HOW TO KEEP REMOTE TEAM ENGAGED AND ACHIEVE GOALS IN THE NEW REALITY
Lots of small businesses run by entrepreneurs, start-up owners struggle now with catching up and bringing back the team spirit they enjoyed before COVID. Reality is different now and the future still holds a lot of unknown, so how to keep your team calm, engaged and focused on achieving goals? Here are some of the pillars you cant ignore.
CLARITY OF THE PLAN
Leaders who want to keep a team together these days must have a plan and must communicate it clearly. It is not enough to say “stay home, stay safe, we are in it together…”. Now more than ever the team needs to have a shared and consistent understanding of the measures that leaders are taking, the short-term goals and the progress in achieving these goals. Everyone at every level must have the same understanding and real-time info.
ALIGNMENT
But it’s not enough simply to understand. Team members need to know how their individual roles contribute to the overall business strategy. If people don’t get this, they will waste time effort and money going in their own direction. This is when the work culture becomes toxic.
COMMUNICATION
It sounds simple enough, right? Just establish the vision and get everyone on board. Well, it’s not simple – as we can see by the number of businesses that get it wrong. The key to engaging teams with a clarity of vision and their part in its alignment is good and consistent communication.
Top leaders are top communicators who are curious and ask loads of questions. They break down complex concepts into small and easy terms without oversimplifying. They get to the heart of the matter by painting a picture of the victory and drawing a path to it with milestones and clear metrics for success. Asking questions for new ideas, understanding, feelings and perceptions from the team will make the communication process complete.
Good communication is consistent, regular, and personal. It can never be just posting a document on the intranet or putting a tagline on the office wall. Sometimes even a Zoom presentation or a long Q&A session doesn’t work if the message is not clear and tailored specifically for the people who are going to make it happen. Offering your personal time to each individual will do wonders. And again, ask. Ask for input, for feedback, for ideas.
TRUST
When the responsibilities of everyone throughout the organisation are aligned with a clear vision, when the communication channels are clear and open, then trust exists within the business. This is the essence of teamwork – each person doing their essential part in a much bigger process. With trust comes satisfaction and happiness as team members drive towards the collective goals.
Leaders need to trust their teams enough to effectively delegate responsibility and authority. Only this way can they instil personal growth and develop talent in their organization. They can’t afford not to because this is one of the most critical factors in getting the most from high-potential talent.
CELEBRATING SUCCESS
It doesn’t have to be multi-million dollar win. It could be finishing a project ahead of time or a great piece of design work. If you look and listen close enough you will find something to celebrate everyday.
Celebrating a job well done helps to reinforce all of these key elements of strong leadership: the shared vision, the clear alignment, the trust in each other and the effective communication of success within a team who knows what it means.
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