We don’t know how long COVID-19 will impact us, but we do know that it’s not forever. We will work together again. When we do, organizations will come out of this one of two ways: stronger or weaker.
Organizations not used to remote work are quickly learning that everything is more difficult virtually. Working well remotely requires more attention to detail, better project management, and more deliberate communication. It requires better teamwork.
The organizations that will come out stronger will be the ones that work to overcome the challenges of working remotely by digging deep into their habits and behaviors, make changes to increase team performance, virtually, and then keep those changes, when things return to ‘normal’.
In the words of Bear Grylls, we must “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.”
So, how do we overcome the challenges of working better together, far apart?
Focus on these 5 levers:
1. Vulnerability- Tap into your Human-ness.
Be. Human. We’re a month into isolation and we are getting collectively weary. Acknowledge it. When we deal with what’s happening inside of us, we can start managing what’s happening outside of us. Leaders, your teams are tired. They are uncertain. They are scared. You HAVE to acknowledge it. Take 10 minutes at the beginning of every huddle and check in- not about work or what they got done, but how they are doing personally. For this to work, you’ve got to go first. Share something that is going on personally with you at home. It doesn’t have to be crazy or dramatic- just something that has your attention. Once you start, and open up, your people will follow suit. Listen and take notes.
Doing this allows your team members to connect with each other on a deeper level than ‘work talk’ does. Like the dog barking in the background of your zoom calls, acknowledging and accepting the ‘us’ outside of work helps people feel more connected.
2. Consistency- Touch base, regularly, about the same things.
If you aren’t having team meetings at least weekly, start now. Set the agenda in advance and keep the items simple and consistent. It can be as easy as “Share a win from last week, what you’re working on this week, and anything you need help with from the team.” Keeping the agenda simple and consistent helps keep it from feeling like a micromanaging witch hunt when you start asking employees what they’ve accomplished in the past week out of the blue.
3. Communication- Say it back.
When you’re working with a virtual team, it is so much easier for things to be lost in translation. The best way to avoid miscommunication is to reflect what you’ve heard and check for agreement. It can look like “So, Bill is going to reach out to Kara about when she needs the numbers for the Board presentation and let us know ASAP. We’re on hold til then. Am I missing anything?” Saying it back, and making sure everyone is on the same page will save you the heartache and rework of miscommunication.
4. Trust- Be transparent, disagree openly.
Teams that don’t trust each other won’t work. It’s that simple. If you’re working on vulnerability and communication and consistency, trust will fall in line. As a leader, being open and transparent with your team members will help reinforce that behavior in your team. If there are trust issues, sort them out, quickly.
A word on back-channeling- A friend of mine recently shared that she had a new team member that would regularly have a one-off call after a group call and complain or disagree with whatever the group would agree to ‘publicly’- this is called back channeling. Back-channeling is especially easy to do when you’re in a virtual environment. Imagine this, you’re on a video call- the group agrees to a plan of action- but you’re not really on board. You call/text your friend (also on the call) to talk about how ridiculous the timeline/plan of action/general work is. You’re just venting right? Wrong. You’re creating re-work and mistrust. Teams have to get to a place where they trust each other enough to disagree openly and work through it. As a leader, you’ve got to keep your eyes open and make sure that everyone is really on the same page, not just smiling and nodding. As a team member, you have to have the courage to be honest, show up and speak up.
5. Accountability- Do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to.
When in a virtual environment, it is easy to feel like you have to “show” you’re working and productive by taking on an immense task list. Don’t. Be realistic in what you can accomplish and know where your line is. In a virtual environment, you have to deliver what you’ve promised to avoid eroding credibility. It may seem counter-intuitive, but over committing will undermine your productivity and the perception of your performance. That said, for leaders, you have to hold your teams accountable. Virtual environments make it easier to show up to meetings unprepared and disengaged and uninterested. Team members that make commitments need to follow through with them and you have to hold them accountable. It’s as easy as “how is the (insert project here) coming?”. If someone comes to a group meeting and has not completed an agreed-upon task, it has to be addressed. Behavior not addressed is reinforced. When team members know they can rely on each other to do what they say they are going to do, in the time frame they committed to, the team trusts each other and works more efficiently.
Consider lifting weights. If you are training using 15 lb weights, and then change to 5 lb weights, the load seems to be lighter because your body has adapted.
That’s what we need to do with our teams. Train and get strong with the weight of virtual teams, so that when we go back, and are together again, that strength will propel us into even higher levels of performance.
Keep going-
Meghan
Commentaires