Jay was recently interviewed by Leaders Perception magazine to share his insights on creating high performing and aligned remote teams, while also ensuring authentic wellness practices are in place across the organization.
Jay's advice for leaders of remote teams;
Be purposeful & intentional about the what the team works on and how they get that work done together
Being purposeful around how the team works together and taking the time to understand what works best across the team is key to ensuring the team are successful in a remote environment. I guide my clients to think about what the most critical topics are, which the team need to come together to do, or to be informed about – and then to think about how to make those moments engaging, inclusive & memorable.
Agree the communication channels & engage the team in operational decisions
In a remote environment it can become very easy for communication flows to happen on a constant basis and through multiple channels, and this can become overwhelming. Making sure that time is specifically carved out to focus on being strategic, modeling collaboration and ensuring everyone is sufficiently informed is key. But it is also important to include the team in this discussion and for them to be invited to be part of the decisions – as it is much easier and effective to have the team working in the most productive way when they are part of determining the changes.
Leaders must model the behavior and set the expectations to help employees balance their personal & professional responsibilities
Leadership in any organization must model and practice what they try to instill across their organization in order to create true balance between personal and professional life for their teams. Bringing the team together to agree some principles whereby they can all have a common understanding and alignment on how they ensure a sufficient balance across the team.
Create team principles so there is a common understanding around what is accepted and what is not accepted
Some principles could be agreeing that if I contact you outside of work hours, I do not expect an immediate response. Other principles could be agreeing the channels for different types of communication – so there is a clear split between what is critical or time sensitive and where I must react, and what is not. This could also be the team agreeing the times and places they focus on certain work, so each employee has more control over their time and deliverables outside of those agreed timeframes.
Be authentic and show your employees, customers and clients that wellbeing is something you genuinely embed in your organizations practices
Another consideration is to carve out key points in the year where the organization can close or ‘shut down’, allowing the entire team to take a break at the same time without fear of missing out or having their down time disrupted by urgent business needs. Such actions, in organizations where it is possible to do so, also sends a strong message to clients, suppliers and partners that your organization takes their employees wellbeing seriously – and that in turn can bring positive recognition and reputation, building your credibility as an employer of choice.
Head over to Leaders Perception Magazine for the full article
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