Plus 5 Coaching Tips!
Managing Remotely Webinar Series
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically shifted work from the office to your employees’ living rooms. For many managers, the challenge of coaching a remote team is vexing. How do you ensure high productivity while maintaining a positive and collaborative culture?
Here are 5 Core Manager Skills to create an accountable, engaged, and healthy remote team:
Skill #1 – Elevate
Engagement by Stepping Up Yours. The lack of daily in-person interactions
creates an energy vacuum. Your team doesn’t need a cheerleader. But they do
crave intentional
leadership
that provides clear direction, facilitates esprit de corps, and brings a
positive outlook during uncertain times.
Coaching
Tip: Communicate
regular appreciation to your team for
their energy, collaboration, and results during these challenging times.
Skill #2 – Be
Vigilant About Tending to Your Culture. Passionate and unified cultures are strongly
correlated with improving performance across a host of key business outcomes (Gallup). Complacency or
business-as-usual is your enemy. Cultures, like gardens, are healthiest when
receiving attentive care.
Coaching
Tip: Begin
your weekly team meeting asking each member to quickly share A) what success
they had the past week, B) where they are struggling, and C) what help or input
they need from the team.
Skill #3 – Establish
Sacred Meeting Schedules. It’s
vital to understand that “employees whose
managers hold regular meetings with them are almost three times as likely to be
engaged as employees whose managers do not hold regular meetings” (Harvard Business Review). Clear routines, like meetings,
provide team members with structure that fosters certainty, lowers anxiety, and enables high productivity.
Coaching
Tip: Three meeting examples
that drive Kevin Kruse’s, CEO LeadX, team’s
remote work.
- Weekly
One-on-Ones
- Weekly
Action Review (WAR)
- End-of-Day
Check In
Skill #4 – Clarify RRA (Roles, Responsibilities, Accountabilities). Gallup’s research found that high employee engagement was most strongly correlated with a positive response to the statement – I know what is expected of me at work. Further, the ultimate prize of effective collaboration is enhanced when each team member understands how everyone’s part fits into the big picture. Ambiguity is a remote manager’s worst enemy.
Coaching Tip: Post everyone’s RRA to a project management
software
or a Google document for high visibility.
Skill #5 – Focus on
Growing Talent. Telework
is an excellent opportunity to engage your team members in career or skill
development conversations. The International Coaching
Federation reports that “83% of employees indicated career support positively impacts their
engagement.” The same study showed “85% of individuals agreed, or strongly
agreed, there is nothing wrong with staying in the same job if they can try new
things or develop new skills.”
Coaching
Tip: Your
weekly one-on-one meetings are the mechanism for providing effective feedback. These
deeper conversations strengthen your relationships and send a sincere message
that you care about each team member.
Managers
who are intentional about prioritizing relationships, collaboration, and
accountability will engage their teams in healthy and productive remote work!
Keep it simple. Keep it focused. Definitely keep it
inspiring. –Steve
Managing Remotely Webinar Series