As the COVID-19 pandemic dominates the international headline, team leaders are left to deal with an unusual predicament. Normally, their team shares the same office, greets each other with a handshake, and fills the same table during a meeting. Sadly, as the old normal takes a full 360-degree turn, team leaders are left with no choice but to adapt to a new tack.
A lot of questions were raised after the new workplace set-up. Like, how will they hold a meeting via Google Hangouts rather than face-to-face? How will they handle upcoming deadlines? Most of all, how will they motivate their team to do as good, if not better, than ever before? For team leaders, this host of new challenges will surely test their aptness, professionalism, and patience even more.
But as much as work-from-home can be fraught with challenges, a great leader surely knows the way out of the labyrinth. After all, they equip themselves with the right mindset and solutions to ease the transition. Here, we have identified universal ways of how great leaders manage a remote team.
1. Organize a daily check-in
From one-on-one calls to team calls, depending on collaboration, every successful team leader reserves time to check-in on their remote employees. Their calls act as a forum in which employees can evaluate their concerns and impediments.
2. Establish positive reinforcement
An effective leader knows how to hand out positive comments to employees who deserve it. Positive reinforcement is a great teaching tool that encourages an employee to repeat the performance you want to see more of.
One great technique they apply when giving a positive buildup is providing a clear picture of their commendable performance. For instance, rather than saying, “Great job on the report,” they say, “Hey John, good job on your well-constructed report! I love how you included those extra data analyses. They were very creative.” In such a way, the employee will aim to achieve that same favorable performance again.
3. Don’t micro-manage remote employees
It’s natural to be curious about how engaged your remote staffs are with their on-going projects. Sure they might ask, how will they be able to produce quality outputs while keeping themselves and their loved ones safe?
But a leader must always see the forest through the trees. Instead of focusing on the inputs, they focus on overall outputs and accomplishments. Even though productivity may not be as strong as it was before, they assume the best in their employees and trust that they’re doing the best they can.
4. Provide open communications
Being approachable doesn’t mean you have to be everyone’s friend. But a great leader always ensures that their employees feel comfortable bringing news, be it good or bad. They skip the “how’s it going” portion and instead engage remote employees by asking genuine questions. Moreover, a great leader sets clear rules on how and when they want to be contacted by their team. In this way, they are giving their employees the chance to consult them while establishing boundaries still.
5. Persist tirelessly
Leaders feel a blast of energy even when logging in to a meeting at 3:00 in the meeting. Oftentimes, managing remote workers means different time zones. And different timezones mean long working days and oddball hours. They are not fixated on a 9-to-5 mindset. Instead, they adapt to a flexible schedule by implementing tactics like including breaks between work hours.
6. Offer empathy and emotional support
With most workers juggling endless distractions and struggles, effective team leaders always try to listen to their concerns and challenges. They know what to say to express the support their team needs, especially through these bizarre times.
The company’s people are its most valuable assets. Leaders acknowledge and validate that by sending their fair share of support to their employees who need it at the moment.
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