Leading Remotely

Finding effective way to lead and manage your team remotely is all about finding a rhythm that works for you and them.

The key elements to Remote Leadership are:-

• Trust
• Duty of Care
• Overall Purpose
• Interpersonal skills
• Energy

Trust

Trust underpins every relationship we have, and when we have limited face time with each other we need to ensure we have a really good foundation of Trust.  Finding common ground is a good starting point, whether it be supporting the same football team or having children of similar ages, these are all good talking points to establish the relationship.  Trust is also knowing that you are "there", albeit remotely, make it clear that you will at certain points in the day be available for the Team.  Delegating effectively  so that the Team own tasks and can acquire new responsibilities and use their own initiative are all incredibly motivating and empowering, and can only be done with that bedrock of Trust. 

Duty of Care

When everyone is remote it is imperative that you check they have all they need in terms of equipment and resources. Whilst not in the office everyone needs to understand the Company policies and procedures and be able to ask any questions for clarity.   Mental Health Wellbeing must be monitored by asking "How are YOU?" no really "How are YOU?"  rather than just the work check-in.  As a Team it is a good idea to set boundaries of how you all want to work with each other.  What are the core hours? when is it OK to message and when is not OK to message?  Set the cadence of how often to meet and decide on the form of those different touch points, eg. One to one meeting, Teams chat, Team catch up etc...

Overall Purpose

When leading remotely your team members should know the answers to the questions below:-

1.What am I here to do?

2.What do I have at my disposal to do it?

3.What do I need to know to succeed?

4.Who are my key stakeholders?

5.How am I being measured?

6.What behaviours are rewarded in this culture?

7.What behaviours are looked down upon in this culture?

Interpersonal Skills

As a remote leader you will need enhanced empathy skills, an understanding of all things you can't see, therefore a 

bigger lens on individuals lives.  Sharing your own life examples provides that level of humility which makes you more

relatable.  Being genuine and authentic will make you REAl.

Energy

Asking the Team how they recharge their batteries and even giving them space to do this.  For example if playing football is key for their mental health and their fitness and it means logging off early every Wednesday, be that Leader who accomodates. Checking in on resilience levels, ask them whether they are on a 10 or lower, and explore what is going on.  Discuss how they can take micro breaks and encourage the macro breaks, chat naturally with them about holiday plans.  Share with them your own energy patterns.

Find the rhythm that works for you and your team and will be the key to finding “sweet music”