EP. 41 Remote Team Communication Should Be Strategic and Outcome Based

In today’s episode, we interview entrepreneur, leader, and CEO of Aquila Capital Partners, Mark Watson.  Mark shares that the key to success for remote leaders is to understand the importance in clearly communicating the vision and having outcomes based conversations that progress towards relevant KPi’s.Since we are not physically together, our conversations must be outcome based. On a remote team, leaders spend more time in the leadership role versus the management role. Just like Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper said, “you lead people, you manage things,” successful remote leaders spend more time leading their remote teams towards their vision and mission. The outdated management style that focuses on closely managing the activities of remote employees during the time on the clock can be detrimental to achieving success. When leaders shift to outcomes based conversations their team members gain more autonomy, feel more trusted, and produce better outcomes. Communication with Remote TeamsSuccessful remote leaders are very strategic in their use of communication. A few years ago, leaders wanted everyone in the office because they wanted to make sure everyone was working. Working from the office gave an added level of security to leaders so they could ensure everything was running smoothly.During the pandemic, when all teams were operating remotely, leaders lost that reassurance they once had in the office. The leaders that had a tendency to micromanage in the office shifted to virtual micromanagement.For some companies, this led to a plethora of virtual micromanagement tactics that has hindered their success. Remote employees began to endure entire workdays in front of their Zoom cameras and - for some - every keystroke on their computers being tracked. What these companies did is apply outdated micromanagement tactics (meant for managing “things”) and applied them to people. Successful Leaders Make Synchronous Time ValuableAt the beginning of the pandemic, leaders were having one hour Zoom meetings just to have one hour Zoom meetings. Employees were experiencing Zoom burnout on a whole new level. Because of this, leaders now need to focus on making synchronous meetings quick, valuable and to the point. Additionally, leaders and their remote teams need to leverage the right communication avenue for the right conversation, which at times can be hard to identify.Virtual Meetings Need to Be Focused and ShortSuccessful remote leaders think about what is really going to move the needle on their goals when they are in a virtual meeting. Inside weekly standup meetings, each person on the team reviews what they’re working on. This is meant to keep everyone updated and not micromanage a team member's every move. These short standups allow team members to understand how their work supports desired goals.Keeping these discussions short, crisp, and to the point makes a real difference in valuing the time of your remote team members. In the office, these meetings used to take an hour but they only needed to take 20 min max. The same is true for your remote meetings. By focusing on relevant KPIs, outcomes and vision, successful remote leaders help their remote teams identify their goals, and then let the employees figure out how they are going to achieve those goals. Remote leaders must shift their mindset and language in virtual meetings. Instead of asking, “what did we accomplish today?,” they should ask, “Are we on our timeline to achieve our goals?” Even a simple shift in asking a new question like this produces greater results with remote teams. Leaders then should leave all other work and less relevant conversations for asynchronous communication; for example, DM’s, emails, or phone calls.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Team Anywhere’s mission is to uncover Leaders on the Front Lines that are building teams and cultures where the majority of the workers are dispersed throughout the city, state, country, or world. We explore how these remote leaders foster engagement through trust, authenticity, and a sense of community. Ultimately, we are uncovering the new skills and practices that leaders must take on to connect, inspire, and transform their teams to compete in the new dispersed global economy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.