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THE FUTURE OF WORK IS HERE.


THE FUTURE OF WORK IS HERE.



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 * Aaron Levy
 * 
 * * Apr 14, 2020
   * 
   * 4 min read




HOW TO LEAD A HIGH PERFORMING REMOTE TEAM










With the recent ban on travel and the closure of many offices around the U.S.
and the world, thousands of businesses and millions of people are now forced to
work remotely. It’s forcing businesses and employees out of their comfort zones,
having to not only figure out how to work from home but also how to use new
technologies, adapt and, ultimately, innovate.






We are much more resilient than we give ourselves credit for. It takes a
situation like the present to force innovation on us. People will start to see
that working remotely, though hard at first, can in many instances be even more
efficient and effective than the old way of work — when done well.






As a result of this crisis, the way of work for many businesses will be changed
forever. Why?



The standardized structure of going to work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. is
a traditional structure born out of the Industrial Revolution way of work. Until
now, we’ve never had a reason to make sweeping changes to that standard workday.






Now we do.






The real question is, how can we do it right? How can we and our businesses
succeed in this new world of work?






Here are a few tips and best practices to think about when leading a remote
team.






Establish a clear and specific game plan.



Without a clear game plan, remote workers can fall into a pattern of feeling
disconnected from the purpose and mission of an organization. Together, managers
and employees should establish objectives, short-term deadlines and clear
expectations of each other, which will keep both of you on track toward your
long-term goals. This will enable you to better monitor progress, troubleshoot
any problems and keep your team accountable on a regular basis.






Focus on outcomes, not hours.



Let go of the need for your team to all be “online” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Instead, focus on the deliverables you need accomplished and when you need them
completed.






When establishing goals and deliverables, think in terms of the output of each
employee rather than the time spent on work. People work at different speeds,
and many have different hours of the day when they are most productive.
Understand this and focus your energy on holding them accountable to SMART
goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound) that you can
both track.






Overcommunicate.



Since you’re not seeing all of your employees in the office, small talk, banter
and the quick questions are harder to come by in remote work. While emails,
Slack and texting often allow for quick correspondence, they aren’t optimal for
solving more complex issues and don’t provide the same sort of interpersonal
connection that you get when chatting in the halls.






To overcome these barriers, it’s critical you work even harder to establish
lines of communication with your team. Set up coffee chats with each of your
direct reports with the objective of simply connecting, host virtual happy hours
and, most importantly, any time a big issue arises, don’t try to solve it via
email or messaging. Pick up the phone or get on a video call ASAP to hash it
out. Don’t let issues fester over time, because without seeing each other, it’s
much easier to forget the person on the other end of that email is on your team
and that you’re working together, not against each other.






Set clear expectations.



Team members need to be accountable on a timely basis to both their peers and
their managers. Rules for communication should be set to encourage transparency
and responsiveness. For example, you can require all employees to acknowledge an
email within several hours and to provide a set deadline for responding to the
request for information.






Make sure you and your team have a clear set of expectations for how you will
work together, from setting “away” messages to having a shared place to
communicate off days and back-up plans for solving a problem when someone is
offline.






Meet with regularity.



If you wish to establish a feeling of camaraderie and team spirit, of being a
part of something bigger, you must hold regular team meetings, both at the
larger organizational level and within each team.






When you share important news about your company’s performance, both good and
bad, and updates about important happenings in the organization, your employees
will buy into the purpose and mission of the company and go above and beyond
their duties to help the organization succeed. Remote workers should always be a
part of these meetings. Whether you require them to come into the office (if
possible) or hold them virtually, these company meetings need to be a regular
part of your calendar. It allows team members to feel connected and part of the
overall mission.






Have fun together.



One effective way to build camaraderie and a culture of collaboration is to
schedule casual get-togethers, as well as retreats and team-building events with
the whole team. Especially for remote teams without an office, it allows team
members to get to know each other.






When our current period of forced remote work is over, many employees will have
experienced the ease and efficiency of working from home and start to push
organizations to adopt more flexible work-from-home policies.






Don’t get left behind; start thinking about how you can foster a more conducive,
productive and supportive work environment for your team. Offering your
employees the flexibility to work remotely is not only a win for all involved —
it’s a necessity in the new world of work.






To operate in this new world as an effective business leader, you will need to
be ready to lead remotely.









Originally published in Forbes on April 14, 2020.













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