What are the best ways to lead a hybrid team?

Creating trust and psychological safety is foremost so that the team remains grounded and fully aligned to the team's objectives and business goals. Set clear rules of engagement and develop daily rituals of constant communication. Setting up an execution framework is important to establish a stronger sense of accountability and clear line of sight. Create a strong team culture with inclusion, integrity and empathy to avoid burnout. Celebrate every win and have joyful gatherings. Reward and encourage deeper engagement and development.

In addition to all of the essentials, please ensure you lead by example! Don't expect from your team what you are not willing to commit to.

1. Use a collaboration tool like slack, teams etc. 2. Schedule in regular "short" meetings 3. Establish the overall goal along with timelines and break them down into smaller milestones 4. Communication is key, during a conflict DO NOT USE CHAT, only use voice or in-person meetings. Remember chat shows no emotions. 5. Conduct regular reviews and suggest improvements or training when needed 6. Trust the team!

Agreed! Set clear expectations and equally important, is to check for understanding. What is obvious and clear to you may not be to your team. To help increase clarity when onboarding and project start-ups, I’m a fan of a RACI chart (or a variation of it): R- who is responsible for getting the work done, A - who is accountable and oversees the work. C – who needs to be consulted for input, review or sign-off and I – who needs to be kept informed e.g., other stakeholders.

Few things that I believe can be really helpful is: 1) Clear communication: use video communication, chats, emails to be in touch whenever needed 2) use user friendly collaborative tools 3) work flexibly

‘Inclusion’ goes a long way in keeping the teams together especially in a hybrid setting. We all have our own motivations, preferences and triggers…the role of a people leader is to ensure that everyone on the team feels safe, secure and stable. People leaders should ensure that everyone on the team gets a voice. Discussions should be balanced to incorporate diverse thinking and radical ideas that may come from anyone on the team. As a people leader, one should encourage diversity in thinking, inclusive behaviours, mutual respect and should absolutely put an end to cancel culture.

Creating an inclusive team culture while remote can be challenging. It can be easy to see colleagues as workers first and people second. To guard against this, I’ve found it incredibly effective to host virtual water cooler chats during the day — where the only rule is there’s no work talk allowed. We might play trivia, watch and discuss a short, talk about goofy memories, and just get to know each other. People leave with smiles on their faces, a sense of meaningful connection, and a revitalized ability to work together with empathy and mutual understanding. Trusting and empowering staff to take breaks during the day for family obligations, health needs, and self-care is also vital for building a culture oriented towards well-being.

The most important aspect in communication when working with a hybrid team is maintaining the balance of communication with the teams. Ensuring that the flow and frequency of information is equal to both the teams. It is a natural behaviour to communicate more with the onsite team as they are working with you. However creating a communication process which is suitable for working with a hybrid team can help ensuring that the balance can be maintained.

Communicating frequently and inclusively is essential to promoting a healthy and productive work environment. By adopting these practices, you contribute to an inclusive work environment, where communication is effective and all team members feel valued and heard.

Embrace the tools you have like Teams and Zoom etc. Have regular check ins (not check ups). With hybrid, host a day when everyone comes together in the office and shares what's going on with them. Be sure to have team meetings just like you would in the office; some at home via Teams others in the office... all good.. don't let it be a barrier.

Promoting collaboration and creativity is essential to boosting performance and innovation within a team. By implementing these practices, you will be creating an environment conducive to collaboration and creativity, empowering your team to tackle challenges in innovative ways and achieve exceptional results.

The 'why' behind team collaboration remains consistent, whether hybrid or in-person. However, the 'how' should be adapted to context. A common mistake in fostering a hybrid collaboration is merely applying ‘what-we’ve-always-done’ with the addition of virtual technology. For instance, it's insufficient to host a team meeting and expect those who dial in virtually to experience a seamless collaboration. We must rethink 'how' we conduct these meetings. For example, ‘side’ conversations between physical attendees lead to the exclusion of remote participants, hindering their effective contributions. While technology can assist us, we must consciously adapt our behaviours in this new hybrid environment to foster effective collaboration.

I encourage teams to have one-to-one conversations with people they don't know as well. If the group is always a "group" those personal relationships may not be forming. More one-to-one interactions helps humanize each other and builds psychological safety.

Allow each member of the team to show up in a way that they are comfortable. Share the stage and ensure that the collaborative space is truly a safe space to create, cultivate and develop. Honesty, fairness and common cutesy should be outlined as the group norm and should lead to trust, which fosters true partnerships.

It is critical for leaders to walk the talk about work-life balance. A leader who rarely or never takes vacation does not embrace well-being. A leader should not just stating that there is no expectations to receive response to emails or messages after normal working hours yet regularly sending out emails and messages to the teams in late hours. A leader should lead with transparency to treat each member equally regardless of working model being remote or not in terms of managing flexibility of work schedule. The key is, leaders should model the behaviour that they expect from their teams: have open and two-way conversations, create a safe space for feedback and engagement, and nurture trust based relationships that empowers the teams.

Leading a hybrid team that supports flexibility and well-being is crucial to ensuring team member engagement and productivity. By implementing these strategies, leaders can build a hybrid work environment that values team member flexibility and well-being, resulting in a more motivated, productive, and resilient team.

Leading a hybrid team through learning and innovation is crucial to ensuring the team is adapted to constant change and is able to face challenges creatively. By adopting these strategies, leaders can create a culture that fosters continuous learning and innovation on a hybrid team. This not only improves team adaptability, but also drives long-term excellence and success.

This is a great approach. Infusing your team in the process gives staff buy-in and allows them to feel like they are part of the process. Many organizations go wrong by implementing new strategies without informing staff until the strategies are finalized. Hybrid work is coveted by many employees and keeping them in the conversation will aid in a smoother transition, low rate of turnover, and possible increase a positive workplace culture.

In my opinion, the best practices mentioned of leading a team whether is hybrid, remote, or in-office, should be no different if the core principal of employee-centric design is applied. Leaders are being authentic, inclusive, non judgemental, resilient, and future-ready. They can fully embrace change and enable growth, uplift and develop more leaders for a brighter future.

Alongside the other great points on here, I have found that leading a hybrid team effectively involves prioritising trust, shared goals, understanding motivating values, flexibility, and establishing clear ways of working. Trust is the cornerstone; foster an environment where team members trust one another and leadership. Define a shared goal that aligns with the team's purpose, ensuring everyone is on the same page. Understand each team member's motivating values and remain flexible, it is crucial to accommodate diverse working styles and time zones. You must also establish clear processes for communication, collaboration, and decision-making to provide structure and coherence.

My organization is named Wequity and we propound that we can get equality only if we have equitable opportunities. I feel this important principle should be followed when managing hybrid teams. Equitable Treatment will ensure equal opportunities and treatment for both remote and in-office team members. One should avoid creating a hierarchy based on location to maintain a sense of fairness.

??Clear Communication: Foster transparent communication channels ??Flexible Work Arrangements: Allow team members to balance remote and on-site work based on individual needs. ??Technology Integration: Invest in robust collaboration tools to facilitate seamless virtual collaboration. ??Inclusive Decision-Making: Ensure all team members, regardless of location, have equal opportunities to contribute to decision-making processes. ??Performance Metrics: Establish clear and fair performance metrics to evaluate both remote and in-office contributions. ??Cultivate Team Culture: Promote a cohesive team culture through regular team-building activities, fostering a sense of unity despite physical distance.