Here's how you can effectively manage virtual teams as a remote leader in the field of Thought Leadership.

Establish clear communication channels. Use a mix of video conferencing, instant messaging, and project management tools . Schedule regular one-on-one meetings and team meetings to discuss progress. Provide clear instructions, deadlines, and updates to avoid misunderstandings. Recognize and celebrate individual and team achievements. Delegate tasks based on individual strengths and expertise. Provide team members with the autonomy to manage their work while offering guidance and support when needed

Alignment with company's objectives is the baseline. Ensuring that all team members understand their role in the larger picture helps with operational planning and performance measurement. This is even more important with a remote technologically connected team. Regular open communication and feedback on an immediate basis helps appreciate or course correct as required. Empathy and not micromanagement is key.

I found most success in setting up goals together as a team. Have actual goal-setting meetings, keep track of it in some tracking software. Then have each direct report set up a 1:1 with you on some cadence where they go over their progress towards those goals.

Set quarterly goals (or Rocks) for each team member. Set a plan for what needs to get done to accomplish the goal by the deadline and then backwards plan work in two-week sprints, if possible. This will help your team focused on “moving the ball forward” and feeling success after accomplishing smaller goals on the journey to the larger goal.

The best way is to create a strong culture of networking and virtual meetings to talk about everyday life, to bring a feeling of sharing and belonging. Do this and it works. ___ A melhor forma é criar uma cultura forte de trabalho em rede e encontros virtuais para falar do dia a dia, para trazer a sensa??o de partilha e pertencimento. Fa?o isso e funciona.

Open comms, and more importantly effective open communication require patience and maturity with at least one party. Sometimes you’ll be trying to drive open communication with someone who might feel vulnerable or who is inexperienced when it comes to being open. Consider that. Be patient. Empathise and understand.

Building trust is key and very critical especially as the remote nature of the work can easily cause disconnect and misunderstandings.

Ask your team how they like to best communicate. It will vary for each person because each person is different. Get to know them as individuals and tailor your approach. Try to send weekly updates on progress to goals and any other company news that needs to be cascaded down.

Priority #1 in my eyes: Helping team members discover their unique voice and "superpowers." Less seasoned direct reports can fall into the trap of attempting to replicate your tone. They get distracted with questions like: "Would [manager] say it this way? Think this way?" Instead, create a "playground" (safe space) for team members to share the collection of ideas they're playing with. Remove the pressure of having a story. Discuss connections/patterns, then let them step away to weave it together. When you review and see those moments of confidence and authenticity coming through, help them understand what's unique and special about it. This will free their mind to think more naturally. Soon, their thoughts lead the way.

Always follow through with what you say you’re going to do. This is the foundation of building trust. Also, try to keep your 1 on 1s sacred (meaning, don’t treat them as the last priority and reschedule them last minute. This often makes your team feel like their dedicated time with you isn’t important, which erodes trust.

As a Millennial manager, I do not have a preference for how or when my team gets their work done, as long as they keep me updated and raise any issues / blockers as soon as they become a problem.

Flexibility and clarity of expectations. They are the two things that need to be considered in a balance that leads to success. I’d also say that it’s important not to dilute or compromise on staying the agenda of the business. I saw too many companies post-Covid lose confidence in sharing the objectives of the company with the people. People want to know what the purpose of their role is; share it with them regularly!

I think our jobs as managers are to help set the goals, but it is the employee who needs to come up with the goal and set what they realistically think they can achieve. Your job, again as the manager, is to be flexible in how your directs actually achieve these goals. I'd never recommend trying to set a goal that is based on number of hours worked or lines of code written. Instead, set goals that are outcome based, give an expected done date, and let the employee go about solving it however they need.

Have your reports set up regular 1:1s with you to go over their goal progress. Remember, you aren't necessarily the know-it-all who knows how to solve everything. You are just there to help them set, and maintain their goals. Regular feedback should be part of the 1:1 cadence to see how they're tracking against their goals. And the goals can be a wide range of things from delivering code to improving writing skills.

This is the absolute nucleus of success for management of global teams. I run a community of members that has 1,500 people and we use WhatsApp and LinkedIn mostly. The ease of use and commonality of the platforms around the world mean accessibility is easy. That’s the key. Once you have these things working don’t forget to bring your team to life with really regular calls. I do a call at 1300 every day for my leadership team, just 30 mins, and it’s the human interaction that the tech needs to be complimented with

24/7 Work Cycle: Leverage time zones for continuous coverage. Define clear rules & use checklists. Prepare for the Unexpected: Plan for tech issues with backups. Foster team adaptability & have backup plans. Maintain Clarity: Assign tasks after meetings. Communicate clearly. Nurture Leadership: Identify & support potential leaders. Ensure clear roles. Embrace Diverse Cultures: Understand team cultures (Hofstede's framework). Resolve Conflicts: Address conflicts promptly with virtual tools. Combat Isolation: Communicate regularly & use tech for interaction. Set Expectations & Provide Feedback: Set clear goals & give feedback. Build Thought Leadership: Share insights (blogs, podcasts) & collaborate.