How can you balance autonomy and accountability remotely?

In my experience the same winning combination of leadership skills are needed for both in person and remote worker success: 1. Support and encouragement 2. SMART goal creation in partnership with you team 3. Consistent communication 4. Allocating resources The key to unlocking this powerful combination is a leader who has realigned their skills and changed their attitude to meet a new blended work force and inspire them to soar. Leadership matters.

It is critical to focus on outcomes rather than on activities, when setting expectations. Busy work, time in office, working late nights, etc are often used as proxy for performance. But they are not. Leaders have to work with each team member, get into the specifics of the SMART goals, jobs to be done to achieve the desired outcome, and identify milestones as well as support needed to deliver on the same.

while we continue to work remotely saving on time, travel cost, having quality time for self, we should be more responsible towards our work assignments and should be self analytical on how and where we should improve. Also in such times where physical interactions in the office spaces is less and mostly the interactions are subject centric limited to calls, we should have some time spent on checking each other on how they are doing, what's on with them, if there is any plus to celebrate or congratulate / if there is any issue to help or even contribute any suggestion so that we build a personal bonding with the team mates and keep up the human touch while working professionally. These kinda bondings once developed keeps the team comforted.

Some strategies - Set clear expectations Regular communication Empower employees Use technology effectively and wisely Training and skill development Feedback and recognition Trust and flexibility Accountability mechanism Building team and culture Continuous improvement

Tips for Leading in the New World of Work: * Help business leaders upskill, shifting from "face-time" to results orientation, with clear goals and accountability * Instill a culture of trust and celebrate it * To nurture culture and relationships, leverage intentionality; 'drive by's' and water cooler chats are out, friendly check-in calls and facilitated ice-breakers are in. * Meeting equity matters: ensure all voices are heard * Enjoy the journey!

I think this is always a big missed opportunity. Feedback is critical. A lot of times, people leaders are reluctant to have what they consider a ‘difficult/uncomfortable’ conversation with remote teammates, if productivity is not as expected. If feedback is timely, consistent and specific, it well help everyone stay on track. Feedback is also the key to keep people motivated and engaged. When employees feel seen and heard, they go above and beyond.

"Feedback" is a concept that many people tend to overthink. It doesn't have to be overly structured or complex - simply sharing your thoughts on an idea, refocusing an employee's efforts, or voicing the impact that a particular person, event, or situation had on you all count. Making feedback part of your everyday conversations will establish trust with those around you.

Ongoing conversations are critical. These may reflect on something that happened in the past but should be focused on how to move forward for a better future. Ask questions. What does the employee believe he/she could have done differently? What is the path he/she sees moving forward? How can you as a leader help support this path forward?

Ask them to evaluate themselves, that way calibration of expectations helps. Also if you as a manager have missed a point, that would come out. Dont be scared to share critical feedback

Yes. Giving feedback is important, but ensuring that you provide an open door approach and encourage employees to self evaluate as much as possible too. Don't forget, to ask for feedback too! Build trust that it's taken as intended, and understand boundaries on how you'll act on that feedback (and what you're asking from your employees with feedback you give)

Trust is key to having a high-performing team - remote/hybrid/ and everything in the middle. Whether it is the I doth trust until proven otherwise or I doth distrust until proven otherwise, to get to a point where team members are allowed to speak up, raise issues and concerns, admit when they need help will create a place where everyone will buy into the common goal. Finally, trust is maintained when what makes up accountability is shared and can be visualised - Planners, Dashboards, team meetings focused on sharing outcomes will maintain the ownership angle.

Build trust and allow for disagreement - even if its on how the employee did. You dont have to agree, let the most objective data win. Use it to calibrate and reset expectations

Also, I feel that organizations need to find a way to bring people together in person (once in a while or regularly), even if it’s for team building events and activities to foster that human connection. I feel in-person socializing is important.

Balancing remote with in person interaction is important. Also, using tools to foster collaboration is critical. Leaders MUST engage with their employees who are hybrid or remote on an ongoing basis. Refusing to use technology squashes relationship and isolates your remote team members.

