{"id":24508,"date":"2021-01-28T10:22:58","date_gmt":"2021-01-28T10:22:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/?p=24508"},"modified":"2021-01-28T10:23:00","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T10:23:00","slug":"skills-for-effective-virtual-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/skills-for-effective-virtual-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Skills for Effective Virtual Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div><\/div>

Skills for Effective Virtual Leadership<\/span><\/h1>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

Managing\u00a0<\/span>remote<\/span>\u00a0teams inevitably\u00a0<\/span>introduces<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0different set of challenges<\/span> for leaders<\/span>, and given t<\/span>hat many companies\u00a0<\/span>intend to\u00a0<\/span>continue with virtual work for\u00a0<\/span>the foreseeable future<\/span><\/a>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>it is important that<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>remote leaders <\/span>are confident in effective techniques for<\/span>\u00a0manag<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0distributed teams<\/span>, so they can motivate them and maximise their potential.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To start<\/span>, w<\/span>hile strong communication skills are a vital component of effective leadership\u00a0<\/span>in all settings<\/span>, the virtual environment\u00a0<\/span>may require\u00a0<\/span>a higher degree of<\/span>\u00a0clarity<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>In<\/span>deed, in<\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>absence of physical cues and body language indicators<\/span><\/b>\u00a0which help\u00a0<\/span>team-mates<\/span>\u00a0to understand\u00a0<\/span>what others\u00a0<\/span>mean, it\u00a0<\/span>may be even\u00a0<\/span>more important to ensure that\u00a0<\/span>messages<\/span><\/b>\u00a0are clear<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>less open to<\/span>\u00a0misinterpretations or ambiguity<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>as these can<\/span>\u00a0result in\u00a0<\/span>team or organisational\u00a0<\/span>failures like\u00a0<\/span>work\u00a0<\/span>delays or missed deadlines.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally,\u00a0<\/span>building and maintaining<\/span>\u00a0trust\u00a0<\/span>can be<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>particularly\u00a0<\/span>important<\/span>\u00a0in remote work where managers cannot physically see their teams<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>especially<\/span>\u00a0because it can\u00a0<\/span>help prevent the occurrence of\u00a0<\/span>micromanagement<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>which can\u00a0<\/span>have detrimental effects on\u00a0<\/span>team\u00a0<\/span>morale,\u00a0<\/span>employee\u00a0<\/span>engagement, and even cause employees to leave.\u00a0<\/span>Indeed<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>one study<\/span><\/a>\u00a0showed that\u00a0<\/span>micromanagement was\u00a0<\/span><\/b>in<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>the\u00a0<\/span><\/b>top 3 cause<\/span><\/b>s<\/span><\/b>\u00a0of voluntary attrition.\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some\u00a0<\/span>techniques to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>increase<\/span> trust and help to avert micromanagement include <\/span>getting to\u00a0<\/span>know employees better<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>as well as making\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>deliberate<\/span><\/a>\u00a0effort<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>see individuals\u00b4 actions in a positive light<\/span>\u00a0–<\/span>\u00a0as opposed to automatically assuming the worst.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Furthermore, d<\/span>elegating<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>and\u00a0<\/span>set<\/span><\/b>ting<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>realistic and measurable\u00a0<\/span><\/b>goals<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>may also<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>help<\/span>\u00a0to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>combat micromanaging tendencies<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>give employees the space to be creative<\/span>, and be conducive to trust.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>These steps <\/span>can be seen as<\/span>\u00a0part of a<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>management style which\u00a0<\/span>focuses on goal attainment and output,<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>as opposed to presenteeism<\/span>\u00a0and input.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Following the shift to home working,\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>ome\u00a0<\/span>companies\u00a0<\/span>have observed<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that virtual work has\u00a0<\/span>caused<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>departments<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>become more\u00a0<\/span>separate<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0and isolated from one another.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>Where this is the case,\u00a0<\/span>making an effort<\/span>\u00a0to regularly s<\/span>et up meetings with\u00a0<\/span>divisional counterparts<\/span>\u00a0can\u00a0<\/span>be useful in\u00a0<\/span>maintaining\u00a0<\/span><\/b>organisational\u00a0<\/span><\/b>communication, synchronisation,\u00a0<\/span><\/b>and staying<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>appraised of how\u00a0<\/span><\/b>team<\/span><\/b>\u00a0projects\u00a0<\/span><\/b>relate to\u00a0<\/span><\/b>larger<\/span><\/b>\u00a0business<\/span><\/b>\u00a0goals.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally,\u00a0<\/span>being capable of\u00a0<\/span>demonstrating<\/span>\u00a0empathy is important<\/span>\u00a0as a remote leader<\/span>, as<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>v<\/span>irtual\u00a0<\/span>teams\u00a0<\/span>may require\u00a0<\/span>specific<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>emotional support and understanding\u00a0<\/span><\/b>amid the crisis<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and the challenges of\u00a0<\/span>working from home<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Each member of the workforce is <\/span>situated<\/span> in a unique domestic environment and will <\/span>inherently\u00a0<\/span>face different challenges. For instance, childcare responsibilities<\/span> or lack of office furniture\/equipment<\/span>\u00a0may\u00a0<\/span>cause some to\u00a0<\/span>experience stress<\/span>, and\u00a0<\/span>as such<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0they\u00a0<\/span>may benefit from adjustments or additional support. In these situations, being aware and empath<\/span>et<\/span>ic towards employees\u00b4 personal situations can be a\u00a0<\/span>good foundation for providing this <\/span><\/b>support<\/span><\/b>, achieving engagement, and\u00a0<\/span><\/b>delivering<\/span><\/b>\u00a0a positive\u00a0<\/span><\/b>employee experience.<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

References:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What Are Virtual Leadership Skills? January 2018,\u00a0<\/span>HR Daily Advisor.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Five core skills for remote leaders, March 2014,\u00a0<\/span>Management Issues.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. A Guide to Managing Your (Newly) Remote Workers, March 2020,\u00a0<\/span>Harvard Business Review.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. 4 Essential Skills for Virtual Leadership, May 2020,\u00a0<\/span>BizLibrary<\/span>.<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Leading Distributed: The Remote Guide to Management,\u00a0<\/span>Twist.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Managing\u00a0remote\u00a0teams inevitably\u00a0introduces\u00a0a\u00a0different set of challenges for leaders, and given that many companies\u00a0intend to\u00a0continue with virtual work for\u00a0the foreseeable future,\u00a0it is important that\u00a0remote leaders are confident in effective techniques for\u00a0managing\u00a0distributed teams, so they can motivate them and maximise their potential.\u00a0\u00a0 To start, while strong communication skills are a vital component of effective leadership\u00a0in all settings, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":24522,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","myguten_meta_block_field":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24508"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24523,"href":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24508\/revisions\/24523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strammer.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}