Here's how you can become a successful virtual team leader.

Building trust is the cornerstone of virtual work because it bridges the physical gap between team members. Trust requires commitment, open communication and collaboration. When trust is present, it fosters accountability, reduces misunderstandings, and helps build a cohesive team, which is crucial for productivity and success in a virtual environment.

Trust will make or break a virtual team. For a leader, building trust starts from before the team is even launched. Careful thought and planning is important including making a list of personal leader commitments that can be communicated. If it's decided that emails or calls will be responded to within 24 hours, or you have set office hours to ensure an open door, or that any of your staff can send an "SOS signal" if they need assistance, this will help in managing expectations of the team. Sticking to these guidelines and being consistent will be imperative in building trust.

Ein erfolgreicher LeaderIn schafft aber auch einen Raum für Gemeinsamkeit – wenn es auch vielleicht nicht physisch klappt. Auch bei virtuellen Teams st?rkt der informelle Austausch, das gegenseitige Kennenlernen, die offene Diskussion eine Kultur, die sich in der Produktivit?t und Effizienz gar nicht so sehr von physischen Teams unterscheidet. Dafür ben?tigt es aber Raum und Zeit. Dies kann z.B. über Coffee-Talks, ein gemeinsames virtuelles Kochevent oder einen festen Slot im Team Meeting gelingen, wo jeder mal seine Erfolgsstory der letzten 4 Wochen erz?hlen darf. Die M?glichkeiten sind unendlich, aber es braucht eine Führungskraft die dies lebt und die Plattform dafür schafft.

Trust is beginning for any kind of relationship including team management no matter virtual or non. In order to build trust a leader need to walk the talk. How it can be done virtually? involvement, clearness, consistency and transparency are key elements for building trust. In order to be able to build a trust a leader need to have inner peace.

Gamefy your content and engage with participants thought quiz, polls, rating scales & raise of hands. Basically use options to interact other than Chat. It's become cliche and non attractive for participants to respond. We all have experienced that awkward silence whereby there is gap in your question and no response is recieved, then a few nudges, then a few hints, then attractive give aways... yet silence or almost forced response! ?? Guess what, it's human to Avoid what can be Avoided! And there is no better place that Virtual Meetings to behave like skeletons! ?? Use online tools to engage and make your content attractive and interactive!??

Communication became challenging in virtual world since it narrows down the mimic and body language part of it. Therefore, leader needs to pay attention to the tone and clearness of the message or information. Leader needs to know the team members understanding and acceptance level towards the message or information.

Leader needs to find a technology for task management, information sharing and make it available and easy to use for every member of the team. Again, these tools are useful in any kind of teamwork but inevitable part of virtual teams.

Inclusion is an essence for any team, trust and clear communication will help the members to feel included and technological tools will engage them. Leader can engage the members by asking them one by one to lead the conversations or organize group works.

Since virtual teams lack the face-to-face organic conversations and relationship building, effective leaders create opportunities for the team to connect. A fun project of the month such as recipe swaps, photo contests where team members take photos of where they live or other fun activities will get people involved and have fun at the same time. In the work setting, ensuring that certain team members do not dominate the conversation and giving everyone a chance to speak such as a "round robin" will ensure all team members are included and valued.

The virtual space allows for a lot of flexibility… So encourage staff to work for a location in which they are most comfortable in the hours. The best suit their needs. And so long as they are productive and meeting deadlines, parameters can be fluid.

Ask each team member what balance means and looks like for them. Some do not want to work or be contacted outside of normal business hours. Some like to work in the evenings since they attended a child's school performance. Have the team agree on common meeting times, deadlines, etc. but allow flexibility around that. Trying to make it work for all team members in this area can be challenging but can make a world of difference with wellness and retention.

Leading in a virtual setting can be a challenge because "leadership by walking around" is not possible in the literal sense. However, team members can still feel your presence of support and encouragement with check-ins, activities and being trustworthy in responsiveness and work ethic.

Working in a virtual team its important to have regular team calls, even if there is no set agenda or news to impart. Providing people with the opportunity to connect with each other and share their experiences helps build a cohesive team spirit and feeling of mutual support.