Build relationships while respecting boundaries, advises Frans Campher, programme co-director at Imperial College Business School.
There have been numerous articles written about leading and managing remote teams successfully, but the same crucial ingredients for success seem to run through them all.
Here are five key principles that will go a long way to ensuring that your people are engaged, self-motivated and will give you their discretionary effort to deliver exceptional results.
Even a small dose of human interaction between colleagues and managers significantly boosts engagement and wellbeing.
In your next meeting, I invite you to practise putting the relationship first by asking your team members how they are and really taking on board what they say. This investment of time reaps considerable rewards in fostering discretionary effort and speed of delivery.
What would it be like if you engaged in a purposeful two-way conversation with each team member and you both answered questions such as:
How can we be even more effective while working remotely?
How do I get the best from you?
How should I communicate effectively with you?
What support do you need from me?
The ideas your team members suggest could help inspire new and better ways of working together in future.
The most significant human need is to believe that we are seen, that our ideas matter and that we can grow and develop.
When working at a distance, a manager's temptation is to ensure people remain engaged by being as visible and connected as possible. Too much attention can produce the opposite result. If we treat our people like adults, they will react as adults and deliver extraordinary results.
It means giving them the space to innovate and be creative. If you do this, they will likely surprise you with their commitment and drive, shift your approach from imparting to an enquiry, asking great questions, and seeking ideas and solutions rather than imparting them.
Through discussion and engagement, distil a compelling collective purpose and gain commitment by using the team's thinking, creativity, and opinions to establish a shared goal.
Check for alignment and agreement through constructive debate and use cognitive diversity for the best thinking and ideas. Purposefully ensure everyone has a voice and has had the opportunity to share their thoughts and be heard.
Confirm that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities and how they add value to the mission and team. Agree how you will communicate, what the rules of engagement are and how you will work together most effectively.
Support your remote workers to create boundaries between work and home life, take time for their mental wellbeing and switch off at the end of the working day.
Studies show that many people struggle to balance their home and work life and the many demands they face; this problem is compounded when people are required to work from home and juggle caring, parental and practical responsibilities alongside their professional ones.
Often your people are competing for space in their homes to have a private conversation and time to focus. Support them to take breaks, to work in sprints and avoid always being online. Please encourage them to take a walk or have a practice where they can disconnect and breathe.