Remote Leadership – One Of The Biggest Challenges in The Post Pandemic World

Maintaining leadership from a distance can be difficult, especially when struggling with the culture of over-surveillance in most workplaces. If you are a team leader who has had to do this type of work, we leave you some tips to make your leadership more effective.

First of all, carry out an introspection.

You need to identify what your strengths are as a leader and also your areas of opportunity. Start thinking about how you might benefit from working remotely with your team or why you should pay more attention when managing under this scheme.

Identify fear and anxiety.

We are all faced with uncertainty and do not know what will happen regarding the pandemic and how it will affect us at a work and personal level. You must identify your fears, especially those related to how you lead your team, and begin to plan to face and overcome them.

Manage your time and tasks.

This is perhaps the most complicated part of working remotely. The lines between work, family, and personal life are blurred when all three spheres coexist in the same space. Create schedules, mark your calendar, create work plans that adapt to the needs you have at the moment, and above all, designate exclusive times and spaces for work. You, as a leader, must implement it and lead by example. Likewise, remember that you will have to change the metrics with your collaborators, change your productivity indicators, stop measuring the hours worked, and focus on the results.

Search and implement tools for remote management.

Nowadays, many digital tools (free and paid) allow adequate monitoring of all activities and projects, both yours and your team members.

Work with your team.

You are not the only one who must adapt and deal with the challenges of the change of scheme. Your team is also going through difficulties when working remotely, so it will be vital that you stay in touch with them, help them resolve their doubts, and even keep them motivated in the face of adversity. You can hold weekly meetings to learn their points of view and new proposals and provide online training for using the latest software they are using. Set goals with your team and establish rules for this new working method.

It’s okay to fall.

Sometimes, it is expected to feel defeated, frustrated, angry, or unmotivated. Don’t keep it in and allow it to accumulate; talk about it with a colleague (never with your team), and find a friend, family member, or professional with whom you can speak openly about what you are experiencing and feeling. And find a way to deal with these emotions.

Work on yourself.

Take advantage of your free time and work on your areas of opportunity or develop a new skill. There are a lot of courses that have been released for free, conferences, workshops, etc. So you can work on your soft skills (leadership, communication, assertiveness, etc.) and your technical skills (according to your profession). This will give you time for yourself, and you will invest time and resources into improving yourself.