Tips For Leading Teams Remotely

1. Kick-off, sprint management & round-up sessions!!

A team that is working remotely needs to be treated differently to a team working in the office. If your morning Scrum in the office is with ten people, your Scrum online needs to be with two at a time max!

Don't lose your teams attention, interest or drain their energy - you're supposed to be supercharging them!

2.    Find the time

Try to get an hour or two of calls/work done before you start the team "kickoffs" at 8.30 say. There is no doubt earlier to bed, earlier to be up-and-at-it is a trend. "Secret working", before your family morning rituals start is a new necessity. Managing remote teams will rob you of time, it just takes you longer to do everything, so try to block out non-negotiable work time to do your non-negotiables.

3.    Lead by example

 Your energy and working example will inspire and guilt your team to play their part and do what they know they need to. WFH is with a capital WORK, not faff about from home. Be seen to lead not manage, be a positive force and add value to everyone because this will generate massive loyalty when it's all over. 

4.    Giving people the freedom to find their own way to get the job done

Autonomy & Working hours: Your team will definitely spend time working in the evening or unexpected hours, do simple things like allow a slightly longer break between the sprints or extend the time they have to deliver their non-negs. 

In the office, teams would typically have to do their non-negs before they leave, but whilst WFH is a major feature consider extending this to 10.00 pm so they can "do life" with their family around them AS WELL AS!

5.    Don't Micro-Manage your WFH teams.

Don't micromanage people whilst at home; you really don't know what's happening so trust in your dashboard and your people. 

It will be easy to want to micro-manage but trust your tech and reporting. I only use the CRM for reporting; anything not on the CRM doesn't count and doesn't get any attention in the meetings. It also doesn't generate commission = create discipline. Then you can let your people live without you chasing them all the time and making their other halves cross!!!

6.    Give those who are a bit lost direction, which is appropriate with their individual need.

Rio Ferdinand put it best: "When footballers retire, they go from an environment of structure drummed into them over the years, to one day waking up at the same time and not knowing what to do or where to start." It's a little bit like our teams today; they woke up at 6.00 am not knowing what to do. Right now they want some attention and some direction. The next few weeks should be solely about the teams and the INDIVIDUALS to embed good habits (even if you've already done this in previous lockdowns)

7.    Make it fun

Repeat the competitions and fun things you for in Q4 and over Xmas. Set a Euro-trip target (ABTA-insured of course) 

Make working together remotely lots of fun - you need to make the best of this so encourage the gang to hit some audacious goals and reward them for really trying and especially well for achieving them.

It's what recruitment is famous for - possibly make these rewards family orientated, so the whole tribe at home gets involved and cheers the team on?

8.    ALL THE THE OTHER RULES OF LEADERSHIP APPLY - DON'T YOU FALL INTO BAD HABITS!

Only eight tips, not 10 - no need to overload people if you don't need to 

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