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Many businesses are embracing remote working and hiring top talents from various geographic locations, but what goes into leading remote teams to success? Leading remote teams was pushed to the forefront during the COVID-19 pandemic, and while some companies are pushing for in-the-office work, remote work can help some teams be way more productive and effective than they would be in an office.
Kevin Eikenberry, author of “The Long-Distance Team: Designing Your Team for Everyone’s Success,” joined me to discuss the topic on “The Business Storytelling Show.”
He said it basically comes down to the following:
- The right communications
- Understanding how to collaborate
- Cohesion
Working with a remote team can also help create a more diverse team, said Michelle Ngome.
In addition, here are 10 more tips for you to consider to lead remote teams to success:
1. Establish Expectations
Managers should set clear expectations and goals for their remote teams to improve the work processes just as in the office. Provide guidelines, priorities, and performance goals to outline the tasks of every team member. Frame some team norms and define the scope of your project to get maximum professionalism. Ensure to keep your team informed about every policy change to keep them in the loop.
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2. Employ Technology for Productivity
Leverage the right technology for collaboration and communication with your remote team. Cloud-based tools assist your team interact and work together in real time. Here are some must-have tools for leading remote teams:
- Communication: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, CiscoWebex
- Project Management: Trello, Asana, Monday.com
- Collaboration and File Sharing: Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive
- Presentation Design: SlideModel, Google Slides
3. Conduct Check-ins
It is imperative to build meaningful connections with the team. Check-ins allow you to know what everyone is working on and in what direction they seem headed. Send regular emails, plan team events, hold video conferences, and give constructive feedback.
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4. Presentations to Boost Morale
How to start a presentation to accelerate the determination of your employees? The answer to this lies in intuitive and eye-catching PowerPoint presentations. Build beautiful slide decks with professional templates from sites like SlideModel. Share your screen and deliver a slideshow displaying project progress reports. Engaging presentations render you the chance to motivate your employees to perform better.
Read next: How to engage audience in PowerPoint presentation
5. Empower and Trust your Employees
Employee empowerment is a critical ingredient of high-trust and successful teams. Organizations with trust-based work cultures incorporate higher levels of innovation and employee engagement. Ensure to empower your remote team. Delegate tasks that provide growth opportunities, avoid micromanaging, and involve them in the decision-making. Build more robust relationships by entrusting them with chief duties. Additionally, conduct some team-building activities to build team solidarity.
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6. Channel Effective Communication
Two-way communication between managers and remote team members provides them with the perspective that they need. Conduct both synchronous and asynchronous communication to keep a seamless workflow. Synchronous communication involves video calls and audio calls. Asynchronous includes communicating via texts, emails, or messenger applications.
7. Host Regular Video Conferences
A study by Buffer reveals that 19% of remote employees face loneliness as their biggest challenge. Thus, making your employees feel more included should form the priority of managers. Hold video conferences with every team member to instill a feeling of human interaction in them. Assign project duties and enquire about their welfare by conversing with them on video calls.
8. Organize Webinars and Training
Training and workshops are just as vital for your remote employees as for in-office ones. Organize training sessions and webinars to keep an active learning curve of your teammates. Employ PowerPoint presentations to complement your topics. Use them to reinforce topics in your audience’s minds. Become an excellent mentor with training sessions to sharpen the skills of your workers. Host quizzes and polls to gather feedback for workshop ideas.
9. Provide Recognition
Effective recognition encourages your team members. It also serves as a motivational factor for others. Reward and appreciate the milestones that your team achieves. Inspire them with words of acknowledgment, low-cost perks, or any token of gratitude. Providing some admiration for any effort by an individual teammate. It can go a long way to boost productivity.
10. Promote a Work-Life Balance
It is easier for your remote employees to get distracted while working from the home environment. Therefore, promoting a work-life balance is a must for every manager. It leads their remote team successfully. Layout some firm rules regarding the work timings and holidays. It tends not to overburden your teammates. Ensure to delegate the daily workload following their availability. Keep their schedules flexible. Adjust your calendars according to the suitability of the employee.
Wrapping It Up
Working with an online remote team comprises some perks and challenges. You can become a delightful remote leader with a clear set of expectations, adequate tools, and adherence to management best practices. Following these ten tips can help you to keep your remote team coordinated with efficient working. Every manager must inspire their team with genuine involvement and goal formation to achieve maximum productivity.
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