In recent times, the concept of working remotely has gained huge popularity, with many organizations adopting it. This is a great opportunity for employers as they enjoy unlimited human resources that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. But, sadly, most organizations lose such workers since they lack certain leadership and collaborative skills needed to manage them.
This article is tailored with information to help you effectively build and manage your remote teams. Also, you can learn more from Elaine Broe and utilize her step-by-step formula to help you apply the tips for amazing results.
Table of Contents
Build Effective Communication
If you want to see any relationship wither much easier and faster, simply destroy the communication link. The same applies in organizations comprising several people. So, to keep them abreast with the team’s progress, you must create a means to regularly and effectively communicate.
Also, try to bond with your team members a bit personally. This ignites their sense of involvement and sparks motivation towards achieving the team’s objective. Also, you need to promote solidarity between team members. The inability of members to communicate well can be a problem. So create schemes to make them interact among themselves helps foster collaboration and teamwork.
Social media can be very instrumental in promoting interaction between team members. Thankfully, all the platforms are easily available. Online video meetings are now very common with some technologies, including Zoom and Whatsapp.
Keep Them Motivated
Being around people who share the same goals and objectives is a great way to keep you going. Unfortunately, while on-site workers enjoy this luxury naturally and daily, the reverse is the case for remote team members. This makes them slowly deteriorate in their work efficiency and involvement.
A good way to keep them motivated is by relating with them as real humans instead of hollering robotic commands. Also, be aware that your remote team members are prone to individual challenges. So try to show support- including help with systems, procedure, and processes- where you can, to help them sail through.
Showing appreciation for a good job delivery boosts their sense of self-fulfillment. Also, letting them make their own decision can boost their interest in the job. Lastly, people crave status, respect, and positions, so satisfy those cravings to keep them up. To do this, delegate more responsibilities, reward efforts with incentives, and design regular promotion methods.
Familiarize Each Team Member With The Goal
As much as having certain goals and objectives is important, informing team members about them is more important. Some leaders fall into the trap of keeping the goals to themselves while they delegate individual tasks to team members. This usually leads to situations where individual members take different approaches towards different goals, resulting in the stagnation of the entire team due to a lack of proper collaboration.
To achieve this, make sure the goal is clear enough. In addition to this, they must be realistic, measurable, and achievable. Then give each member a platform to recommend ways to reach these set goals. That way, they get a better and broader understanding of what is required to get the job done. In addition to the active involvement in the decision-making process, they tend to see the project as ‘personal.’
Finally, it is in your position as the leader to make team members aware of their role and its importance. That way, they give members an idea of the big picture and how they individually fit in.
Your Style Of Leadership Matters
The style of leadership you use in office settings should differ to some extent when it comes to remote workers. So there are several key strategies you should adopt to help you effectively manage remote team members. Some of them include building trust, promoting transparency, encouraging creativity, promoting optimism, and showing care.
Leaders who promote a virtual open-door strategy make room for honest dialogue. This sets the foundation for trust, boosts credibility, and makes room for individual responsibility. Also, optimism among your remote team members as they are prone to the anxiety of what’s in the future for them. Staying positive yet truthful can help team members stay confident in their abilities.
Lastly, reward creativity among members of your team. Most employees crave an opportunity to contribute to the organization but are afraid of rejection. Encourage them by making them conscious of the fact that their ideas are important for solving problems and fostering growth.
Conclusion
In our present-day society, the recent COVID-19 outbreak has made it necessary for some companies to adopt remote work settings. The information we’ve shared above aims at helping leaders manage their remote workers. However, this information can help you if you head an office. This is because good leadership results in efficiency, growth, and productivity. It is important for on-site workers and more critical for remote workers you do not see every day.