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The rapid shift to remote and digital work has changed the way leaders manage their teams. According to the experts at Elabor8, agile leaders are in demand more than ever to provide the adaptive leadership and clear and concise guidance employees need to feel confident and connected in their work.
Traditional leadership models and management styles have shifted away from simply overseeing tasks and results. Remote team management now needs to be more compassionate and empathetic as circumstances force leaders to confront the challenges of their human-centric teams.
Agile leaders can build their team’s trust by recognizing and responding to their teams’ increased uncertainty.
It begins by recognizing and emphasizing that people face not only physical and social isolation, but also potential threats to their job security. Understanding how this can impact their productivity and participation is an important first step. As leaders, this does not mean downplaying feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. Rather, it means being open about a shared experience and finding comfort in being vulnerable.
Building a mutually trusted relationship with your team will give them the confidence to come to you with problems before they escalate. Prioritizing time to check the mental safety of your team (and yourself) gives you the opportunity to raise awareness of personal circumstances that may affect work (remote school, caring for relatives).
Use guided questions to encourage them to share their work experiences, such as: what is the best part of your day? What challenges do you face in the current situation? What positive thing can you tell me about another team member? These types of questions can help open up discussion and demonstrate a willingness to listen to the issues raised and take action.
Even though the world of work has changed dramatically, reassure teams that the fundamentals and shared values remain the same. Reassuring your team that work will continue, encouraging collaboration, communication and clear lines of reporting and accountability can help ease anxiety and uncertainty.
Remote team management means being in control without being controlled
Be aware of the influence of language. As a leader, you don’t have all the answers, but rather you help your team by listening and asking open-ended questions so they can better reflect and understand what they need to do. Switch to answer phrases that encourage communication and get to the heart of issues, such as:
- Here’s what’s happening and what it means for us
- Here is the most important thing
- What can we test and start learning from?
- What have we learned, what do we need to respond to?
- How can I help you solve this?
- Is what you are doing consistent with our approach?
- I trust your judgment
Transition to autonomous teams
When it comes to managing a remote team, some leaders face new obstacles to leading successfully. Being away from cramped office spaces and regular formal and informal meetings, as well as the pressure to deliver projects and results on time, can raise issues of personal responsibility, trust in the team and the need to over-control results.
But what if, as a leader, you could pass the reins of needing to be the master problem solver to your team? What would it mean for your colleagues to think of solutions and be coached instead of told?
In his highly regarded work on purpose-based leadership, David Marquet presents some principles of capable leaders that are even more true in the context of remote work:
- Focus on achieving greatness (don’t avoid mistakes)
- Making people think (not telling them what to do)
- To make people feel safe
- Pushing authority on information
- Fixing the environment (not the people)
- Acting your way to new thinking
At the heart of purpose-based leadership is the notion that leaders who empower their team with the autonomy to make confident and informed decisions in a safe environment will be rewarded with higher-performing teams that are more connected to their work and society.
The transition to remote work presents a unique opportunity to try out new delegation strategies, team structures and collaborative approaches, allowing teams to step into new roles and take on new challenges under your leadership.
Avoiding the trap of micromanaging a remote team
Many workplaces have relegated remote work to the “too hard” bin for years because it presents too many problems. How can I make sure my team is working? What if they just watch Netflix all day? How do I know they’re working hard enough if I can’t see them?
We are now in a situation where confrontation with these perceptions is inevitable. If we look closely, we see that these assumptions come from a culture of micromanagement. Micromanagement is driven by uncertainty – but it creates a vicious cycle as decisions are delayed, work overloaded and vital information withheld because colleagues feel threatened by others.
Remote work presents a challenge for micromanagers because they are forced into situations where they are forced to let teams work more autonomously, have reduced visibility, and may have preconceived notions about remote work and their team.
When micromanagement becomes a problem, the best solution is clear communication about assumptions and expectations. This can mean acknowledging how you feel to the team – “I’m worried that this project won’t be delivered on time, can we make some agreements about response times and task updates?”
Implementing clear guidelines about tasks, responsibilities, and project progress through tools like Trello, Asana, or a digital Kanban board can provide reassurance that everything is on track and taken care of.
Essential keys to building aligned remote teams
The success (or otherwise) of remote teams will depend on how well they align with the company’s strategy and goals. This relates to communication, collaboration and the team’s level of trust.
A communication strategy with the team should include a discussion of how they can align their work with the expectations and outcomes of key stakeholders.
Some tips for creating aligned teams of remote workers include:
- Decide when the meetings will be held and who must attend them. This includes informal meetings such as planning meetings and progress discussions.
- Choose one or two communication channels to keep everything in one place and less likely to be overlooked.
- Have clear boundaries between work time, response time, and private time—ask people to share their best available time with the team, set expectations for how soon you’ll need answers, and encourage “switching off” at other times.
- Support time for “off-task” activities that you’ve lost by moving to remote work, such as shared online lunch or coffee breaks and time for learning and professional development.
- Allow enough time to summarize the actions and clarify the expected outcome so that your meetings end well.
Strategies like new delegation methods or seeking feedback will give you insight by measuring your team’s level of engagement. The transition to remote leadership is a great opportunity to try new ways of working and communicating, as well as a chance to increase the effectiveness of leaders.
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