By Steve Woodcock, Principal Partner at SOF-ONE
The ongoing pandemic continues to necessitate a new remote working environment for most office based businesses. One of the most significant impacts of remote working is that many leaders have lost the daily informal contact and discussions with their team members that they so enjoyed. This day to day contact has been valuable for both pragmatic decision-making and for keeping a strong bond with their team. Those morning coffee chats, water cooler conversations, and elevator rides are all gone and with them the opportunity to share a smile, to listen and be heard. These are basic human behaviors that create a healthy workplace environment, build trust, and give energy to the organization. Not only is the opportunity to informally keep up with employees and share ideas lost, but more importantly, the personal connections that happen with those engagements begins to disappear. These critical connections are the foundation of building trust…the essential glue that holds EVERYTHING together and which leads to team cohesion, innovation, and greater team performance. Todays’ leadership of remote teams requires a shift from the previous team engagement model. Over the past few months, I have spoken with several leaders in different industries and, not surprisingly, the one common thread is a substantial increase of team video calls placed on calendars. While additional team meetings are one tool in continuing to drive your agenda and maintain cohesion of your organization, it is not a fix-all for the current environment. There needs to be something more… Connecting with your team and making a difference can still be fostered and grow if leadership makes a deliberate shift in the engagement with their teams. There are five simple steps a team leader can take to keep the lines of communication flowing and ensure that a strong personal connection is maintained with each team member, at the core is Mindset, Schedule and Interest:
1. Mindset: Show up with your best self. Leadership should be enjoyable - so enjoy this conversation! Your mood influences others and how they respond to you. It is also something that can be ‘read’ by your tone, verbal inflections, and of course your mindset. One way to help you to focus your mindset and not be distracted is to make these calls as important as any other meeting during the day (#2 below). This will keep the stress down in your day and engender a more natural and healthy conversation.
2. Schedule. Be purposeful in assuring you have time for each of your team members. The watercooler and elevator are no longer a part of the day. Block out daily or weekly (depending on how many you have) 1:1’s with each direct report on your team for a catch up. 15 minutes should be more than enough (remember…these are informal in nature). Don’t get stuck on a specific agenda. This is time to listen and share and if there is additional information you would like, schedule a follow-up. Make sure you are consistent with your schedule and do not take up too much time!!
3. Take an Interest: Listen and ask questions. Everyone is impacted in some way by social isolation. This is a perfect opportunity to show your humanity. One way to help foster this type of discussion is to be vulnerable and share something about how the pandemic is impacting you and your family and what you are doing to overcome it. You have an opportunity to show we are all in this together and here to support each other for the best possible outcomes.
4. Validate their Contributions. Remote work can sometimes bring about feelings of uncertainty regarding one’s position or what the future holds. This has a tremendous impact on the view a person may have regarding how the organization values them and the value they bring to the organization. Recognize what they are doing for the organization and the difference their contributions are making. Proactively helping to eliminate this stress while stories of layoffs continue circulate will go a long way.
5. Take Feedback. Ask each employee for suggestions on what your organization could be doing better, as well as anything you could be doing better. This environment is new for everyone, including yourself.
Remember, it would be nice if we all knew everything there is to know…being open to suggestions and observations will set you apart from the rest of the pack. It will also demonstrate the strength of your character as a leader! Your employees’ collective experience and knowledge is far more than you have as an individual- and what a tremendous resource for growth! So, take advantage of this new way of doing business and surge forward with your team!