Your entire team is working from home — this has never happened before.
How do you keep the engine running?
How do you keep the productivity up?
How do you manage them so they will stay energized and focused?
We have two solutions:
Read the rest of this article . . . or
Listen to our latest podcast: Managing From Afar: How To Stay Connected With Remote Employees
Lead in a different way.
Let’s be honest, some people will be more productive and some will be less productive. It’s the nature of managing a team — surprisingly, some people will work better at home than at the office — so you get an increased dividend.
Figure out what’s best for each team members’ special needs — everyone is different. Some people have kids, older parents and other responsibilities. Be patient — this is the new normal.
Usually, most people won’t goof off (that is every manager’s fear). It will take them a few days to acclimate to the new altitude, but they will realize that they have basic tasks, activities, and projects to work on.
To that end, give your people discrete tasks with close deadlines. Break up big projects into smaller projects.
Finally, you are the motivational engine of your team — you need to give them energy and enthusiasm to keep focused on the job at hand. It’s very easy to get distracted with family and the news.
Set a routine.
Just like your kids came home with a schedule from school (hopefully), you need to develop a schedule for your team. Manage expectations, schedule regular contact windows, and be open to questions/issues that might crop up.
Currently, you might loosely use a calendar — step up your game by closely tracking every day and the days of your employees/clients. If you do this religiously, you’ll develop a work rhythm that will keep you, your team, and clients on track.
Hyper-connect with every employee/client.
We suggest two status meetings a day — one in the early morning and another in the late afternoon. You need to touch base with them frequently - texts, emails, calls, Slack, etc. Keep the communication flowing — you need to replace in-person with online.
Some members of your team won’t need frequent handholding — but the others will. Make sure EVERYONE makes the two status calls each day. Why?
Your better performers need to be acknowledged in front of the team not only to motivate them but to also use them as an example to the other members of what required performance really is.
If you do have a team member who is not performing well, you need to hyper-connect with them to diagnose the situation, develop a number of solutions, and track their progress.
Finally, don’t forget anyone! You need to treat everyone equally — in times like these, some people might feel alone and ignored — it’s your job to make ALL of your team feel wanted and important.
When things start hitting the fan, you need to manage the expectations of your team and clients.
If you have a crisis plan, you will have a section on when your key employees get ill. Now is the time to not only to personally review it but to review it with your direct reports and key clients. If you don’t have one, don’t worry - start laying out what you think needs to happen — make a list — prioritize it. Get input from your direct reports and professional resources. Then get everyone’s buy-in on the next virtual meeting.
Make sure you sustain a consistent contact behavior with everyone. Communicate, solve problems, offer solutions, and most of all stay in contact. The worst thing people can do is limit their contact or go offline. Be approachable via text, email, phone, or webcam.
BJ Flagg (my podcast partner) and I both wrote this article -- we also recorded a podcast. Enjoy!