Working remotely can be challenging for both leaders and team members, especially when it comes to motivation. How can you keep your team engaged, productive, and happy when you can't see them face-to-face? Here are some tips to help you motivate your team while working remotely.
Communication is key to any successful team, but even more so when working remotely. You need to communicate your expectations, goals, feedback, and recognition to your team regularly and effectively. Use different channels and formats, such as video calls, emails, chats, and shared documents, to suit different purposes and preferences. Make sure you check in with your team individually and collectively, and encourage them to share their challenges, achievements, and ideas.
One of the things that we do is play music while coming on to the zoom calls. One of my team mates loves music and takes requests from each member of the team and as the zoom is beginning he plays one of the songs they like. We all dance for a bit, laugh, and talk about the song and our love for it after about a minute or so. Often it gets us into "what was your first concert" type of questions. This gives us a good first 5 minutes of getting to know each other time without it being some kind of weird ice-breaker game :)
Are we human or are we dancer? In the digital landscape, where interactions can sometimes feel transactional, it's crucial to inject a human touch into communication. Encourage leaders to share personal updates or anecdotes during virtual check-ins to create a more authentic connection. This humanises the remote work experience, fostering a sense of camaraderie among team members.
Be specific with your communication, by being aware of communication needs. There are three main approaches according to Dr. William Schutz. They include: Inclusion, which is being part of a group; Control, which is about taking charge or letting people take charge; and, Affection, which is about being warm to individuals. Tailoring your communication will settle the means by which your establish connection. The next will be to think about the expectations of communication so that channels and channel formats become familiar and easy to use for all in your company. I'd suggest to build cohesion first before directing under most cases.
Trust is essential for motivation, as it allows your team to feel valued, respected, and empowered. To build trust, you need to show your team that you care about them as people, not just as workers. Be supportive, empathetic, and flexible, and respect their work-life balance. Also, give your team the autonomy to manage their own work, schedules, and decisions, as long as they meet the agreed standards and deadlines. Avoid micromanaging or controlling your team, and instead focus on the outcomes and results.
Look, trust isn’t just a nice-to-have with remote teams; it’s the whole game. You want to build a crew that'll go to bat for you? Here’s how you knock it out of the park: -Treat them like pros. -Show them they're more than cogs in the machine. -Give a damn about what's happening in their world, not just their workload. -Give 'em space. Set the targets, then step back. Nobody thrives with someone breathing down their neck. -They know their job; let them prove it. -Focus on the scoreboard, not the playbook. It’s about what they deliver, not how they spend each minute. -Deadlines met and quality hit? That’s your sweet spot.
Whenever you hire someone, as a leader, you must ensure they have the right capabilities to do the tasks you expect them to perform in. The way to establish trust is not to just let them go do whatever they want. The key is to hire them, make them know why you hired them, then help them steady themselves toward autonomy. The last thing you want is to micromanage, but if they don't perform well, you have to ask them why they are performing differently than how they showed up in the initial interview! Sometimes, people slide for reasons that you cannot see, because you didn't ask.
Working remotely can make your team feel isolated or disconnected from each other and the organization. To foster collaboration and belonging, you need to create opportunities for your team to interact, cooperate, and learn from each other. Use online tools and platforms to facilitate teamwork, brainstorming, problem-solving, and knowledge-sharing. Also, create a positive and inclusive team culture, where everyone feels welcome, appreciated, and valued. Celebrate your team's successes and milestones, and acknowledge their contributions and efforts.
Motivation needs sustenance and collaboration and belonging wane at the best of times - some tips from a previous client: ?? leaders need an even deeper understanding of diverse team dynamics - this is essential in a remote setting and increases 'face/screen' time. ??learn select and fit for purpose comms ensuring everyone feels heard and valued, regardless of location - text, slack, email, phone calls - change it up . ?? clear, achievable goals and a relentlessly transparent feedback/dashboards/performance should keep the team aligned and motivated on the task outputs of the role/project ?? Use tools for recognising and celebrating achievements, fostering some fun and informality (at the right time zone/s for inclusivity)
Learning and development are important drivers of motivation, as they help your team grow, improve, and advance in their careers. To provide learning and development opportunities for your team, you need to identify their strengths, weaknesses, interests, and goals. Then, you need to offer them relevant and accessible resources, such as online courses, webinars, podcasts, books, or mentors. Also, you need to encourage them to apply their learning to their work, and provide them with constructive feedback and guidance.
Don't give them too much to learn. Sometimes, your project management platform is a little too much to handle. AI and ChatGPT also take time to use. Instead, give them an outcome and coach them to use it and invite them to connect with you if they need. More importantly, don't force it on them - tell them the idea you have, why you think they are going to be good to learn such material or software, then ask them if they would like to try it. This way if they aren't good at it, you can always revert back to the original way of working. Just don't thrust too much on them all at once without showing that you're willing to help stand by them.
Reward and recognition are powerful ways to motivate your team, as they show your team that you appreciate their work and achievements. To reward and recognize your team, you need to be specific, timely, and sincere. You need to tailor your rewards and recognition to your team's preferences and needs, such as monetary incentives, career advancement, public praise, or personal appreciation. Also, you need to be consistent and fair in rewarding and recognizing your team, and avoid favoritism or bias.
Inspire and challenge your team to motivate them to perform at their best and reach their potential. To inspire your team, you need to share your vision, mission, and values with them, and show them how their work contributes to the bigger picture. You also need to model the behaviors and attitudes that you want to see in your team, such as passion, curiosity, and resilience. To challenge your team, you need to set clear, realistic, and meaningful goals for them, and provide them with the resources and support they need to achieve them. You also need to encourage them to take risks, experiment, and learn from their mistakes.
Historically teams build trust through consistent social interaction which in turn builds trust. Remote teams still need this. Consider starting each meeting with the opportunity to build the that social connection by having folks share their stories. Next create a culture where your team knows you serve them not the other way around. Nothing engenders more trust than a leader who serves his team. Consistent recognition is key to folks feeling appreciated.
You need to keep the communication lines open. Have rules and guidelines and follow them as much as possible *and* apply them to the entire team. Set and keep track of goals. Many teams set meetups to bond, discuss, and play at least once or twice a year.