How To Manage A Team Remotely

Employees choosing jobs with?remote possibilities?is on the rise. Most likely, you will be managing a remote team, if not now, then in the future. According to?Modality, 76% of individuals use video collaboration to work remotely. Knowing how to manage in a remote work environment will help you advance your career.

Remote teams pose challenges to any?manager. However, the good news is, you can learn to manage remote teams, and be highly successful.?

Whatever situation you are in, remote management is a critical new skill.

Below are three strategies to help you manage a team remotely.

1. CLEAR COMMUNICATION

Clear communication is paramount because you aren’t physically in the same space as everyone on your team. Impromptu conversations can’t be had, so you must be intentional with your communications.

Consider the following:

• Communication Channels?– You can’t stop by someone’s desk and check-in when you work remotely. And no one else on your team can do that either. Because of this, you will want to set up communication channels for yourself and your team.
• Disseminate Information?– Everyone on your team must get the information needed to do their job. You also want to ensure you disseminate any critical information to your team. If your team is finding out things about their jobs or the company in other ways, they may feel excluded from the company and their role within it.
• Extra Communication?– You don’t have the luxury of taking an additional five minutes after an in-person meeting to make sure someone understands the next steps for a project. Extra communication is always a good idea.

Setting up communication channels right away, and ensuring everyone on your team is up to date, will help your team feel empowered to do their jobs.

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2. STAY VISIBLE

As the team leader, you need to stay visible. In other words, your team needs to feel like they can contact you, and that you will respond. Staying visible in a remote work environment will take effort on your part. However, your team will appreciate knowing you care about them and their jobs.?

Consider the following:

• Schedule Check-Ins?– Normally, when you are in an office situation, your team has the opportunity to drop in and speak to you whenever something comes up. However, it is up to you as the leader to schedule regular check-ins when working remotely.
• Be Available?– Staying visible also means being available. Your team needs to be able to contact you and know you will respond. Because your team may be living all over the world, being available to everyone at all times isn’t possible. However, you can give your team options to help ensure they feel seen and heard.
• Don’t Be Afraid Of Video?– Being visible includes being seen. When your team sees and hears from you regularly, they will be more engaged and feel supported.

In our LinkedIn Learning e-course,?Building Your Visibility Online As A Remote Leader, you will learn how to boost your visibility intentionally so your team feels supported.

Being visible will help you connect with your team so they can do their jobs with confidence.

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3. SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONS

You don’t want to micromanage your team. To avoid being a micromanager, you have to set clear expectations. This is especially true in a remote setting. You have to trust your team will get their job done. When your team knows what is expected, you empower them to do their job to their best ability.

Consider the following:

• Set Expectations Early –?Setting expectations early will help you manage as time goes on. This is because your team will know what is expected of them right away.
• Measurable Objectives?– Every team member has an objective. This objective could be anything from scheduling social media to processing payroll. As the team manager, you need to ensure these objectives are measurable. When goals are measurable, you can more easily determine if the objective is met.
• Trust Your Team?– When you manage a remote team, you have to trust them. You won’t be able to pop over to their desk to check their progress. However, you won’t have to micromanage if you’ve set clear expectations and measurable objectives.

We recommend the e-course?“Setting Clear Expectations With Direct Reports”?to learn more about setting clear expectations with your team.

In the end, managing a remote team takes a little extra effort. However, once you’ve set up your communication channels, and clearly communicated your expectations, you can manage your team successfully from anywhere in the world.

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