Managing virtual teams is no longer a fad - or a new concept - but a modern business necessity

This article is inspired from the feedback I received on the editorial I posted on October 4th: The Modern CFO in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis… (https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/modern-cfo-wake-covid-19-crisis-john-ioannou)

Remote working has become one of the fastest growing trends in business. Many organizations have had teams working remotely for a long time. This trend, however, was exacerbated with the pandemic. Suddenly we are all asked to work from home… indefinitely! 

Those of us with operations across Asia-Pacific saw the proverbial ‘writing on the wall’ early on and somewhat prepared for what we thought might be coming – at least from a technology and hardware perspective – ensuring that we had excellent technical support from our IT teams.

However, be honest, in reality, how many of us have had much tangible, practical, and proven successful experience in leading a truly remote team?

How prepared and equipped are you for the critical skills and capabilities which are vitally important in motivating, managing, and leading remotely?

It is undeniable that managing people who work remotely is much harder than managing regular office teams.  There is a set of skills required, skills that are difficult to develop and competencies that necessitate training and on the job experience. In remote working, mastering these skills becomes even more imperative.

My intent here is to challenge my fellow CFOs to pause; reflect, and then to evaluate their skill set and identify how they can strengthen these skills in a virtual setting – especially as their teams look to them for guidance, motivation in unusual, unfamiliar or even extraordinary working environments, and leadership to continue to deliver. Below I outline the seven skills, among the many that probably come to your mind, that I personally consider the most critical:

1. Leadership: this is an overarching and absolutely fundamental skill that is required as you climb the corporate ladder. Leadership is not management although they are necessarily linked and complement each other. Management is all about organization, coordination and giving direction to get tasks done. Leadership is all about vision and strategy, influencing, motivating, inspiring and most importantly enabling and empowering. Leadership appeals to the heart. And what is needed now is more leadership than management. A leader shines not in good times but in difficult times by demonstrating an ability to adapt quickly to change and by taking advantage of opportunities whilst mitigating the risks and challenges. Leaders need to take intentional steps toward building the trust of their team, filling the connection gaps, and fostering the cohesion needed to drive productivity. These are confusing and challenging times. Your team is looking for cues on how to react and adapt. They are looking for a leader to set the tone and to inspire.
2. Communication: being a clear, effective, and transparent communicator is by far one of the most critical skills. Many have issues in fostering communication face to face, let alone remotely. Consistent communication is essential to keep all team members on board and up to date on the most pertinent details of their tasks. I have found out that working remotely can result in members of the team lacking important information at times and not having enough context to make certain decisions. It is important to communicate more than you think is necessary rather than less. Keep in mind that communication is the ‘tool’ that you need to stay connected. Remember that communication is not complete until the recipient has not only received, but understood, the message. And this leads me to my next critical skill…
3. Active Listening: active listening is a technique used in training, coaching and counseling, and enables conflict resolution. It requires that the listener fully concentrates, comprehends, responds, and then recollects what is being discussed. I was recently discussing the contents of this article with a friend of mine, who is an executive leadership and team coach, and she encouraged me to distinguish active listening skills from other listening skills (such as reflective or empathetic), and how right she was. To listen, to really listen and recognize other’s perspectives and feelings is of paramount importance when working remotely. As managers we have the tendency to talk a lot more than we listen. Our ‘share of voice’ in a meeting is very high. When managing remote teams, we must learn to encourage employees to talk to us and we should just listen.
4. Presentation: a sub-skill, or method/channel, of communication, yet in my view a distinct competency. To me the ability to convey a message and a story through a presentation remains one of the toughest proficiencies I have encountered in my career. This skill becomes more challenging when presenting remotely. A presentation must be even more clear, well organized, succinct and to the point to deliver the message intended. If I were to give the top three tips when preparing and delivering a presentation remotely, these would be: (i) Be creative, use less text and more visuals to make your presentation more accessible, engaging and easier to understand; (ii) Pause regularly and welcome questions and comments, make sure your audience is engaged with you and really paying attention, especially if the cameras are off and the mute buttons are on; and (iii) Keep it as short as possible, if you can say everything you need to in half of the time that is allotted, you should do so. If the content is sufficient, saving valuable time of your audience is definitely a big winner!
5. Emotional intelligence: the ability to empathize with your team, understand their business and personal fears… remember your team members are not connected to each other, they work in their own bubble. This means there is an emotional separation between team members. Understanding and appreciating that, is the first key step in connecting. These are scary times, and your team members are very likely concerned about the future of their jobs and of your company. Keeping your finger on the pulse of the team’s emotional state will be essential to knowing whether your team is on track.
6. Organization and planning: there are a lot more to keep track when you manage a remote team. If you are not organized enough, you will very quickly lose the plot. Set expectations and deliverables for each team member and check regularly to monitor progress and provide feedback. Stay on top of the meetings – make sure people come prepared and remain engaged to produce the desired output. Make sure you keep your team in the loop and encourage collaboration.
7. Coaching and mentoring: Coaching and mentoring skills are becoming more important than ever given the challenges and stress imposed on our teams from the changing business landscape. These skills can be effective approaches to develop employees and enhance the knowledge and performance of our teams even when working remotely. I realized how important these skills are when I had to hire and onboard new team members remotely!

In this global transition from corporate workplaces and board rooms to home offices, managing teams remotely can be extremely demanding and fraught with challenges. The skills outlined above are not new, however, mastering these skills is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ but a necessity. You will need this tool set of competencies not only to survive and thrive in these trying times but also to ensure that you support, encourage, coach, and lead your team to success.

For some CFOs, working from home, and communicating through digital mediums is nothing new. For those who are new to this, I will close with a vote of confidence and my note of encouragement: you’ve got this!