The most successful leaders of virtual teams understand that they have to actively facilitate communications within their teams in order to be successful.
If you’re new to virtual team leadership as a result of the COVID-19 public health crisis, here are a few tips to help:
- Set up regular one-on-one sessions with your team members. Setting aside this regular time to touch base will keep you connected to the team’s needs while giving each individual uninterrupted access to your attention, and expertise. They need it, even if you don’t think they do.
- Make extra effort to build connections by personalizing your interactions with your employees. You know how each of them operates and what they need to do their best work, so make sure your communications with them are crafted to be heard and understood. Also, a genuine and unexpected check-in about something personal will go a long way in sustaining healthy relationships—especially when you can’t be together face-to-face.
- Remember that silence, and especially the no response kind, sends a very strong message. Even when you can’t respond with the full answer right away, be sure to let your team members know that you got their questions or requests, and set expectations on when you will be able to fully respond.
When we can’t be together physically, we need to slow down and spend more time to make sure our communications carry more than just words.