You’re managing a team that’s working remotely. How can you keep them motivated and productive?

Keep lines of communication open and honest. State objectives, timelines, and expectations. To keep everyone in contact, make use of a variety of communication methods like email, instant messaging services, video conferencing, and project management software. Set up frequent one-on-one meetings with team members to talk about their development, resolve any issues, and offer assistance. Give your staff the instruments, resources, and instruction they need to do their tasks well. Observe the separation of personal and professional lives. Encourage the members of your team to follow schedules, take breaks, and avoid working after hours.

This was exactly the situation for me during COVID lock down. People were demotivated, lot of anxiety and lacked focus. As a leader I had to set the standard. I insisted that we do things in full steam and set the expectations high. We created sub teams and cross functional units. Eg:some secretarial staff were put in to customer response on social media. With this, everyone had some meaning to what they do and there were work done. We had quick briefing and de briefing sessions. With sales team the team leader started knowledge sharing sessions online and this kept the younger ones engaged. We also did bonding sessions through mediums available. Importantly made everyone feel that we are there for each other. was the most effective period.

I think that you should set a regular vision statement daily, weekly, or annually with your team. Maybe I will try this out moving forward with my teams and clients.

Sharing a personal and professional vision and personal mission statement is really helpful both for me individually and my team. Do you do this?

This applies to in person and remote teams. Establishing a clear North Star for the team. Create purpose on how to get there that is updated regularly to account for shifting market dynamics, customer feedback, and resource constraints. Ensure clear roles and responsibilities are defined for the team, along with processes and ceremonies to be used such as Scrum for development teams. Important as well, create transparent forms of communication such as Slack or Discord to ensure access to relevant information and situational awareness across the team. In order to create a high performing team that is ever learning, adapting, and improving requires pushing decision making to where the work happens.

Sharing the why and being humble with my team is helpful to get them to come out of “im just doing my job” mode to actively participate in co-creating a vision

Culture is always the answer, but like every answer it's important to keep in mind the way it's detailed and presented. Your culture must foster the need to collaborate and communicate effectively, taking responsibility for your work, valuing the time of everyone, and being rooted in results. All of these cultural definitions must be shown through actions at every level, be it by the management or the managers. Actions must become the reflection of intent. Despite being a remote or in-office or Hybrid work setup, the need for creating and following a culture that empowers transparency, ownership, flexibility and empathy makes it easier for reaching new goals as a team.

Establishing a robust culture is crucial for remote teams. It should mirror your core values, promoting trust, collaboration, and engagement. Set clear expectations, recognize efforts, and encourage social interactions to build this culture. Embrace technology that facilitates communication and feedback, ensuring your team feels connected and valued, regardless of location.

Research clearly shows that remote employees and teams are highly capable of working productively and effectively. Culture is foundational to the success of any team, whether remote or in person together. Leaders should ensure that their expectations and strategy for establishing team culture directly reflect the company's core values, such as transparency, absolute integrity, collaboration and fun. Leaders should also let their personal values and creativity shine through. For example, spending just five minutes at the end of every team meeting to play a game can do wonders for team culture.

In today's remote work landscape, nurturing a vibrant company culture is vital for brand success. From my perspective, I see it as the pulse of any organization, especially in remote setups. Defining core values, fostering trust, and promoting collaboration are key. Regular communication, celebrating wins, and prioritizing work-life balance round out a winning strategy.

We must get clear on our overall brand message promise and ensure it is always communicated in everything we say and do, internally and externally, across all channels. It must be simple, clear and easy to understand. We must do this consistently to ensure everyone knows what we stand for and what we promise to deliver on. We ideally want to over-deliver on our promise too as this will ensure our audiences are all positively surprised and more likely to recommend us to others incl. customers and potential future staff members of our organisation.

Have biweekly check-ins outside of project scopes to check in on everyone and make sure they're okay. Even monthly, this can make a huge difference. I also like to ask how they prefer to be contacted / followed up with. Phone call? Text? Email? This way we can approach with the preferred contact method before reaching out other ways.

Try starting key meetings of 5+ people with a 5-minute discussion. Use a simple way to get everyone engaged but not feeling like they have to explain themselves. For Example: - Allow people to tell you how they are feeling without the need for them to explain what or why. On a scale of 1-10, how are you doing today? It can be work related or not, did the day start off right, did you forget something, did something keep you up at night, are you excited for something upcoming. You can ask if anyone wants to share and offer up help to anyone that might have shared a low number. You can also try bring in emojis as a fun visual exercise. Using an emoji, what are your plans for the weekend. Fun, quick and engaging. Best of luck!

If I have a team working remotely, I'll do the following: 1. Communicate effectively with all the team members regularly. 2. Ensure every team member is carried along. 3. Take cognizance of the different time zones and look for a time favourable for all of us to communicate at the same time. 4. Avoid misunderstandings of any kind and settle disputes amongst my team members.

Adapting communication in remote teams means respecting their time zones ??, private lives, and working styles. It's about giving flexibility in tasks and the freedom to achieve goals on their own schedule, while still meeting deadlines. Using tools like ClickUp helps monitor progress without intruding, ensuring everyone stays on track yet works comfortably. ? Embrace diverse communication methods to match team preferences, fostering a culture of respect and efficiency.

