Top tips for remote leadership

How you can master the challenges of leading remotely.

Can you film stage plays and then show them in the cinema? You can, but why would you do that? After all, the characteristics, the audience’s experience, the stage techniques, and the portrayal are completely different.

And just as these two formats differ, so too does in-person leadership and remote leadership – for example, partially virtual teams.

The first realisation when it comes to virtual leadership is that you have to use other tools and leadership methods to be successful.

Leadership by “walking around” does not exist in the virtual setting:

In companies with a strong in-person culture, both managers and employees enjoy the opportunity to spontaneously drop in on each other when there is a need for clarification. Or they meet by chance at lunch and can immediately deal with concerns and agree on further approaches during an informal conversation. These opportunities are not available remotely, meaning they have to be actively planned in order to stay in contact:

  • Identify the need to talk to different people
  • Planen Sie 30-60 minütige, regelmäßige Meetings
  • Take note of talking points and agreements
  • Adjust the number of meetings and their lengths according to need

It is therefore important to actively plan spontaneous or random meetings and to conduct them in a structured way.

We miss informal exchanges if it is not organised!

A “happy birthday” during your early break, the congratulations for the successful completion of a project when passing someone in the corridor, or even the quick question of “How’s the new guy?” do not happen virtually. But they account for the togetherness, that we-feeling, and your team identity. So, here are some tips on how to incorporate this aspect into virtual leadership work:

  • Begin team meetings with announcements and incorporate motivational positive messages
  •  
  • Begin team meetings with announcements and incorporate motivational positive messages
  • Organise team meetings for networking and sharing: who has what successful strategies to share that also help others?

 

Effective delegation, support, and trust are crucial in the implementation work

Leading virtually means clearly naming tasks, working out time frames and success criteria, and then scheduling progress checks and support in upcoming meetings. As a manager, it is important to assess who needs meetings and how often, in order for them to work effectively. Here is another tip:

  • Create divisions of tasks that follow the “RACI” method model (who is responsible? Who is carrying out the task? Who needs to be informed?)

 

Leading virtually means utilising other channels, getting to know new tools, and changing your leadership work. Above all, it requires time, courage, and practice.

Share