By Mary E. Corrado, courtesy of SBAM Approved Partner ASE
I hear a lot of talk around remote and hybrid work for employees, but not as much about leading from a remote location. While there might be some unique challenges in leading from afar, great leaders can lead from anywhere.
Tom Gimbel, a leadership expert and CEO of Chicago-based employment agency LaSalle Network, says that great leadership is all about “compassionate accountability.” He claims that it doesn’t matter if a leader is in the office next door or 5,000 miles away as long as these strategies are being utilized:
- Respect your colleagues’ boundaries – Examples of respecting boundaries include recognizing time zone differences, understanding that family emergencies come up, respecting unique work environments, and recognizing mental health struggles.
- Hold regular one-on-one meetings – These meetings allow you, the leader, to set expectations and the employee to share their successes and challenges with you. One-on-one meetings help to maintain and improve employee engagement. Don’t let out of site mean out of mind. The ASE team is a combination of hybrid and remote employees and managers. I hold monthly one-on-one meetings with my direct reports and also have them send me weekly one-on-one forms that outline their current challenges and progress towards goals. In addition, we hold weekly team huddles. Communication is key when managing a virtual workforce.
- Show others you care – This is crucial in a remote work setting. I liked one of the suggestions Gimble offers – using old fashioned ways of communication to show you care and appreciate your employees. Send them a hand-written thank you card. We are so used to the quickness of technology and just sending a quick email or chat. But consider writing out a note and sending it in the mail. It can go a long way.
ASE’s partner, McLean & Company, offers many resources for training your managers to lead effectively while working remote. Some highlights of their advice back-up Gimble’s strategies listed above.
- Managing virtual teams does not require developing new manager competencies. Instead, managers need to “dial up” competencies they already have and adjust their approaches.
- Setting clear expectations with virtual teams creates the foundation needed to manage them effectively.
- Virtual employees crave more meaningful interactions about performance and development with their managers.