Working remotely narrows a majority of your day to a screen that replace shared office spaces. Hence, constant communication, water-cooler conversations, informal connects, effortless collaboration, and a physical camaraderie take a back-seat. This can unfortunately create an impact on the way a team performs, if not individuals. There are multiple tools that can help enable these experiences in a remote environment such as instant chats on MS Teams, shared files for live collaboration on projects, project management tools for live tracking, virtual coffee connects and much more. A leader has a huge role to play in enabling this culture and can smoothly enhance team performance

I have seen that delegation of work, not just tasks, allows employees to own the results. In explaining the "why" and allowing the reigns to be a bit "messy" can result in accelerated learning for your employees. I've seen my own employees grow as a result of this approach.

Regular learning helps in deepening creativity and innovation in the workplace. Each Team should have regular learning Sessions and across remote teams , learning supports the growth and development of the Workplace

On the theme of accountability and autonomy, put the ball in the court of the team with shaping their own career or development wants and wishes. Some people are quite happy just doing their job and logging off and that is fine (as long as they are doing it to a good standard) Ensuring those who want to explore personal development have the space, time and tools to do it is crucial and of course leaders can walk the talk by actively developing themselves

I deeply care about not just assessing performance and rewarding a teams fairly, but I also deeply care about rewarding the behaviors that research proves really matter when it comes to affecting my company’s top-line growth. At Whereby, we saw that was autonomous growth, and performance (execution), when it comes to remote working. For this reason, we specifically measure and incentivise these behaviors above others in pay changes. Further, we have a set of tenets and values we reward our team for embracing. Your business should identify your "behaviours that matter" and begin to make conscious efforts to reward them - not all businesses will be the same, and not all remote businesses will be the same!

Bring your remote workers into the conversation around engagement and be sure to communicate effectively. For example, is it easy to communicate in a company all hands? Do your remote employees get the same 'facetime' as your in office employees? Do they understand the impact they have and the results they can achieve?

1. Accountability and Autonomy: When team members are accountable, they can be given more autonomy. This is a fundamental aspect of effective team management. However, there is a need to clarify whether team members are accountable for efforts or results. This distinction is crucial because it sets expectations for how tasks should be approached and measured. 2. Known vs. Unknown Tasks: Different tasks require different approaches to accountability. For known or routine tasks, where the time and effort required are well understood, team members can be held accountable for results. In these cases, it's appropriate to grant them autonomy and trust their judgment. Still, they should know they can seek guidance when needed.

A good project managment system is key. If you define correctly tasks, goals and timelines.... it will be easier to give authonomy.

Explorative Efforts: In the case of unknown or explorative tasks where the scope, time, and outcomes are uncertain, maintaining regular communication and creating a psychologically safe environment is vital. Team members should feel comfortable approaching the leader or their colleagues for ideas and support. Encouraging creativity and learning is crucial in such situations. Remote Work Challenges: In contrast to a controlled office environment, remote work often requires greater self-discipline. Leaders can support their teams in addressing these distractions by setting clear expectations, providing resources for maintaining focus, and fostering a culture of accountability through recognition even in a remote setting.

Remove the word 'remotely' from your thought process with this question. Think about the balance in any scenario and focus that thought process on what you need to achieve your goals, and the ensure the teams goals are aligned.

Clear Expectations: Set specific goals and expectations, outlining both autonomy and the accountability that comes with it. Regular Check-ins: Maintain consistent communication through scheduled check-ins to provide guidance and assess progress. Outcome Emphasis: Focus on results rather than micromanaging, giving employees the freedom to choose their methods. Transparent Metrics: Define measurable metrics to gauge performance, fostering accountability while allowing autonomy in approach. Feedback Culture: Encourage open dialogue for employees to seek help, share challenges, and receive guidance when needed. Development Support: Offer resources and skill-building opportunities to enhance autonomy while ensuring competence and confidence