Tips to Successfully Manage A Remote Team

Tips to successfully manage a remote team are very simple and achievable but can be scary too. 

Remote work is the new normal. Though it has been existing, it’s been adopted fully by many organizations since the outbreak of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Most team leaders, supervisors, and managers have found themselves managing a remote team. It can be scary, especially when it’s your first time working in such a condition.

But the good news is that, with adequate preparation and the right skills, you would do just fine.

If you are struggling with managing a remote team, these tips could help you and the team be successful and achieve goals.

Schedule Daily Check-In

Have a regular conversation via Email, Telegram, or WhatsApp. If possible, this should be one-on-one, and face-to-face via video. It is crucial to see the faces of your team members and they need to see your face too.

It’s easy to have a few minutes of video conferencing with your team with apps like Zoom, or Microsoft Teams. The purpose of this meeting is to set the agenda and provide feedback and resources the team needs to execute their job.

Frequent Communication

It is almost impossible to achieve anything with your team without frequent communication with them. As a team leader or supervisor, you need to have regular communication with your team. It should be daily and as often as possible.

Remote work can be lonely since everyone is isolated at home or in a private work environment. So as often as you can, communicate individually with each team member and also as a group. This would help the team have a similar feeling as they would have had if they were physically present at the general office complex.

Utilize Technology

As a manager, you have to keep your team connected. You need to keep tabs on everyone on your team. Different communication tools make it easy to keep everyone engaged.

Microsoft teams and Zoom amongst others are best suited for collaboration and communication.

Manage Expectations

As a leader, you need to help your team figure out what they should do and create realistic expectations for their work. You should also assign tasks to be done and the reasons behind them, this helps your team know how you will measure success. 

This involves defining the scope, deadlines, and deliverables for each task or project that is being worked on by the team. This would help you know what everyone is working on each day and week.

Resource Your Team

Each member of your team must have the right technology and tools needed to get the work done. Remote workers need tools like laptops, software, mobile devices, and high-speed internet connection.

Do not assume all of them have these things, ask and make sure they have all the resources needed which would help them deliver on the job.

Celebrate Success

Leaders should also look for opportunities to celebrate the same work milestones that would be celebrated in the office.  

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