Leading from Afar

Call it an “art” rather than a “science” because we’ve had so little time with this new phenomenon of leading remote employees.  Time will reveal the best ways to get the most out of this environment in the areas of not only productivity, but also relationships.  We’ll learn through experience many techniques for leading employees that we rarely see.  In the mean time, here are five helpful ideas that can help you get the most out your long –distance working relationships.

Mix in personal discussions once in a while.  The remote employee still needs to feel like they’re part of something bigger so sideline conversations on the phone can be just as effective as in person to make them feel like they’re still part of the team.  Even if it’s as rare as monthly, call them to talk about anything but work on occasion.  This lets them know that you interested in them not just as resources, but as real people.  It’s much easier to do this with a nod or a smile at work.  Without that contact, we all know something is missing.  Taking the extra few minutes once in a while is a great investment.

Delegate in a way that gives them freedom and accountability.  Dole out assignments with the end in mind, giving the remote employee some freedom in how they get things done.  Getting the end result is critical – the what that needs to be done – but giving them flexibility on how to do it will keep the “creative juices” flowing and the work interesting.  Accountability can be reinforced via self-managed checklists or progress reports.  Remote employees pride themselves on being able to work independently; therefore, mechanisms to help them measure their own results work well.  Further, they don’t perceive the remote manager as looking over their shoulder when they’re completing the progress reports themselves.

Humble yourself.  This can obviously be applied whether working with remote employees or shoulder-to-shoulder, but take the opportunity to validate them when you can.  This can be done in two ways.  First, just say it.  “Look, you’re the expert on this topic.  What do we need to do to keep moving in the right direction?”  Another way would be to end conversations with “Before we close this meeting, I’d like to know if there’s anything else you’d do if you were in my shoes in this situation”.  Staying humble will help the remote employee see you as someone that is self aware and willing to listen to what they have to say when it comes to the important work that they do.

Be trustworthy.  One way to build trust is to be consistent.  Doing what you say you’ll do will ensure that remote employees are “on board” with where you want to go.  No matter how big or small the situation, trust is always in the “eyes of the beholder” and they are the “judge and jury” on the matter.  So be sure to calculate what you are suggesting or committing to when it comes to even the smallest of issues.  Your credibility with them and consequently their willingness to follow you will both increase as a result.

Keep your written communication organized and productive.  Let’s say you have problem with a project that you’re responsible for and the remote employee is an important person on the team working on the project.  Organize your written communication with the following three things:  current status, project goal and actions to achieve the goal.  The current status may be an outline of things that are going well or going wrong with the project and why.  The project goal is the target or outcome of the project that usually remains consistent unless something happens that forces a change.   The actions to achieve the goal are straightforward.  They are the things being done and by whom to make sure all is on track to ensure success.  Focus about 80% of the team’s effort on the actions to accomplish the goal and you will see productivity rise.

It is estimated that nearly fifty million people work remotely.  We find ourselves as leaders learning “on the fly” ways to get the most out of this reality.  Taken together, though, these five ideas give you a road map to short term success in leading remote employees.  Through experience, and necessity, we’ll continue to learn new and creative ways to lead from afar.