Purposeful Talent Development: Leading a virtual team
Be intentional about connecting with people, plus four other effective approaches.
In today’s workforce, we have both on-site staff and remote staff. In our current climate and precautions surrounding COVID-19, working remotely has become a necessity for as many people as possible. Leading a remote workforce requires some different skills than managing in person, including setting up different expectations and managing different interactions. Whether there is a short- or long-term need for you to manage remote staff, you may need new ways to manage workflows, workloads, collaboration and keeping staff connected.
Here are a few tips for leaders managing remote workers:
- Leverage technology. Be sure you understand what technologies are available and ensure that your team members have access to them and know how to use them. Several platforms support instant messaging and virtual calls, including GoToMeeting, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, Google Hangouts and Skype for Business. Some of these are free to leverage amid COVID-19 and some may be included in software you already utilize.
- Set expectations. Clearly set out the expectations you have for your team, especially any that may not be used to working from home. Discuss whether the change in environment—and the change in society–means adapting working hours, timelines, meetings or other collaboration.
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