Our new reality requires that leaders adapt to a virtual workspace. Several aspects of my business are built around coaching through a virtual setting. I have taught over 700 students virtually and led a team of nearly 400 teammates in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. In 2013, I initiated a virtual customer service transformation project, moving work from traditional bricks and mortar into the cloud, opening the door for virtual leadership. Our world has quickly evolved and in order to gain traction in this unstable business environment, I want my clients and friends to have three tips to effectively lead from the living room.
- Build trust through empathy – while we are all in a different boat (some a yacht, others a kayak), we are all in this together. Pressure to perform has never been more essential nor has it ever been quite so challenging. Praise, encourage, support and brainstorm as a team. I work with several task oriented leaders and knocking out the checklist is important, however do not be so task oriented you forget the necessity for personal connectivity. Offer virtual team building activities and open your meetings with a song (“I will survive”, “Celebrate good times”), lead random stretching, show off your workspace, introduce a family member or a pet, encourage a success story, have fun and remember your virtual connection is with human beings, who desire human connectedness.
- Use a variety of communication methods – email, text, virtual team meetings, virtual one on one meetings, conference calls, direct messages and more. Do not rely on just one touch point but many. My mentor used to say “Over communicate to make up for the complexity of structure” (Kari French ). Every effective leadership expert understands the fortune is in the follow up. After a meeting follow up with a brief and concise email detailing expectations and project assignments.
- Set expectations and rely on your measurements. Ensure your teammates know the goals and expectations and empower them with the freedom to succeed. Recognize, reward and celebrate when goals are achieved. As a leader, you should be able to identify when targets are out of reach and quickly redirect and coach when a teammate is not progressing toward the goal.
Just this month, a non-traditional student and business leader emailed me after a fully online course and said, “Thank you so much for your outstanding leadership, guidance and provision of sources that enlightened everyone in our course” (Michelle Young, 2020). The virtual leadership technique I used for Michelle’s class is exactly what will work for you, build trust, use a variety of communication methods and set clear expectations. While the vehicle in which you do your job has evolved, leading from your living room has never been more important than it is today.
