Managing your remote team
Leading a remote team can be a challenging job. Even more so when your employees are used to being in an office. Following are some of the tips what we have learnt so far for managing your team remotely.
Whether you’re trying to quickly adapt to a remote management situation, or settling into the role for the long-term, the same fundamentals need to be put in place to build solid communication, performance, and employee growth. It might feel difficult, even unintuitive, at first, but it’s our job as managers to create a great place to work. And it’s oh-so-rewarding to have a productive team that is flexible, independent, and brings diverse perspectives to the table.
- Hire doers and trust them
Doers will get stuff done even if they are working from a secluded island. You don’t have to give doers tasks to know that something will get done. You’ll still have to provide direction and guidance around the most important things to be executed, but in the absence of that, a doer will make something happen. Remote work stops working when you can’t trust the person on the other end of the line. If you continually find yourself worrying what someone is doing, then you are spending brain cycles focusing on something other than the product or customers. Trust is key.
The flip side of this is you also need to exhibit trust with the people you hire. As a manager, you need to learn to manage by expectations rather than by “butts in seat,” so make sure you can show trust in those you hire.
- Software/tools
In a co-located facility, you can always round up the team for an all-hands meeting to steer everyone on track. In a remote team, you’ll need the right tools to make sure everyone stays on the same page and can continue to execute without a physical person standing next to them.
As a manager, your job is to keep your team connected. Communication tools are a simple way to keep everyone engaged. While email and text messages might be a short-term solution, tools like Slack, Twist, or Microsoft Teams are far better suited for collaboration and communication. Some of those collaboration tools are even available for free right now.
Right now, remote working–or, working from home–has become more than a trend. It’s now a necessity for companies all across the globe. As a result, there are thousands of team leaders and managers who find themselves suddenly managing a completely remote team.
3. Communicate a Lot
It probably goes without saying that you should be in regular communication with your team. One of the hardest things about working from home, especially if you’re used to an office environment, is the sense of loneliness and isolation that can set in. That’s especially true considering that many people are practicing social distancing. Finally, to reiterate – communication is key!
- Manage Expectations
Help your team figure out what they should do and create realistic expectations for their work. By the way, “managing expectations” applies to you as a manager as well. Set yourself and your team up for success by clearly stating both the tasks and the reasons behind them, and help your team understand exactly how you will measure success.
That means defining the scope, deadlines, and deliverables for each task or project your team is working on. Otherwise, don’t be surprised if a few weeks from now you find yourself wondering what everyone was doing. Which brings us to …
- Focus on Outcomes, Not Activity
It’s not possible to manage every aspect of the work done by a remote team. For what it’s worth, you shouldn’t be trying to manage every aspect of any team’s work, but especially when your team is distributed across different locations. Instead of focusing on activity or hours worked, focus on the outcomes and measure your team accordingly.
- Be Flexible
Understand that, especially in the current environment, your team has a lot going on. That’s not an excuse for not getting things done, but it is a reason to reconsider what productivity really means. Punching a clock for eight hours is out. Regular work hours are also probably out for many people. Instead, trust your team and give them the freedom and flexibility to get work done on the schedule that helps them be the most productive. That’s good for your team in the long run anyway.
