The Top 5 Leadership Skills for Managing Remote Teams Effectively
We’ve all spent a lot of time talking about remote working over the last four years or so and many businesses have done a brilliant job at finding new ways to continue managing remote teams in the post-pandemic era.
But it’s really important to acknowledge that managing remote teams isn’t an easy task. In fact, it’s so tricky that people in leadership and management roles need to have a precise set of skills. Let’s look at 5 of the most important.
1. Empathy
Being polite shouldn’t be difficult. However, being truly and honestly empathetic tends to need some practice! But why is leading with empathy important, especially in managing remote teams?
Well, empathetic leaders know how to go beyond surface level relationships to find common ground and connect with each member of their team in ways that are meaningful.
Being empathetic definitely doesn’t mean that every video call needs to turn into a therapy session. But it does provide opportunities to move beyond small talk and get into the real work.
By consistently displaying and encouraging empathy, leaders ensure that remote teams feel comfortable enough to share their thoughts and opinions, push back on ideas that are flawed, and work together to solve problems in creative ways.
2. Genuine Listening
It’s so easy for remote teams to feel as though they just aren’t being heard. So, it’s the responsibility of leaders to take steps to ensure that every member of the team feels valued and seen.
There are many ways to demonstrate that you’re genuinely listening to your team. These include ensuring there aren’t distractions when you’re on video calls and paraphrasing information back to people – this shows you understood exactly what they’ve been telling you.
3. Empowerment and Trust
When working remotely, the last thing your employees want is to feel is that they’re being micromanaged.
Effective leaders have the skill of understanding when and how to empower individuals. They do this by delegating tasks and allowing them to get on with the work without constantly looking over their shoulders.
Yes, providing guidance and support is crucial. That’s a given.
But when someone has already shown they’re perfectly capable of getting on with the task at hand and asking for assistance when needed, it’s essential to allow them the space and freedom to work in ways that are most productive for them.
4. Creativity
There are many differences between managing in-house and managing remote teams, which is why successful leaders are innovative and creative in the ways they approach different situations.
There are so many ways you can display creativity. An important one – and a relevant example currently – is finding new ways to use technology to encourage collaboration despite the physical distances between team members.
5. Flexibility in Managing Remote Teams
Managers of remote teams not only understand how to remain adaptable. They also know how to encourage their teams to embrace change and use creative thinking to find new solutions to unexpected problems. This kind of creativity depends on leaders having a flexible approach to ideas.
This is critical because challenges must be approached head on in order to drive positive outcomes for both individuals and the wider business.
Keystone Training Can Help With Managing Remote Teams
With all the other commitments you have to finance, it’s easy to assume training and development can wait – it seems a luxury. The evidence is it is not. If you want to see how bespoke training leads to a return on investment (ROI) of leadership development, download the free planning sheet we offer in that blog post to help you make the case for training.
We have years of experience in providing training and development for teams in many sectors. We tailor the training to the unique needs of your remote teams. If this sounds like something you would now benefit from, call us and let’s talk.
Esther Patrick is a Client Accounts Director at Keystone and a member of the Senior Leadership Team. An experienced consultant and management author, she has nearly 20 years’ experience leading client partnerships across sectors from construction to healthcare and designing leadership, culture, and team development programmes aligned with their strategic goals and values. Esther is passionate about creative, human-centred learning.
