendar appointments. When plans firm up, you can transfer them to your work or personal calendar.

5.    Make Your Meetings More Productive

Every leader knows how hard it is to get anything else done when spending most of the day in meetings. When you head up a meeting, make it more productive and efficient right off the bat by clarifying the meeting's goals and objectives from the outset. Before heading to the conference room, ask yourself the following questions:

·      What am I looking to achieve?

·      What do I want agreement on? 

·      How can I best get a list of action items?

6.    Book Meetings for Less Time

Just like household items expand to fill a larger house, meetings tend to stretch out to fill up the available time. If there's a sense of time constraint because of a shorter meeting time, people are more likely to get to the meat of the matter and wrap up their points more quickly. Remember, when the meeting ends and attendees still have questions or concerns, you can always sit down with them individually or schedule a follow-up meeting.

7.    Schedule All Your Meetings Back-to-Back

It's harder to concentrate on other things when you're anticipating your next meeting. You're less likely to be at your best if you frequently have to interrupt what you are doing. So, if you can, set up all your meetings back-to-back. This way, the rest of your day won't be broken up by another conference. 

Time Management for Leaders: Final Thoughts

There's a lot of time-saving advice on time management for leaders out there. Please remember that what works for others might not feel right for you. So, don't feel guilty if you abandon a strategy that doesn't suit your personality or needs. If you find that you are struggling with time management, let Shaping Development help you manage your time. It’s worth your time to book a consultation with us to see how we can assist.