Covid-19! A name perhaps all of us who have experienced it, will never forget in our lifetimes.
As paranoid as it got us to worry about the health & safety of ourselves and our family and friends, it has got businesses across industries all over the world down to their knees, struggling to stay away from drastic measures like terminating contracts and lay-offs, unsuccessfully.
As organizations fight with the situation they face to keep productivity afloat, manage cash flows and get accustomed to the new normal of working remotely, the junior to mid-level leaders struggle with a challenge many have never seen - how to lead teams virtually.
While we are thankfully used to technology and can find our way around the new age gadgets and applications, what they don't teach us is how to manage human emotions and relationships in a mode where we cannot physically be with our teams.
Some key success factors to keep in mind which can help virtual leaders are:
INCLUSION: Involve the team colleagues early on for finalizing the blue print and articulating the team’s agenda.
DELEGATION: Understand the team and bring clarity to the mode of operations for the team. How will the team operate as a unit becomes important for each member to understand.
Research says that ‘smaller is better’ in remote teams as there is a higher efficiency in smaller units. Identify the right person for the right job to understand who will be able to drive the agenda forward most optimally.
ROLE EXPECTATIONS: Define what the goal looks like for everyone and how you’ll know when it’s been achieved. It is important to define the metrics that will be tracked and reported to ensure every stakeholder in the team understands for the measurement dimensions will be, for success.
FEEDBACK: When the team is a dispersed one, it is better to use shorter intervals at which feedback is shared with each member on the progress towards individual and team goals. Use the feedback discussions to identify where additional support can be provided to the team.
ACKNOWLEDGE & RECOGNIZE: Recognizing a job well done keeps the individual members and the team as a whole energized and committed to a large extent. Employees want recognition, as one of the primary needs of motivation. Small gestures such as praising them on a one on one basis, as a part of the team as well as publicly, writing a recommendation, or even a recognition email can go a long way in motivating the teams.
Even though working with a virtual team has its own unique challenges, there are plenty of ways Virtual Leaders can make sure the team stays energized and motivated to do their best work.
Explore our Live Interactive Facilitated Experience (LIFE) to enable the people leaders in leading virtually, effectively.