5 Strategies to Leading Virtual Groups

Many psychology studies conclude that it takes about 90 days to form a habit. By now, most of us have got a long way past this barrier since the appearance of COVID-19 and, today, view virtual work as part of our everyday lives. Forty percent of the top 50 CEOs from the Fortune 500 list believe that their collaborators will not be returning to their normal jobs in the office until September 2021.

This will give many employees enough time to question their return to a physical office. It will be challenging to think about sitting in traffic for two to three hours again, no longer enjoying doing exercise every day or seeing more of their children, especially if their work was as productive and valued during the pandemic as before, when they were in a cubicle.

A recent Gartner survey reveals that que el 40% of the workforce in the United States will continue to work remotely in some form, even when isolation and prevention measures have come to an end. In addition, a Gallup poll reveals that 70% of respondents would prefer to work from home, at least part of the time. 

Given these increasingly palpable trends, what can leaders do to assure team productivity in a virtual environment?

1. Set performance metrics that are clearer and more frequent for their collaborators and formalize their role as mentors. Leaders need to spend more time with their employees discussing how to manage their time and tasks, how to create and consolidate internal and external customer relations, and how to act in this new reality, looking towards their next role in the company. These skills could be taken for granted, but that is not the case.
2. Increase and formalize communication. It is not a matter of holding more weekly meetings, but of defining which type of interaction, report and system will allow the team to keep up-to-date with activities. Reinforcing by email, WhatsApp or Slack could be redundant in other times, but not right now.
   Having a detailed agenda is just as important for a conference with your boss as it is for a meeting with a direct report. Without coffee breaks or water cooler chats, it all boils down to that video conference. Failing to manage our time efficiently will probably lead to making more calls or sending more text messages than expected.
3. Make sure that the team has the right tools and policies. Leaders must ensure that the entire team (not just direct reports) have adequate computer equipment, network access and clear policies that will make remote work possible, such as a set schedule or the capacity to use external messaging services. 
   We need to take individual situations into account. Even though achieving a perfect balance is difficult, we can find times in which it is easier to interact without interruptions. Parents with preschool children would expect their bosses to ask this question. A leader who is understanding and adaptable will assure far more collaborator commitment and productivity.
4. Companies need ideas and talent in order to innovate. Traditional corporations, with closed and corner offices, have always been a testament to hierarchies, and, very often, a hindrance to innovation. Placing young, high-potential talent in innovation groups can provide an enormous opportunity to generate the necessary changes, but also to recognize and reward talent. Our modus operandi during the first few months of the pandemic was limited to covering the basics regarding operations; now we need to focus on taking advantage of the talent we have.
   We should not lose sight of talent retention and development. While some employees are lucky enough to have kept their jobs, others have decided to take their chances on a company that is benefiting from the current situation and can provide better prospects for development.
   Talking frequently about expectations is the only way to determine whether there is a risk of resignation. Furthermore, employees who recently joined the company are less visible than before and will require more attention and effort to guarantee not only an effective induction, but also their productivity and results at times when the company needs them most.
5. More videoconferences, fewer mails and calls. Many leaders have not fomented videoconferencing for fear of invading their collaborators’ or their own privacy. In addition, numerous collaborators mistrust the way they interact through this medium, probably because the leader has failed to create a safe environment where communication flows in spite of errors, noise and interruptions. Two years ago, when I started interacting by video with my boss, I felt rather awkward, but the effect lasted only a few weeks. Now, if for some reason I have to talk to him on the phone, I feel that something essential is missing.
   Being able to see each other’s face makes a huge difference in interaction. Does this apply to customer relations as well? Of course. Even though some clients are reluctant to use the camera to communicate, we can always tell them that it is common practice and we are available to them through this channel.

We are all undoubtedly developing a skill that will be key for work in the future, where we will have to interact more with technology, shift paradigms more frequently, and in which we will not always be able to anchor our virtual relationship in a prior in-person relationship, a luxury we can still enjoy today.  

Article originally published in Dinero en Imagen.