Lose the Remote Control: Leading a Virtual Workforce
The social distancing precautions as a result of COVID-19 have thrown many companies into an unexpected virtual office environment. This can be a difficult situation for business leaders to navigate, especially when having to transition virtually overnight. My intention with this article is to help business leaders reset their leadership approach as they find themselves in the unfamiliar territory of leading a remote workforce.
Embracing Adaptive Leadership
Adaptive leadership is a practical framework for leaders to not only adapt, but succeed, under particularly challenging conditions. It is purposeful evolution in real time and seems ideal for our present set of challenges.
You’re likely far too busy to enroll in formal course study on adaptive leadership, but there are plenty of shorter-form ways to become familiar, or reacquaint yourself, with it in order to help you thrive under current circumstances. The four dimensions of adaptive leadership are:
Navigating challenging business environments
Leading with empathy
Learning through self-correction and reflection
Creating win-win solutions
Social distancing has uprooted many traditional office spaces and planted them into an ad hoc network of home offices. This is placing unexpected pressure on leaders. Here are several fundamental things to consider as you lead from a distance.
Connect With Your Employees
If your management style is one that controls the tactical activities of your employees, you’re going to be challenged by a remote workforce. Lose the “remote control” tendencies! Rather than emphasizing control, adjust your style to one that is more appropriate for a decentralized team.
Connect with your employees and be encouraging. Focus on tasks, purpose and success criteria. Review tasks that they are expected to complete and inquire what help they might need. Connect their assigned tasks to a bigger purpose for the business—what they are doing should matter. Defining a clear purpose enables employees to apply initiative when conditions change, and they will change. Finally, help them visualize success and when they achieve it, celebrate with them in a personal, albeit digital way.
Help Your Employees Connect With One Another
Not surprisingly, if you run a traditional office, your work force likely dreams of flextime and a remote work environment. However, they are accustomed to working together in a more structured office setting and seeing each other daily. They will naturally want to connect with one another, and you should encourage them to do it.
There are many digital chat tools that can help. You may already use one for employees to collaborate on projects. Consider establishing a chat channel to allow employees to informally connect, like a coffee bar or lunchroom. Given the freedom, they will likely establish one on their own.
Pay Attention, Learn and Adjust
Throughout the remote work experience, regularly take the time to pause and reflect. Include teams of employees who don’t often connect to be part of small group discussions. This will further help employees connect with one another, empower them with helping to shape the business, and is an opportunity to remind them of their value.
Track the things that are working especially well and share them across your organization. Discard or improve upon things that aren’t supporting your business outcomes. This will not only improve your business during this challenging period, but these improvements can be retained for when you’re back in the traditional office.
Prepare for the Return
It is impossible to know when or how this public health challenge will subside, but it will. Your organization will once again report back to the office. Prepare for it. Your employees will initially be excited to return to see their co-workers and friends. Why not allocate reunion time or even throw a return-to-the-office party?
This is the most significant healthcare crisis that has occurred in my lifetime. It will become a part of our history, and it will change some things forever. The longer we operate remotely, the more functional we will become. Your employees may be more vocal about their desires for permanently making remote work an option. Don’t be surprised by this and be prepared for the decisions you must make.
Adaptive leadership is intended to help organizations succeed during times of great difficulty. It is ideally suited for the challenges we currently face. At Mungadai, whether we’re helping business leaders reimagine their approach to marketing or become more effective leaders, we embrace the spirit of lifelong learning. It demands that we welcome challenges as an opportunity to become better. We stand ready to help you! Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.