We are are in the midst of a black swan event of greater magnitude than the 2008 financial meltdown. The impact of COVID-19 on a global scale has been far more significant than initially expected. The resulting global economic slowdown, and in some cases, shut down, has had a tremendous impact on people around the globe. New unemployment claims are staggering. Health systems stretched beyond capacity. Large numbers of people are afraid to leave their homes for fear of catching the virus or bringing it home to their loved ones.

Local, state, and federal governments have issued directives for non-essential workers to remain home and social distance. Wise business leaders and managers, who have the ability, are encouraging their teams to heed those directives and introducing remote working at a massive scale almost overnight. While remote working is not a new concept, the intense wave of participation in this practice can prove stressful for even the most experienced leaders, especially those leaders who prefer face-to-face, in-person social interaction. 

How do you continue to lead as you transition swiftly from a “high-touch” model with your team to “no-touch” interactions during a crisis? 

Focus on Your People

While all of us around the globe are facing the same COVID-19 threat, not all of us are facing it under the same circumstances. Schools and daycares have closed, leaving parents to juggle their work obligations while caring for kids and playing teacher. Others are juggling work obligations while trying to figure out how to care for their parents, who are fearful of any social contact. Others have been completely cut off from family and friends and are working and living alone in complete isolation.

You must take the time to reach out to your team and understand what they are experiencing daily. Not only does it demonstrate that you care, but it also helps you know what your team members are dealing with each day and allows you to determine how best to support them.

If you don’t know the answers to the following questions, invest your time in your team, and encourage other leaders to do the same:

• How are you feeling both physically and emotionally as we weather this global pandemic together?
• Do you have the social support that you need, or are you feeling alone and isolated?
• Have your responsibilities at home increased? Are you orchestrating e-learning? Are you taking care of a sibling or parent?
• Can you continue to work during regular business hours, or would a more flexible schedule help you manage new responsibilities?
• Do you have the resources and support you need to continue to shelter in place for the expected duration of the lockdown?

We don’t know how someone is doing until we take the time to ask. And, it is essential to remember that just because a team member was doing well yesterday, does not mean that they are feeling the same today. Focus on your people by committing to check in with them regularly.

These small investments of time will pay immeasurable dividends when your team understands how much you care. Plus, it’s the right thing to do.

Focus on Tasks and Processes

Most leaders, who are now dealing with leading remote workers at a massive scale, have had the luxury of aligning their teams on goals, roles, and responsibilities back in the good old days of co-location. As a result, their teams should be on the same page with regards to expectations and overall direction. The biggest challenge facing leaders looking to drive results, via remote teams, is the lack of organic coordination of effort that comes from merely being face-to-face with each other.

As a leader, one of the best things you can do in the short term is to focus on the details of task design and the processes you plan to use to complete those tasks. It is crucial to simplify work to the extent possible and be crystal clear in your directions. Assign those work tasks to individuals or small groups of people and make sure that there is clarity in regards to the work process so that each team member has the specifics about who is doing what, when. You must also commit to periodically conducting retrospectives to evaluate how things are going on a continuous basis to identify both process improvements and development opportunities.

In addition to driving the coordination of the remote team, you must focus on building a team rhythm. When your entire team has shifted from co-location to remote working, the natural rhythms of office life disappear as people begin to work separately. Rhythms in remote work can be developed quite quickly by having regular virtual meetings with clear agendas and developing and implementing simple communication protocols, which detail what types of communication mediums are used when and for what purpose. When working to build a rhythm, be mindful of the fact that you might have people spread out over multiple time zones, so ensure that you create your virtual team rhythm equitably, sharing any off-hours burdens across the board.

Finally, create a virtual “water cooler” for your remote team. The proverbial watercooler, which describes the informal gatherings we usually see at co-located businesses, is an invaluable place where information is shared, and personal bonds develop. Without specific efforts to duplicate these interactions virtually, interactions between remote team members tend to be task-focused, problem-oriented, and transactional. The informal information-sharing network closes down, and team cohesion begins to weaken. Avert this potential disaster by conducting regular virtual team-building exercises that infuse a bit of fun into everyone’s remote workday.

Focus on Tools

When working remotely, you and your team may need more apps than you’re used to in order to get things done efficiently and stay connected. These staples include software for email, real-time chat, video conferencing, project management, screen sharing, screen capturing, document repositories, and online whiteboards.

These are the tools, beyond Outlook, that I use daily to stay connected with my team and drive business results:

• Slack – real-time chat, phone, and video conference (small)
• Zoom – phone, video conference (large)
• Ruum – program / project management
• Trello – Kanban-style task management
• Teams – document repository and more
• Confluence – knowledge management
• Mural – brainstorming and collaboration

Of all of these tools, video engagement is the most important as it can strengthen relationships on the team while helping to build camaraderie. It also allows your new remote workforce to maintain social connections, regardless of physical location. By maintaining those human connections, you can ensure that decision making does not slow down, and that collaboration continues across the team.

Final thoughts

These times provide you a valuable opportunity to advance your leadership skills. Your team’s ability to transition to remote work will be a testament to your leadership and ability to maintain a high-touch feel while your team is temporarily isolated due to a worldwide crisis event. 

Keeping your team engaged and focused in times of considerable uncertainty can seem intimidating at first. You have a role to play in reducing that uncertainty by embracing this change, listening to your people with empathy and intent, and making yourself available in a consistent, confident, and compassionate way.

Remember – you got this.