Leading a remote team demands a blend of empathy and strategic prowess. Amidst the virtual set ups, keeping morale high and productivity soaring requires a delicate balance of empowerment and support. My experience: 1. Empower: Trust your team with meaningful tasks, fostering autonomy and decision-making. 2. Adapt: Accommodate diverse work styles, schedules, and preferences for optimal productivity. 3. Connect: Cultivate camaraderie through virtual meetings, check-ins, and team activities. 4. Celebrate: Recognize achievements, big and small, to boost morale and motivation.

I think opening up a shared Slack channel has worked really for our internal teams as well as clients to foster solidarity and cohesion in a remote environment. People enjoy the flexibility to work on their own schedule.

Lead from an assumption of trust and mutual respect. Give your team autonomy over their time. Ironically, feeling as if productivity is under constant surveillance can be the worst thing about working remotely. If your team feels they need to "prove" they are working by being instantaneously available and responsive, folks will long for the days of protracted trips to the breakroom, or the occasional leisurely lunch with co-workers. It is hard for some people to be productive and do quality work when their Slack is pinging every four minutes. Give them headspace. Assume each person on your team is a trustworthy, conscientious professional. Don't try to fix time management if it ain't broke.

Encouraging open communication, transparency, and honesty builds trust among team members and with leadership. Moreover, providing opportunities for professional growth and advancement further empowers team members, as they see a clear path for development within the organization. Lastly, celebrating successes as a team and recognizing individual contributions publicly reinforces empowerment and motivates team members to continue striving for excellence.

Empowerment lies at the heart of both effective brand strategy and remote team management. Beyond simply assigning tasks, true empowerment entails entrusting team members with autonomy and accountability. Provide not just resources, but also the latitude to innovate and explore new solutions. Foster a culture where diverse perspectives are valued, and decisions are made collaboratively. Recognize and celebrate individual and collective achievements, reinforcing a sense of ownership and accomplishment. By fostering a climate of empowerment, brands not only inspire action among stakeholders but also cultivate a motivated and high-performing remote team poised for success.

In addition to measuring results, it's crucial to ensure that the metrics and indicators chosen align with the overall goals and objectives of the remote team. This means regularly revisiting and refining the metrics based on changing circumstances, priorities, and feedback from team members. Moreover, providing regular feedback and recognition based on these metrics is essential for motivating the team and reinforcing positive behaviors. Additionally, involving the team in the measurement process fosters a sense of ownership and accountability, as team members understand how their individual contributions contribute to the team's overall success.

Achieving KPIs is often seen as a straightforward measure of success within many organizations. However, the true essence and impact of KPIs extend far beyond mere numerical achievements. For a business and its team members to truly flourish, it's essential to understand what these KPIs signify for the overall success of the organization as well as for individual personal success. KPIs are not just arbitrary targets; they are carefully selected metrics that reflect the core objectives and health of a business and career growth.

I love LinkedIn Learning for this reason. Managing subscriptions so your whole team has access to LinkedIn Learning is a great first step to make sure that your team can take even 30-Minutes a day to learn new UX skills etc. I try to watch course videos whenever I can with time permitting.

Emphasizing growth and learning is vital in keeping both your brand strategy and team dynamic. Adopting a culture that prizes self-leadership and recognizes positive actions can drive continuous improvement. Providing access to online courses and resources enables your team to pursue growth, underscoring the importance of lifelong learning for success. Encouraging the sharing of knowledge and embracing feedback and mistakes as learning opportunities are crucial. This approach not only boosts individual skill sets but also ensures your brand and team remain adaptable and forward-thinking. Cultivate a mindset where progress and development are central, keeping your brand competitive and vibrant.

A brand strategy is not static and neither are team members. Each member was brought on for a reason. Learning from the team and fostering open communication is essential for all team members to feel part of the process. In turn, this will lead to enhanced brand alignment. Offering career development coaching and learning opportunities helps better the team as well.

Working remotely and ensuring delivery of brand goals and objectives requires trust in the team, open communication and understanding. It also requires ways to solve for contentions when they arise.

Sometimes it make you feel a bit isolated or out of the loop. It's really important to build a sense of belonging and togetherness. This can be achieved through virtual team-building activities, simple virtual coffee breaks, or even some online get-togethers. The results get more effective/better outcomes when everyone shares their personal stories or news. Take Google, they once organized a virtual global talent show, where team members from different regions showcase their skills. This not only provided a platform for employees to express themselves but also allowed the team to celebrate diversity and creativity, strengthening their connection with each other.

If it takes 2 full days to establish trust, spread it out over 2-3 weeks but do it. It is so critical from the start. And don't forget the humor...it just makes your meetings feel less like groundhogs day and more like "we're all in this together".

Encourage your team members to maintain a healthy work-life balance by setting boundaries between work and personal time. Respect their time off and encourage them to take breaks, exercise, and engage in activities that help them recharge.

Encourage Collaboration: Foster a sense of teamwork through virtual meetings, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative projects. Discuss challenges faced by the team and share success stories on how to overcome them. Recognize Achievements: Celebrate successes and acknowledge the hard work and contributions of team members. Recognition and praise are strong motivators.