Have you ever experienced deep relationships and mutual understanding and caring for family and friends who live miles away? How can this be replicated with Remote teams?
Remote seems synonymous with distant, separate and unfamiliar! Having led Remote teams for several years, I have found that - it is possible to create the closeness and connection in a very conscious and intentional way.
The essence of Leadership remains the same. However, building Trusting relationships is the glue that enables successful engagement , retention and results
Research by Great Place to Work, Gallup & HBR prove that Trust improves efficiency, engagement and productivity.
What can leaders do to build trust with remote teams?
1. Getting to know each team member as a whole person and encouraging open and honest 2-way communication is important. It is not enough to say how are you doing? It is essential to ask deeper questions - what is helping you and getting in the way? How can I help? Encouraging and enabling peer level communication and collaboration is also helpful in building a sense of belonging
2. Empathy: showing compassion and support for difficulties encountered is another critical aspect. Helping team members to identify solutions to work through challenges helps in their growth and development.
3. Being clear about expectations and how their contribution makes a difference - takes the guess work out of the equation and helps engender trust, meaning and focus.
To bridge the physical and social distance, Remote leaders need to foster strong emotional connection, closeness and trust with team members to achieve collaboration and success.