5 ways to make remote leadership work

How do leaders manage teams nowadays with so much physical distance between? The world has moved on in terms of teams needing to be in the same place at then same time, so here I talk about the 5 key things to consider.

It may sound obvious but… stay connected! Regular diarised contact points (in addition to sporadic ones) make sure that contact isn’t lost. Don’t be tempted to delay or cancel at the last minute, even if it ends up being a 5 minute catch up, the regularity and consistency is key.

Trust is a big one. The last point is not about micro management, it’s about keeping everybody on track. The key is to set out common objectives/goals, whatever you want to call them, then let your team get on with it. I’m a big believer of an outcome led approach - if people need help they will ask for it and if they don’t, well that’s another conversation.

Plan! Start by planning out the year then break it down. What are the daily/weekly/monthly actions and what goals will you reach by certain points throughout the year? Set review points for each of these to make sure that as an individual/leader/team you are doing what you set out to do. If you need to change course, that’s ok! But recognise it early then re-route your plan and go again.

Set and demonstrate accountability. One of my favourite words and for good reason. Again, it might sound like an obvious one but, practice what you preach. If you’re holding others accountable and expecting them to complete tasks by certain deadlines, make sure that you are setting an example by doing the same. There’s nothing more embarrassing than being asked for the fifth time by a team member whether you’ve done the thing they asked you to do!

Get to know your team! It can be hard when there is a physical distance but most people still want to feel a personal connection to the people they work with. Make sure you ask how they are, take interest in the things that are important to them and get those updates!

The reality is that most of these are not solely related to remote leadership, it’s just leadership. Today’s world means that we have more demands put on us than ever and the support of a good employer/manager/leader can mean everything to somebody who just needs some flexibility but absolutely wants to hit their objectives.

So to recap:

?Stay connected

?Trust your team to do their job

?Plan and revisit those plans regularly together

?Set and demonstrate accountability

?Get personal

#RemoteLeadership #TeamManagement #StayConnected #TeamSuccess #Accountability