Leading a team remotely is not a new concept for me. Even before lockdowns and pandemics, our tribe have enjoyed the luxury of having flexible work options. I have never held a formal office structure, and happily allowed my team to work in any location or environment they felt best suited them individually.
In fairness - before 2020, our remote working locations included Italy, Bali and New York… and now they include the bedroom, the lounge room and the kitchen. What a downgrade! But I am lucky my supergroup loves working in pajamas with babies and dogs on their laps, no makeup requirements for Zoom videos and close proximity to their kitchens for endless snacks.
While it seems everyone is currently raving about the novelty of working from home, it is so important to be aware that this is not the case for everyone, and some staff teams have found the transition from office to home a little more difficult than others. Feelings of isolation and not having that social and professional vibe around you each day can take its toll and performance can start to drop.
Leaders need to know the negative implications and possible consequences of separating your team into their homes for extended periods of time. And while it's currently unavoidable thanks to Covid19, there are some great things you, as a leader, can do to ensure your team still feels connected.
Here are my tips on leading your tribe remotely...
1) Find Ways To Check In Beyond Work Emails
Create a group chat including all team members, send UberEats coffee and croissants/muffins every now and then, send them a link to a yoga workout, or arrange a team night in - such as Zoom trivia night or just a Friday night / end of the week catch up with a glass of wine. Be sure to actually ask them how they are doing - mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It’s so important to call or text just to check in sometimes, rather than every contact be work related.
You can still get creative even in lockdown - we have done an online group cooking class with the one and only @casaditutti_ over Zoom and it was great! We spent time together virtually, learnt a new skill and it was a refreshing reset break from work.
2) Offer Praise + Encouragement
I'm trying to get better and implement more systems around this because truly - the fierce creatives that I get to work with blow my socks off on the daily, and I want to sing their praises to everyone.
I shout them out in our group chat, feature it on our socials and email/text the individual with often an obscene amount of emojis to show how awesome I think they are. I also try to make it a really open and honest space to ask questions and get further support if the team is struggling on a project or idea.
I'm actually super proud that we have been able to cultivate a culture of collaboration, each team member will reach out without hesitation to one another to ask for help, input or suggestions when they need. That is the holy grail of a remote workplace in my eyes.
3) Be Flexible
It’s so important to pay attention and understand as a leader how each team member thrives and produces their best work. What external factors do they each have in their home that would affect their work?
For example - I know that our graphic designer extraordinaire Keely is working in between kids and home life so she normally hits her stride early in the morning. She will methodically work through her emails and to do list and will reply to my emails in the first half of the day.
Jess, our social media strategist, works like clockwork to her monthly schedule and timeline and I know that our clients are getting clear and regular contact from her.
Erin and I are night owls, so there will often be phone calls and exchanges at ungodly hours about work, ideas and projects and it's almost like the magic switches on from 9pm onwards.
Steph is wrangling an energetic toddler so nap times and childcare days are when she is full steam ahead and on the other days, I understand her child is priority so I ease off a little.
As a leader you need to be flexible to let people work in a way that allows them to be the most productive but also keeps your business moving forward.
4) Communicate Expectations
Implement emails, lists, task managers - whatever systems you need to, in order to introduce and allow clear communication to flow within your team.
It takes trial and error. I tried to implement Slack, which is a communication platform, which only lasted about 2 weeks. It was just another app and notification going off on our phones that we didn't need. I’m kind of old school, I like a bullet pointed email and clear delivery dates. #keepitsimple
Find what works for your team, set clear boundaries and expectations and you’ll find your rhythm.
5) Give Light and Shade To The Working Week
It’s easy in this current climate of lockdowns and working from home that each day starts rolling into the next and starts to feel like Groundhog Day. There is only so much that you can do to change up each day and your environment. It’s through these times that I would encourage you to jazz it up a bit. Think of ways that your team can engage with others, learn, grow, take a breather from their current workload.
The tribe all recently attended the virtual 'Unspoken' conference with @weareoneroof. It was a great chance to change up the working day, tune into some incredible female entrepreneurs and get involved in discussions and topics that are separate to our client projects.
Five years into my remote leading role and I am all for letting people do life and work how it best suits them. I get the benefit of well balanced, creative and dedicated individuals who thrive in their preferred environment and therefore bring out the best for our clients. When you get the balance right, it's win-win-win for your clients, business and team!
