From the course: Leading Global Organizations

Managing remotely

From the course: Leading Global Organizations

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Managing remotely

- Working remotely is the new normal for many managers and professional people, and remote working is expected to stay at a higher level, following the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether this is working from home, managing people in different offices in the same country or leading global teams, we need to adapt our leadership skills to an environment where we've got limited opportunity to get face to face. When we lead a team where everyone is in the same location, relationships form more easily. We can get to know people and build trust over coffee or lunch. Many aspects of leadership happen more naturally as a free by-product of proximity. In a remote team, we need to think more carefully about how we do this. Technology can help. Research just found, for example, that interacting through video is almost as good as face-to-face in building trust. So make sure you turn on those cameras. Leaders new to remote teams and used to being able to see how hard their people are working, may worry about whether their remote people will perform. This worry is usually unnecessary. Research shows that people who work remotely, particularly, home-based people are actually more productive as they can focus easier and suffer fewer distractions. Be aware of the temptation to put more controls in place because you are out of your comfort zone. You don't want to become a remote micromanager. Now that you've got limited opportunities to get face to face, you also need to focus this scarce and valuable time on the things you can't do as easily through technology. When you visit your people or have the opportunity to have face-to-face meetings, focus on building relationships and trust and building your team spirit and sense of community. There are many other team tasks you can do through email or video conference. Successful remote teams establish a cadence or rhythm of communication, both face-to-face and virtually that enables them to meet the needs of the task and to maintain the relationships needed for the team to succeed. But don't overestimate the value of your presence. Remote team leaders likely to be accessible to be available when they need you but they don't need you to be there all the time, looking over their shoulders. Make sure they know how to contact you and keep in touch, but gives them the space and autonomy to perform. Many remote managers spend far too much time traveling, thinking that people need to see more of them. Why not discuss this with your people? How often do you need to talk and meet and find out what works for both of you?

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