How to manage remote teams

When it comes to people management, the challenges abound. And when it's in a fully remote or hybrid work environment, it's that much more difficult. 

In Experiential Intelligence by Soren Kaplan, he describes a project that Google conducted which identified the 5 key dynamics of their most successful teams.

1) Psychological safety: people feel safe to take risks and be vulnerable with others
2) Dependability: people get things done on time with high quality
3) Structure and clarity: team members have clear roles, plans, and goals
4) Meaning of work: work is personally important to each team member
5) Impact of work: people believe their work matters and creates positive change

If you're looking to strengthen your remote or hybrid team, here are things you can work on. 

• Accountability. Set clear expectations for team members that are results-based versus measuring the quantity or number of hours worked.

• Collaboration. Document all processes, make the status of projects easily visible, and leverage each person's strengths when you assign work and have team discussions.

• Communication. Get to know your people by asking questions and actively listening to understand their motivations.

• Locations and schedules. Maximize overlapping work time among team members. Also, it's important to protect boundaries by limiting emails/messages during staff's non-working hours.

• Maintaining company culture. Celebrate team members who take risks and try new things or suggest improvements. It's also important to foster cognitive diversity by building a team with diverse thinking and experiences. 

• Performance assessments. Address issues before formal assessments are held. As a manager, it's your job to notice the gaps and what's missing for your staff. 

• Trust. In order to build trust, you must demonstrate vulnerability and empathy. Share personal experiences in order to create connections. 

Your attention to these areas will most certainly contribute to creating a successful team no matter what your work environment entails.  

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