For some people, working from home and communicating through digital mediums like Slack, Zoom, and WebEx has been the norm for years. Many business models have long supported virtual work as a necessity to accommodate employees and clients in various locations. Still, while technology has improved our ability to get work done and communicate remotely, managers haven’t always had a set of best practices for leading remote teams at a high capacity.
My intent here is to challenge leaders to pause and identify what they need to do differently to not only sustain but also strengthen their skills in a virtual setting.
First, it’s important to be aware of the factors that make working together virtually such a challenge:
With these factors as a backdrop, ask yourself five questions to ensure you are being the best leader you can be as you manage your team from home.
Strong leaders practice strategic communications in every interaction, be it a full-day meeting, an hour-long meeting, a sales call, a one-on-one check-in, or even an email. But communicating virtually requires even more strategic planning because you can’t rely as much on human connection or charisma to carry you. Before every exchange, take time to think about your purpose, audience, and the context of the exchange. Then write down your objectives, agenda, and the amount of time you want to spend on each item.
It helps to make your objectives broader than usual. For example, what do you want the other person (or people) to feel after you talk? Challenge yourself to up the engagement quotient to make up for the deficit of face-to-face interaction. This means asking more questions during your interactions, checking in with team members to make sure you are aligned, and leaving extra time for those moments to take place during presentations or group meetings.
Revisit and potentially revamp your communication protocols with direct reports, employees, board members, and any other audiences you regularly work with, especially as more of your operations become virtual. For example, think about how you will run your weekly check-ins with team members. Will you hold these meetings by phone, over Slack, or through a scheduled video call? While best practice says video is best, you may need to adjust your approach based on the preferences of individual employees. The same goes for meetings with clients and other stakeholders.
Using a table in a Word document or Google Sheet can help you create a comprehensive plan for different types of meetings. Create at least four columns, including one for each of the below items:
Fill out your table based on how you worked prior to becoming virtual, then revamp the entire plan to adjust to your situation.
As you begin to revamp, challenge everything you considered best practice before, from the size of your meetings to the time allotted. Ask: Should a video call be used for all announcements, or can I simply write a status report to update the team? Do I need to schedule more check-ins with my direct reports to make up for the lack of being in-person? Does that meeting that took an hour in the office need to last the full 60 minutes online? Should each communication be followed by a detailed email summary to keep everyone on the same page?
Looking at the entire plan will allow you to optimize it.
Some people thrive when working remotely, while others may feel a lack of motivation or encounter other unforeseen challenges. Though it may not always be apparent who is struggling, as a leader, it’s your job to check in regularly with team members about how they are coping. During your one-on-ones, ask, “How are things going for you? What challenges are you facing? What do you think you need to be successful? How can I, or the team, help?”
Through these discussions, reevaluate each person’s strengths and weaknesses. You may find that you need to shift responsibilities around or invest in training sessions for those who feel less comfortable. For example, one of your team members might excel at running meetings in person but lack either the technical or facilitation skills to run them remotely. Or you may find that you have an individual who participates actively during in-person meetings but not as actively in virtual ones.
Because change—like shifting a role and taking on new work—can bring up sensitivities in people, it’s important to frame any suggestions you make as opportunities for growth. By diagnosing your direct report’s strongest and weakest points, placing them where they can succeed, and providing them with guidance when they are struggling, you will not only help your team be more productive, you will help your employees develop. In these conversations, be sure to ask for their feedback and thoughts with respect to how the team can improve. Remember that respect, authenticity, and caring are foundational to strong leadership.
When you’re working remotely, it’s easy to focus solely on the tactical—to stay glued to your computer, fielding email after email, in an earnest, unorganized fashion. With your to-do list looming in front of you, and no colleagues to pull you out of your head, you may be tempted to stay buried in the weeds. But people rely on leaders for direction. This means, no matter how many small tasks are clogging your calendar, you need to be able to pick your head up and keep one eye on the bigger picture.
Be sure to carve out time to work on the business (strategy), as opposed to working in the business (operations). Do this by blocking off time on your personal calendar to think about strategy. Or, if your thoughts are clear, schedule a strategy session with your team. Use this time to revisit fundamental questions about the business and organization, like: Is our value proposition clear to our customers? Are there opportunities for us to improve our business model? Is our team engaged, productive, and inspired to do their best work?
I am continually struck by the stories I hear of teams that grew even stronger during the Covid-19 pandemic, despite the new work-from-home situations, stress, and anxieties that they also dealt with. Many of the most resilient leaders I work with accomplished this by finding opportunities to align, engage, and inspire their teams around a purpose.
Regularly set aside time for team members to highlight and share wins delivered to customers, each other, or to the business itself. If well-crafted, you can tie the “bright spot” sharing to the company’s vision, mission, or values, reiterating the importance of the organization’s purpose and the essential role that everyone plays in achieving it. If meeting time is tight, a quick email or another type of nonverbal communication can also be used.
To bring people together, you may also consider prioritizing some team-building avenues that were less essential before. Many of our clients have begun conducting virtual social hours, meditation groups, art-sharing clubs, team music performances, and fitness challenges. While these options may not be for everyone, they are just a handful of examples we have seen initiate positive team dynamics. Even something as simple as starting a meeting by asking people to bring a video, a meme, or a photo that gives them joy can foster camaraderie and a needed laugh.
The skills you build as a virtual leader will continue to serve you well into the future. New opportunities will open up—maybe full virtual workforces on a level we’ve never seen. And thanks to the experience you’re getting through your own remote work, you’ll be ready for it, with new skills in place to truly lead—whether from home or the office—more effectively than before.
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Melissa Raffoni is CEO of The Raffoni Group, a boutique professional services firm that helps CEOs realize their highest ambitions while improving the quality of their personal and professional lives. She is recognized for her thought leadership in the areas of CEO effectiveness, strategy, execution, leadership, and organizational alignment.
Adapted from “5 Questions That (Newly) Virtual Leaders Should Ask Themselves” on hbr.org, May 1, 2020 (product #H05L1W).