Since the remote or hybrid workplace comes with dynamics and challenges that differ from a typical office setting, leadership skills must be tailored to this specific work environment. Leaders should account for collaboration barriers, reliance on digital platforms, and minimal face-to-face supervision or interaction in their approach to managing their associates. 

Here are some remote leadership strategies to position your own virtual team for success in the “new normal.”     

1. Prioritize clear communication methods

Create guidelines for video meetings, so they won’t exhaust or distract employees from their work. Schedule meetings in advance, email an agenda to all participants the day before and set a time limit for the actual discussion.    

2. Focus on the results, not the parameters

If employees can turn in high-quality deliverables and achieve targets without being confined to a computer screen for a fixed number of hours, give them the freedom to work on their own terms.

Instead of controlling how team members execute their projects, help them establish metrics such as hard deadlines, set numbers, and specific output goals. These specifics will make a results-focused model successful. “When specific metrics are set for individual employees, it provides them with the structure to meet their goals allowing the results to speak for themselves as a point for evaluation,” explains Carolyn Moore, Senior Vice President of People at Auth0.

3. Emphasize health, safety, and cleanliness

If you plan to create a hybrid work structure, it’s crucial that your team members feel comfortable in the process. Reduce concerns surrounding COVID-19 and other communicable illnesses by updating your organization’s cleaning and safety practices.

It’s no secret that working from home can be isolating, and this can take a toll on the mental health of some people. Hybrid working is sometimes seen as the solution to this problem, but frequent volleying of daily routines is unwelcome news for some.

Promoting a healthy work-life balance is important to creating a positive environment for remote and hybrid workers. Employers can support the mental health of their employees by setting an example of creating boundaries to help team members unplug. Let employees know which times you are not reachable after-hours and on weekends, and they will be more likely to follow suit. 

4. Pivot and adapt as necessary

Converting from in-person to any version of remote work means more than changing the location people work from. Strategies, processes, business tools, and even ways of thinking will need to change in order to keep up with the change in environment.

Your willingness to be adaptable in these areas will foster other crucial leadership traits such as problem-solving, risk assessment, and goal orientation.

Grow your remote leadership skills for the “new normal” workplace

Remote and hybrid teams need a specific leadership style to help them thrive.

Whether your team will be working from home for the long term, or you plan to transition them back to the office in some capacity, strong leadership skills are your ticket to succeed in the “new normal.”

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