What are some common challenges of self-alignment in remote work and how do you overcome them?

One thing that’s key for alignment is framing. Not everything will align and make sense until you approach and deliver things with the right frame in mind. A picture with the right frame will always be more pleasing.

Understand the nature of your teams individual personalities to determine how each of them learns and then design your communication methods accordingly.

After working remote for several years through the pandemic I can attest to the challenges with remote work. Two things that will help with this is: time management and adapting to interruptions & distractions. For time management you have to block off your own calendar for some focus work. As a manager supporting others and overseeing a million other things, you can quickly forget about your own tasks. So every week block off some time from your own calendar. Adapting to interruptions and distractions is not easy for everyone. But the best thing to do is to take lots of notes and work in shorter time frames (15-30 mins). This will allow for distractions to happen and improve your ability to work in smaller chunks of time.

Work to your list and never put more than 5 things on your To Do List for the day in question that are in your field of vision. Where possible face into a room not at the wall! Looking out to nature is usually helpful when critically thinking. Use a background (work related) when involved in Teams/Zoom calls.

The biggest challenge in remote work is you go into isolation while working and it sometimes affects your mental health and results in demotivation. However on-location work is engaging and continuous interaction with colleagues motivates you to work while maintaining mental health first.

Remote working alone is a recipe for disaster for the organisation and mental wellness. If no other choice - work for no longer than 2 hours without human contact and leave the work space/room for 20 mins to achieve this. Assuming 8 hours a day for working - ensure 6 is working and 2 for thinking and being in contact personally with other people.

One of the hardest parts in remote work is to create rapport between you and your team. We cant try to solve new problems with old solutions. So here is what you can so as a leader: ? Personal Check-Ins: take a few minutes before a meeting to ask how your colleague is feeling. Show real interest and learn to fully listen. ? Promote open communication: Share your thoughts and encourage your colleagues to do the same. Create an supportive environment. ? Celebrate shared goals and success: Appreciation creats belonging.

Arrange an in person with your leadership and ask/establish: What do you expect of me in terms of results! Agree the Aim and supporting objectives to achieve those results. If obvious that what is required of you is going to require more than 8 hours question this and if necessary seek a consultation with a more senior manager. Key is for you to understand that if what is required of you exceeds 8 hours leads only to 2 matters: 1. The role/task is under resourced 2. You are not the right person to be assigned the task/role Both of the above are a question of Management and Leadership of you!

Start the task, measure periodically, evaluate and consult with your leadership to assess alignment with the agreed Aim and Supporting Objectives.

Understand the characteristics of your own personality in order for you to work with others effectively by communicating to the strengths of others in the team. Be Team Driven