Daryl Hunter – Hubby, Daddy, Mentor, Friend

We are entering into the second year of this worldwide pandemic called Coronavirus. Many of you reading this have been thrust into a situation you had never considered: what would it be like if I go home today, shut the door, and do not leave again for months? You miss your friends and coworkers. You miss your extended family. You miss your normalcy. Now what? How do I engage and lead my team?

Whether you are a seasoned expert who has been engaging with remote teams for decades, or like many of us and are new to this and just trying to figure it out, this is for you. You can lead well, even during this next normal.

Here is an exercise to get you in the right leadership mindset: close your eyes and picture what “work” looks like to your team. Go ahead. We will wait. What did you see? If you are like many, you probably pictured a building, or a campus, or a floor. And offices. And hallways. And cubicles. And the hustle and bustle of getting work done. There is a reason for that – those items you pictured are common expectations people have when it comes to work. They expect:

• a place for them to do their work – a me space
• a place for them to interact professionally with others – a we space
• a place for private conversations perhaps with a boss or a coworker or a customer
• an expert, or experts, who probably can answer many questions that will be asked
• a place to stretch your legs, have a snack, drink coffee or tea, and take a break
• regular “team building” type of activities

Now, repeat that exercise but this time simply look around. Where are you? What do you see and hear? You might see your unmade bed, or a kitchen table that is your makeshift desk. You might hear your family ruckus inside or a noisy neighbor outside. You now work at home. Moreover, you must now lead at home – and you lead a team of people who also are now at home. They might be spread across different cities, states, or even countries. How do you effectively lead them? Can you?

Take a deep breath. You got this.

Many great leaders believe that a predictor of future success is past success. Now is not the time to reinvent what made you successful thus far. Now is the time to quickly inventory your toolbelt in light of these two exercises and simply lead where – and how – you are. Just because your business context has shifted remotely does not mean you need to change everything that led to your success in the first place. Here are some strategies that not only meet your team expectations but also lead to a cohesive tribe that is aligned, engaged, and functioning at high levels.

A simple first win might be “stuff” for working at home. Do you have a Work from Home (WFH) budget allocation? Can you provide items like a desk, or a second monitor, a comfy chair and the critical items like a good camera and microphone? We now spend our days looking at a screen and into a camera, so, having solid technology is critical to the connected working experience. Your team needs a space of their own so they can perform their best. Using AI tools like backgrounds and blur and also background noise suppression will enhance the quality of remote meetings.

Encourage your team to spend time together. Daily stand-up meetings may be real-time Teams Meetings. With global teams and overlapping time zones, having a conversation in a Team Channel will provide time flexibility and even global language inclusivity. When the entire team is working together in real-time, live captions are a great way to include everyone.  For those private conversations, Chat and Private Channels are both great choices. For regular private leadership opportunities, schedule a regular cadence of Teams Meetings around available working hours and outside of focus time.

We are social creatures. We need to laugh, and take breaks, and build connections with others. We need our tribe. This does not change just because you and your team dispersed remotely. Now more than ever, injecting a little fun into work is important. A virtual water cooler Team Channel is a great option. Silly conversations and morale boosting interactions (read: MEME contest) can live there. This intentional separation of business and fun will ensure the regular important business critical scenarios can have the focus they deserve in their own communication streams.

This leads naturally into team building, why not consider a virtual happy hour for your favorite beverage? Show off your kids, artwork, pets, or your favorite musical instrument with your coworkers. Initiate a book club where you discuss using Together Mode and share a useful nugget or two with your team. Maybe this is the year to have that virtual holiday party you always wanted! I know that we are already into the New Year; however, every week is holiday party week if we’re being honest, amirite? 🙂

Anyway, let’s leave it here for now. I hope with the New Year that you are spending time in thoughtful reflection of 2020 and hopeful anticipation for 2021. What are you planning to do differently – or better – or more often this year as you engage your remote team? Drop some cool ideas in the comments.

Cheers friends!