Managing a remote team calls for a different leadership style.

Most of our staff work hybrid. For managers who are used to controlling their team, it can be difficult to lead through trust. Managing a remote team calls for a different leadership style. What is important? Eight important tips:

Keep the communication lines open

Stay in touch with your colleagues. For example, schedule an online meeting when you are working from home or plan to meet when you are in the office again.

If you like, you could follow an online course with New Heroes in Communicating or Understanding others.

Leadership contributes to a strong and healthy community 

What leadership looks like in practice is expressed in concrete leadership behaviour and associated competencies: making connections, collaborating, taking responsibility, and pushing boundaries. This helps us to look at behaviour and expectations together. Read more about leadership.

Keep an eye out for individual staff members and their specific circumstances

Each staff member is different and has different needs. Some may need more social contact than others who are less bothered by social isolation. Some prefer working from home, others may not. Ask them how things are going from time to time.

You could choose to follow these online courses at New Heroes: Open questions or Small talk.

Allow for more flexibility in working hours

Be understanding of staff whose children are at home or of those with caring responsibilities, for example. People’s working routines may be different at home and they may need to be more creative with breaks.

Try these online courses: Empathy and Creative thinking.

Trust your team and focus on results

Focus on results rather than activities. If you’re not used to working from home, you may feel the need to control your team. This is futile and is neither productive nor motivating.

Try this online course: Result oriented management.

Set clear expectations

Set clear expectations about required results and, if relevant, the frequency of progress reports, meetings and any follow-up and what shape these will take. Also decide who will be available when.

Try these online courses: Preventing misunderstanding and Time management.

Organise contact moments and invest in your team

The lack of direct contact with colleagues makes hybrid working difficult. Organise online meetings for the whole team. Or select a day on which the whole team is at the office. Make sure that everyone is included in the communication.

Try these online courses: The power of a compliment and Team culture.

Use the right technology for the right situation

Modern technology and the internet have made working from home easier but it can also have a downside. Technology is worthless if you don’t use it properly. You won’t solve a conflict by email, a brainstorming session without video won’t be very efficient and putting everyone in cc in all your emails will mean that no one reads their mails anymore. For each goal, use the right communication tool in the right way to achieve the results that you are looking for.