Work as we know it has undergone a profound shift in recent years; this shift became more evident after the COVID-19 epidemic. Remote-first practices are now taking centre stage as organizations begin to embrace the flexibility and potential of remote work.
In this article, we explore how organizations can approach the dynamism of leadership, communication, and collaboration in a remote-first workplace.
Whether it be team members from different time zones or with diverse skill sets, we uncover actionable strategies that empower leaders and team members to not only adapt but thrive. Whether you’re a forward-thinking leader or an individual looking to excel in a virtual team environment, the insights shared here will equip you with the tools to cultivate a cohesive and high-performing remote-first team.
1. Hire Right
First of all, never be in a haste to scale team size. When it is inevitable that a new teammate is essential for your company’s growth, you should ask these few questions. Does the candidate’s values align with the core values of your company? Did the candidate show enthusiasm for the role? Does the candidate have relevant skills for the role? How well did the candidate Communicate? Ultimately, Hiring the wrong people could do the opposite of growth for your company, so it is very critical to the success of a business.
2. Define Roles
When you have the right people in a team, you always want to ensure responsibilities are clearly defined, especially in a small company. Usually, a single person could take on multiple roles in smaller companies. Still, even in such scenarios, the person must be mindful of their contribution to the team’s overall success.
3. Curate Actionable Tasks
Tasks should be carefully curated for each team member by the project’s leader with the aim of hitting a specific goal on a weekly or monthly basis. Establishing clear and concise tasks helps the undertaker to address these tasks a lot faster and with ease.
4. Use the right tools.
An unbelievable number of tools are available for organizations to make the most of remote work—tools for communication and collaboration (Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Suite), project management (Jira, Asana, Trello, ClickUp), and even tools designed to help you build a progressive team (Revaise). These reliable investments have proved to be essential to the growth of organizations.
5. Build Trust
A remote work setting, by default, does not allow the traditional means of teammates being constantly monitored by their leaders. However, a few organizations have come up with creative ways to show they lack trust in their employees Trust is crucial in remote teams. Managers should give team members opportunities to showcase their contributions and avoid excessive monitoring that might make them feel distrusted.
6. Prioritize Team Bonding
Remote work is famous for being isolating. As a team leader, organize virtual team-building activities, casual chats, or virtual coffee breaks to help team members connect on a personal level. You can also encourage healthy competition at work and gamify the procedure. Revaise allows users to compete on how much they are growing as employees; the points gained are anonymously determined by their teammates. Finally, if possible, in-person hangouts are also very important in building a bond between team members.
7. Lead by Example
As a leader in a remote-first workplace, one of the most impactful ways to foster a productive and positive team environment is by leading through example. This means embodying the behaviours and work habits you wish to see in your team members. By consistently demonstrating these qualities, you create a standard for your team to follow, encouraging a culture of excellence and professionalism.
