By Catherine Bardwell, TPC Leadership
During the COVID-19 pandemic many organisations moved to home working for their staff, and even as businesses start opening back up their offices, there has been a significant shift in expectations about staff being present in the office Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.
While this is a huge step forward for those who have been campaigning for more flexible working, for some leaders, not experienced in managing remote working teams, this will require additional training and development.
Over the course of lockdown many managers struggled to engage with their team members virtually and with issues involving mental health on the rise it’s now more important than ever for leaders to be properly equipped to manage their virtual teams.
What do leaders of virtual teams need to consider?
- Key productivity dimensions when leading virtually
- Key wellbeing tools to continuously support the team
- How to build trust with team members
- Enabling teams to self manage and take on more responsibility
- Creating a culture of team working with flexible hours
- Inspiring the team in a virtual setting
- Asking for and receiving constructive feedback virtually
- How to be, and stay, resilient remotely
How can TPC Leadership help?
Within the UK, TPC Leadership has always operated as a virtual organisation. Our day to day activities remained largely unchanged during the pandemic as all our staff work remotely. Therefore we have a lot of practical day-to-day experience in leading teams who work remotely.
As leadership consultants and behaviour change specialists we also work with many companies who face the challenges of embedding a remote working culture within their organisations. We have many tried and tested approaches to ensure virtual teams are able to perform at the highest level.
Depending on the needs of your organisation we can work with you to provide your leaders and their teams with a toolkit to address the challenges of remote working including, if required, a deep dive into the challenges faced, a review of the leadership styles that exist and chances to practice new skills and behaviours using real life examples.
If you would like to discuss leadership of your virtual teams please contact Associate Partner Catherine Bardwell who will work with you to address your organisation’s specific needs.
