Corona Virus - Are you ready to work and lead from home and stay productive?

World Health Organization has announced that the coronavirus has officially reached ‘pandemic’ status. Social distancing is the mantra today in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Various companies and even government initiatives have started encouraging employees to work from home. If companies are not encouraging it, employees are asking for it. After all, prevention is better than cure. However, are you ready to work and lead from home?

Work from home provides us with the golden promise of flexibility and therefore seems very exciting. Yet, leaders must note that lurking behind and very close to flexibility is complacency. Also, it will be challenge in the beginning. You may lose your mind and lose your focus to work from a new environment if you are not used to. In fact, for some leaders, the idea of not going in to work can be isolating and daunting.

Here are 3 tips that will help you be a work from home ready leader.

Create a work environment: Your mind and body need to be ready for work. If you try to work in the same clothes or space that you sleep in, your productivity is going to be slow because it is easy for the mind to get lazy. In fact, one of the major advantages about working from home - moving from bed to the work chair five minutes before you begin - can also be your biggest challenge. Set yourself up for work from home by creating a dedicated work environment at home. Get a desk with a comfortable chair, set your computer, make sure you have access to the internet, set up a printer and scanner, use a separate work phone, buy healthy snacks so you’re ready with everything that you might need and you are not running around using your work time to gather things.

Set goals and boundaries: Without clear goals, tasks, and boundaries, the comfort of home brings with it the possibility of double booking yourself or engaging with unscheduled home chores. Deadlines are important even when you’re working from home. So, add every little task into your planner. Have clear goals to meet your deadlines and strike it off your calendar. Set specific time slots to respond to e-mails, get on calls, or respond to family members to ensure that you are on top of meeting your deadlines. Work in short bursts and don’t forget to take breaks. It is important to take breaks, stretch, eat your meals, drink that cup of tea/coffee, go out too. Schedule break times into your calendar too.

Communicate and collaborate: Working from home does not mean that you must work lonely. You need to set up your communication and collaboration methods with colleagues, family, and friends. Ongoing from the last tip, be clear about when you are available for work calls, for chores, and for relaxing or going out. It is absolutely essential for you to be vulnerable about your time limitations and set access to you accordingly. Know that you must log on and log off work accordingly and take on only as much work as you are sure you can get done. When you know you have a lot on your plate, promptly reach out for help or delegate. For you to be able to do this, you must have clear communication media set with your team members. Be active and responsive as per set and accepted norms. Be transparent about your needs and availability.

Summary: Working from home is going to be a cultural shift. As a leader, for you to be ready to work from home, you must create a dedicated work environment, set clear goals and boundaries, plus communicate and collaborate accordingly. This will allow your growth and provide the same support to your colleagues. The work environment allows mindset building, clarity of goals and boundaries display of your commitment, and the communication and collaboration includes your stakeholders with transparency. 

Comments: Are you seeing the positives of this vulnerable situation, that has been forced upon us all?  Are there any some real upsides by working from home? Some see Coronavirus crisis as ‘watershed moment’ for working from home if leaders pull it off right. What according to you can leaders do to make working from home a positive, productive experience? How can you discipline yourself? I love learning from my readers. Please do share your thoughts #BeTheStar

Author: Coach Vikram is a Star maker! He creates that Star leader in you so that you develop powerful executive presence, stand out, and build market dominance! Leaders in Asia and Europe have moved into senior management roles and cracked million dollar deals using Vikram’s innovative model of executive presence which is designed around: Behaviors of Focus, Power, and Warmth. Visit him at www.CoachVikram.com