Successful Leadership in Times of Crisis:Supporting Remote Teams

Dr. Laura Hambley & April DyrdaApril 15, 2020

Who We Are

16 years of research across industries in North America and Europe; WE launched in 2014Team of Organizational Psychologists devoted to help drive remote workplace successCommitted to supporting and developing the human elements of distributed work

April Dyrda, M.Sc. Laura Hambley, Ph.D.

What We Do

Ground Rules

“Be here now” Make use of the Q&A and chat optionsConfidentiality

Names will only be visible to moderatorWebinar will be recorded and sent to those who signed up

Agenda

Distributed Work Opportunities & ChallengesIntroduction to Helpful Assessment ToolsHabits to Lead Remote Teams:

Work-life wellnessTrustCommunication

Conclusion and Q&A

What Is Distributed Work?

Impact of COVID-19

What Are The Opportunities?

Wellness/BalanceEffectively manage work and life activitiesStay healthy during the pandemic

Focus & Performance Manage distractions and work productivelyProvide strong remote leadership to others

Your Performance

Productivity increases 10-30% for those working away from the traditional office

What Are The Challenges?

Spillover & Crossover EffectsEffects of work are felt at home (and vice versa)

Competition for EnergyConflict between priorities in work and life

Susceptibility to BurnoutNegative impact on health and productivity

Poll Question #1

What do you struggle with most when leading remotely?

a) Establishing clear boundaries between work and lifeb) Maintaining communication with my teamc) Ensuring productivity stays strong in my teamd) Setting my own structure, and organizing my teame) Other?

Leading in a Mobile World

Compared to face-to-face leadership, the skills required to lead remotely are similar, but additionalAll of the skills required to lead face-to-face are necessary, but not sufficient

Skills

Attributes

Capabilities

Elements of Leading Remote Teams

Relationships

Accessible and Supportive

Building Trusting Relationships

Creating Team Unity

Fostering Collaboration

Flexibility

Achieving Work-Life Balance

Exploring and Learning Orientation

Promoting Work-Life Balance

Versatile Communication

Culture

Cultural Awareness and Respect

Cultural Communication

Productivity

Driving High Performance

Managing Work and People

Strategic Alignment

Distributed Leader Capabilities

Distributed Leader Profiler

Distributed Leader Profiler

Distributed Teams

“…the structural conditions that foster the effectiveness of face-to-face teams are

just as critical for virtual teams – but with one caveat: It is much harder to create

those conditions in virtual teams.”

Hackman, 2002

Habits to Support Remote Teams

Improving Wellness

Poll Question #2

When it comes to your remote work-life wellness, what do you most

struggle with?

a) Forgetting to take breaks b) Not taking time to move, stretch, or get fresh airc) Working long hours (evenings/weekends)d) None of these are a struggle, I feel better than ever!

Practice Boundary Control

Set and communicate your working hoursEnsure that your staff know the best way to contact you (and when urgent)Take breaks and let employees know when you’re unavailable

Practice What You Preach

Avoid scheduling meetings over lunch or that could extend beyond work hoursLimit email responding to certain times of the day (e.g. two sessions per day)Make use of a “delayed send” feature when emailing outside of work hours

Improving Trust

Trust and Remote Work

Remote Work

SuccessTrust

Effectiveness

Productivity

Collaboration

Poll Question #3

What is the most important aspect of building trust when working

remotely?

a) Getting to know your colleagues on a personal levelb) Keeping others informed of your progressc) Keeping and delivering on your promisesd) Taking time to acknowledge everyone's contributionse) Transparent communication

Consistently being inconsistent with promises and deliverablesSaying one thing, doing another Going silent or sending mixed messagesNot acknowledging others’ contributionsTaking credit for others’ work

How Can You Damage Trust?

Put People First

Minimize distractions to be here and nowTake time to ask about someone's day

How are you doing during the COVID crisis? How are your children?

Be willing to share your personal experiences and challenges

Practice Inclusivity and Transparency

Say the same things to different peopleWork to keep others in the loopNever assume that someone has received something and understood it as intended

Be Proactive, Not Reactive

Give your trust and believe people want to do a good job until proven otherwiseKeep your promises and deliverablesCommunicate delays in a timely manner

Improving Communication

Use Regular Check-Ins

Establish weekly personal and professional touch points

20-minute “virtual coffees”15-minute team huddle or “drive-by” during high intensity periods/projects

Use Versatility in Communication

Don’t over-rely on any one communication method (e.g., e-mail)Tailor amount/type of communication to individual needsOne-size-does-not-fit-all when it comes to communication preferencesMatch the communication medium to the purpose (“Media Match”)

Poll Question #4

What is one area you could most improve communication with

your remote team?

a) Scheduling more regular huddles/drive-bysb) Relying less on email as a form of communicationc) Running more efficient virtual meetingsd) Better utilizing team software to chat (e.g., Slack, MS

Teams)

Communication

Coordination

Leadership

Collaboration

Team Climate

Trusting

Committed

Accountable

Results Driven

Strategic

Distributed Team Effectiveness

Distributed Team Diagnostic

Measure overall team effectiveness through a “diagnostic assessment” for remote teamsDiscover strengths and immediate areas for action

Distributed Team Diagnostic

Your distributed team’s climate is moderate

Questions?

Try a demo of an assessment for free during the COVID-19 crisis.

Contact us:Laura Hambleylaura@workevohlution.comApril Dyrdaapril@workevohlution.com

www.workevOHlution.comPh: 587-354-3444 (Canada)