Leading a team remotely is not a new concept for me. Even before lockdowns and pandemics, our tribe have enjoyed the luxury of having flexible work options. I have never held a formal office structure, and happily allowed my team to work in any location or environment they felt best suited them individually.
In fairness - before 2020, our remote working locations included Italy, Bali and New York… and now they include the bedroom, the lounge room and the kitchen. What a downgrade! But I am lucky my supergroup loves working in pajamas with babies and dogs on their laps, no makeup requirements for Zoom videos and close proximity to their kitchens for endless snacks.
While it seems everyone is currently raving about the novelty of working from home, it is so important to be aware that this is not the case for everyone, and some staff teams have found the transition from office to home a little more difficult than others. Feelings of isolation and not having that social and professional vibe around you each day can take its toll and performance can start to drop.
Leaders need to know the negative implications and possible consequences of separating your team into their homes for extended periods of time. And while it's currently unavoidable thanks to Covid19, there are some great things you, as a leader, can do to ensure your team still feels connected.
Here are my tips on leading your tribe remotely...
1) Find Ways To Check In Beyond Work Emails
Create a group chat including all team members, send UberEats coffee and croissants/muffins every now and then, send them a link to a yoga workout, or arrange a team night in - such as Zoom trivia night or just a Friday night / end of the week catch up with a glass of wine. Be sure to actually ask them how they are doing - mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It’s so important to call or text just to check in sometimes, rather than every contact be work related.
You can still get creative even in lockdown - we have done an online group cooking class with the one and only @casaditutti_ over Zoom and it was great! We spent time together virtually, learnt a new skill and it was a refreshing reset break from work.
2) Offer Praise + Encouragement
I'm trying to get better and implement more systems around this because truly - the fierce creatives that I get to work with blow my socks off on the daily, and I want to sing their praises to everyone.
I shout them out in our group chat, feature it on our socials and email/text the individual with often an obscene amount of emojis to show how awesome I think they are. I also try to make it a really open and honest space to ask questions and get further support if the team is struggling on a project or idea.
I'm actually super proud that we have been able to cultivate a culture of collaboration, each team member will reach out without hesitation to one another to ask for help, input or suggestions when they need. That is the holy grail of a remote workplace in my eyes.
3) Be Flexible
It’s so important to pay attention and understand as a leader how each team member thrives and produces their best work. What external factors do they each have in their home that would affect their work?
For example - I know that our graphic designer extraordinaire Keely is working in between kids and home life so she normally hits her stride early in the morning. She will methodically work through her emails and to do list and will reply to my emails in the first half of the day.
Jess, our social media strategist, works like clockwork to her monthly schedule and timeline and I know that our clients are getting clear and regular contact from her.
Erin and I are night owls, so there will often be phone calls and exchanges at ungodly hours about work, ideas and projects and it's almost like the magic switches on from 9pm onwards.
Steph is wrangling an energetic toddler so nap times and childcare days are when she is full steam ahead and on the other days, I understand her child is priority so I ease off a little.
As a leader you need to be flexible to let people work in a way that allows them to be the most productive but also keeps your business moving forward.
4) Communicate Expectations
Implement emails, lists, task managers - whatever systems you need to, in order to introduce and allow clear communication to flow within your team.
It takes trial and error. I tried to implement Slack, which is a communication platform, which only lasted about 2 weeks. It was just another app and notification going off on our phones that we didn't need. I’m kind of old school, I like a bullet pointed email and clear delivery dates. #keepitsimple
Find what works for your team, set clear boundaries and expectations and you’ll find your rhythm.
5) Give Light and Shade To The Working Week
It’s easy in this current climate of lockdowns and working from home that each day starts rolling into the next and starts to feel like Groundhog Day. There is only so much that you can do to change up each day and your environment. It’s through these times that I would encourage you to jazz it up a bit. Think of ways that your team can engage with others, learn, grow, take a breather from their current workload.
The tribe all recently attended the virtual 'Unspoken' conference with @weareoneroof. It was a great chance to change up the working day, tune into some incredible female entrepreneurs and get involved in discussions and topics that are separate to our client projects.
Five years into my remote leading role and I am all for letting people do life and work how it best suits them. I get the benefit of well balanced, creative and dedicated individuals who thrive in their preferred environment and therefore bring out the best for our clients. When you get the balance right, it's win-win-win for your clients, business and team!
