In the first episode of our new podcast series, ‘Leading Between the Lines’, we delve into remote leadership. At a time when the country is preparing for a second national lockdown and more and more people are working from home, managing a team in a remote environment is becoming increasingly common.
We’re joined by Andy Punter, who’s the Area Legacy Manager at Cancer Research UK and has worked remotely for the past eight years. Andy's been involved in charity fundraising for the past 12 years and has been with Cancer Research UK for the last five of those.
He discusses the key ways he not only works efficiently himself from a remote environment, but also leads a team who are working from home too.
The right setup for remote working
Andy tells us that the key difference between office and remote working is having a higher degree of self-management and personal responsibility. You have to read your cues to ensure productivity, but also knowing when it’s time to switch off.
Have an appropriate structure for the work day. Take the time to figure out what you need to be as productive as possible. He likes to exercise before work and goes for a walk at lunchtime, but whatever it is make sure to take that physical time away from the desk.
Set aside space and create the right environment around you for working comfortably and efficiently.
Intentional and effective communication with colleagues and management is also vital. You can’t rely on informal chats, so create a space for them to happen. Also have regular social interaction throughout the day to try and avoid feeling isolated or detached.
And try and finish on time. Turn the laptop off, turn off your work phone, and shut the door to the office. Have those physical boundaries between work and home.
Leading a remote team
Andy says the most important tool of a good leader managing a remote team is to listen. It comes before anything. You can’t get the best out of your people if you don’t know who they are and what they care about.
Empathy is also key. Many more people than before have now experienced remote working because of the pandemic, but a leader doesn’t necessarily have to have worked from home themselves. Just be open-minded, ask questions, and really listen and trust your team.
A good manager should adapt their style to the personality of the team they’re working with, rather than imposing their views. Take the time to think about it proactively. Your job is to create a scenario for success.
Use software as tools for remote collaboration. This can include digital whiteboards for workshops and brainstorming, or shared docs that can be updated live. Use the technology and agree to common rules and a blueprint to commit to as a team.
Never assume anything and check in regularly, both as a team and in one-to-one scenarios. Understand the details about what they’re doing and how you can support them. Make sure to schedule in time for mentoring and coaching at regular intervals. And try to have informal and social calls with no work agenda - the water cooler chats are still so important.
Motivation
Andy says that, as a leader, his role is to support people properly to allow them to flourish. In order for them to achieve this they need to feel motivated and valued.
Create an internal mechanism of senior management recognising good work and talent. Encourage this recognition of high performance among peers and offer rewards.
Say ‘thank you’. Don’t underestimate the power of this. Tell people when they have done well.
Dedicate time to developing people and figuring out their career aspirations and how they can achieve that. Give them an opportunity to shine. And have that conversation regularly to make it an ongoing discussion.
What’s next?
We've got some really interesting guests appearing on the podcast covering a wide range of leadership topics in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on our Spotify platform for updates.
By Tom Seymour, an online content writer for alterniq inspired growth.
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