{"id":1564,"date":"2020-04-08T14:13:58","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T14:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/52.151.20.243\/?p=1564"},"modified":"2025-08-28T17:41:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T17:41:23","slug":"leadership-for-remote-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/skillup.online\/blog\/leadership-for-remote-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership for Remote Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While remote team management is not a new concept, current world events are dramatically increasing the likelihood that managers and their direct reports are no longer working face to face. With this changing landscape, it is imperative that managers evolve their processes of communication, evaluation, and motivation to adapt to this new and increasing environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, what specific behaviors should leaders be evolving and what are the pitfalls they should be careful to avoid? How do these behaviors differ from leadership best practices that have historically been implemented face to face? How do leaders establish clear and consistent communications guidelines? Are there any ground rules for giving and receiving feedback? How do leaders define and model online etiquette to avoid behavioral misinterpretations?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moving forward in this emerging environment, you\u2019ll not only be expected to maintain a high level of managerial competency, but your employer, colleagues, and team will also be looking to you to set examples and ground rules for them. However, after reading through the most recent list of \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/skillup.online\/courses\/course-v1:SkillUpOnline+SKO_MSTeams+2019_T1\/about\">Top 10 Collaboration tools<\/a>\u2019 you may be looking for something a little more on these subjects. That\u2019s because great collaborative tools are really only the tip of the spear. Leading remote teams is about understanding the nuances of personal engagement, driving communication, inspiring confidence, and <a href=\"https:\/\/skillup.online\/courses\">enabling growth<\/a> in an exclusively digital ecosystem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4292 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/sko-blog-prod.westus3.cloudapp.azure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.skillup.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/blog.skillup.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-1-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.skillup.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-1-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.skillup.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-1-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Specifically, you may find yourself focusing on these competencies:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Organizing Group Activities Online<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Providing Digital Feedback<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developing Online Workflows &amp; Workflow Management<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mastering Micro Communications (Over Communication)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diffusing Digital Tension<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\nFor the past 22 years, I\u2019ve had the responsibility and privilege of managing remote employees, and I\u2019ve learned a lot of valuable lessons along the way. Here are some of the top <a href=\"https:\/\/skillup.online\/courses\/course-v1:SkillUpOnline+HS-EP-101+2020_Q2_B1\/about\">recommendations for making sure your leadership doesn\u2019t hit any roadblocks<\/a> in the world of remote employees.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Never Underestimate the Power of a Voice Conversation<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-4294 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/sko-blog-prod.westus3.cloudapp.azure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-2-300x300-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.skillup.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-2-300x300-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.skillup.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-2-300x300-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/blog.skillup.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-2-300x300-1-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>The relatively easy process of sending a quick Email can create a comfort zone that lulls managers into a habit of leaning too heavily, and at times exclusively, on this mode of communication. It is important to remember how much content is lost when voice and in-person conversation is replaced with written conversation. The recipient of your Email does not hear your tone, tempo or voice inflections. Without these audible cues, it can become easy to misinterpret some of the more subtle, yet important elements of what you are trying to communicate. Ask yourself, if your employee was sitting in the same office as you, would you deliver that message face to face, or through email. If the answer is face to face, perhaps it would be a better choice to pick up the phone and call your direct report.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>It\u2019s Difficult to Overcommunicate to a Remote Team<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep in mind that remote employees don\u2019t enjoy the impromptu gatherings, hallway, or water cooler dialogs and spontaneous conversations that occur in a face to face environment. The typical \u201chum\u201d of the office environment, the shared lunch meeting, or the multiple daily elevator encounters simply don\u2019t happen for remote employees. In the absence of these typical avenues of communication, it\u2019s easy for remote employees to feel isolated, ignored and, well, remote. The successful manager of these employees will recognize this impromptu conversation vacuum and make sure to compensate with consistent and increased conversation opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In general, overcommunication has been one of the secrets in building a successful remote team. We don\u2019t realize how many visual cues our brains process on a daily basis and how much of that is missing in the digital environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Managing both Remote and Face to Face Employees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a face to face environment, it\u2019s typical and easy to share information informally. When you see Steve or Janet in the hallway your memory is jogged about a comment or work-related bit of information you\u2019ve been meaning to share, and so you share it spontaneously. By the time you get back to your desk, however, you\u2019ve already shifted your focus to the next task at hand, and that bit of information doesn\u2019t get shared with the remote employee. Inevitably, your remote employee then innocently discovers that you shared information with their peers, but not them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though your intentions were innocent, this simple circumstance can wreak havoc on the health of your team. If you have important information that is pertinent to the entire team, make sure you share it with the entire team in a timely fashion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-4296 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/sko-blog-prod.westus3.cloudapp.azure.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.skillup.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-3.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/blog.skillup.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-3-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.skillup.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-3-1024x585.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.skillup.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/\/SKO-Leadership-Remote-Teams-BodyImage-3-768x438.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>Be Thoughtful and Strategic in your Team Meetings<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When attending a meeting remotely, your direct reports will multi-task to an extent that would be largely unacceptable in a face to face meeting. You can take measures to counteract this behavior such as requiring employees to turn on their video cameras, but a thoughtful leader will take extra steps to counteract this distraction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most powerful actions a team leader can take to address this circumstance is to invest the extra time and energy to ensure team meetings are impactful, strategic, and even rehearsed. Don\u2019t fall into the trap of conducting team meetings with a \u201cwing-it\u201d approach. Be deliberate. Be engaging. Be motivational. Take advantage of the valuable time you have to spend collaborating and planning as a team.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The path we are on as a society would indicate that the requirements of remote team management will only increase over time. Leaders that accept and embrace this new model will set themselves up for success by being diligent and deliberate in addressing the unique challenges presented by managing remote employees.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While remote team management is not a new concept, current world events are dramatically increasing the likelihood that managers and their direct reports are no longer working face to face. With this changing landscape, it is imperative that managers evolve their processes of communication, evaluation, and motivation to adapt to this new and increasing environment&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":4291,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[298],"tags":[291,254,257],"class_list":["post-1564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modern-workplace","tag-modern-workplace","tag-professional-growth","tag-skill-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Leadership for Remote Teams | SkillUp Online<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" 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