Essential Skills for Virtual Leadership

Overview:        The definition of virtual leadership is a form of leadership in which teams working in a remote environment get managed. As in conventional leadership roles, virtual leaders also focus on inspiring workers and helping teams accomplish their goals.

 As work from home has grown in popularity due to pandemics and other factors, the need for virtual leadership has emerged.

Remote employees have self-freedom because of the nature of virtual work. As a result, virtual leaders have to trust employee's capabilities and the work they executive as they can’t check in with workers the same way in-office.

In such a scenario, while working with remote teams, there must also be a culture of accountability. It requires both virtual leaders and remote employees to be clear on their expectations. For robust leadership, it's essential to create a business culture that's efficient, innovative, and optimized to adapt to an ever-changing professional landscape.

 Some of the essential skills a virtual leader needs to build a robust work are as under:

·      To have Role Clarity with regards to their job description

·      To allocate work to the employee/s

·      To have a start and a closure date in writing

·      To plan the process of work done

·      To offer support and guidance in case required.

·      To make a checklist if required to complete the task/ work

·      To provide feedback on the work done

Always be available and be in contact with remote employees. It can happen through means like phone calls, virtual meetings, or group team meetings. Also, leaders can schedule one-to-one calls with team members to ensure support and help if required. It fosters better communication and bonding and building up of the relationship.

Have Clear Expectations and Goals

Work from home offers greater flexibility, not only in terms of the time they work but how they allocate the work during the day as well. E.g., employees may need to care for their family members during certain times of the day. As a result, employees should sensitize about this to their team members and their reporting manager. It helps balance the expectation at both ends, resulting in better coordination and happiness in carrying out their work.

Also, when the employees are working on critical assignments and work, it's essential to check in to ensure that timelines are met. Also, to remove any stuck or blockage, if any, in execution of the work. Another method of measuring team or individual employee performance when they are not physically in the exact location is outcomes achieved.

Working on your virtual leadership skills is an ongoing work in progress as the situation and demands are always dynamic in nature.

 Have a Clear and to the Point Communication

Effective communication is one of the significant hurdles in virtual leadership. There may be misunderstandings when one doesn’t have the convenience of understanding the facial expressions, body language, and tone to know what someone means when there’s a lack of clarity.

If the managers and team members in a virtual team are not excellent communicators, it means there’s a higher chance of having communication gaps. Communications must be clear and pointed to have a meaningful conversation. It's essential to provide adequate detail and direction to work assigned and avoid ambiguity to eliminate any confusion.

Also, another essential point to be aware of is that English may not be the first language of communication with some employees. Therefore it's necessary to check with the team members what they have understood and what they haven't.

Lead with Compassion and Build trust

To be an outstanding virtual leader, you need to connect with your team members emotionally and be transparent when sharing data (even unhappy information)  to do a reality check, thereby building trust in the team.

Also, get in touch with your team individually to see how they're working, as some may find adjusting to remote work difficult. Ask about employee's hobbies, families, or a conversation other than work. Even when sharing their struggles, empathize with them and let them know that you see them as people, not just employees.

With new employees, onboarding may have difficulty adjusting to full-time work from home without meeting their seniors and understanding the organization's culture. A mentoring program can be created for new employees by the organization. The new employees put under with more experienced employees in the group. By doing this, the new employees can grow and develop faster.

Give your Team the Right Resources

Employees will be most productive when they have the right resources and environment to be at their best. The employees can be provided training and the right online tools to perform effectively and efficiently. Be it a document creation, sharing, and collaboration tool.

If you’re new to leading remote teams or still searching to find the right balance, you’ll be going in the right direction if you focus on these essential skills.