Remote Team Management: How to successfully lead from a distance

Learning objectives

• Create awareness of the traps and challenges associated with remote work. Even so for opportunities.
• Manage roles, responsibilities effectively (your own role as a team leader, as well as the roles of your direct reports)
• Ensure team and individual productivity in a positive and engaging way.
• Build trust, team spirit and positive dynamics in the remote team
• Build flexibility in communication and interaction and use the right channels and media to get across the message.

Programme highlights

Module 1

• Challenges and context of the remote work
• Managing roles and responsibilities
• Accelerated delegation and empowering the team
• Profiling: the ideal remote worker, and what if your people do not match that ideal

The effects of remote work are multiple, and leaders will have to take into account many more factors affecting work.…. “Working from home makes it much harder to delineate work time from personal time.” (CEO Docusign)

Module 2

• A meeting framework and approach for virtual meetings
• The phenomenon of perceptual filters and how to deal with it
• Media richness: involving a broad spectrum of media in the communication
• Dealing effectively with sensitivity in a virtual context (message, culture, people’s styles…)

Genuine interest in your people as human beings, not just resources will be key... “You need it to build rapport with your team of nomads. When you get to know each other members in person, you’ll be amazed by how different your online communication will become after that.” (a cybersecurity expert)

Module 3

• Building trust through team identity
• Ensure accountability through follow-up
• Providing remote support and feedback
• Remote coaching

Team and organizational performance will be defined differently…. “Even if remote work turns out to be less productive on some metrics than others, reducing carbon-based emissions or the improving work-life balance could make up for it” (Harvard Business Review)

Module 4

• Building and promoting purpose for the team
• Team motivation needs and how to manage these
• Fostering informal moments of truth in team interaction
• Building and maintaining trust

Building the right vibes in the team will be the main challenge for remote team leaders. “As we’ve moved to virtual work, we haven’t just coped, we’ve actually thrived. We are more focused on the things that have the greatest impact on our customers, associates and the business. We are making quicker decisions and actions. Meetings are now more inclusive of people regardless of location, level or other differences.” (CEO Walmart)