Here at The Colour Works, we rave about the benefits of team working and getting people on the same page to achieve outstanding results. In truth, and without help, structure and rigour, it can be a nightmare getting them there. Ask any team leader or manager who has tried to push the envelope and build a high-performing team. Now add to the mix the anxiety and stress of a global pandemic, a mutated virus and a third lockdown that has forced us back into the world of virtual working.Building new (and developing existing) teams in this environment can be even more challenging. Amongst other contributing factors, the only real experience we have of our teammates on a day-to-day basis is through a small screen on a video call, often leaving us wondering if they’ve even bothered to put trousers on…. or is that just me?!That said, it is far from impossible to accelerate the performance of your team during these challenging times. What we have learnt over the last year is that the fundamentals are the same. Your team needs to trust and to feel safe, to have a common purpose and aligned values. The fact they are potentially working from four discrete corners of the globe is irrelevant – especially with the accessibility and quality of virtual platforms. Sure, you won’t get the raw human connection that is founded upon post-meeting kitchen debates and happy hour stories, but what we may have lost there we can make up for in other ways if we get the process right.So now we are almost a year in, and your people not only have the tech but also the ability to use it, here are 8 crucial areas that you need to have covered when building remote teams.
As teams evolve, expectations, roles and responsibilities change. Clarifying these helps the team focus on what is important and within their control.
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Articulating a clear purpose and objectives give the team direction and confidence through ambiguous times.
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Structure and accountability generate rigour in times of instability, underpinning performance and ultimately producing team results.
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During periods of uncertainty, teams need to communicate more frequently and more effectively with a positive mindset.
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Especially in uncertain times, a team that takes time out together builds a strong bond and creates psychological safety.
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Encouraging peer coaching and support groups help teams take ownership over their own development and ensures concerns and ideas get tabled.
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Although each of the above work interdependently, trust is the foundation of high-performance. Weave compassion and a focus on building trust through every interaction and you will set the foundations of an outstanding remote team.
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When a team is working remotely, playing to strengths and leaning on the diversity of experience, skills and behaviours saves you time and money.
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Of course, all of this requires each team member to have a certain level of self-awareness, willingness and openness to change. However, by using the above as a framework you’ll go a long way to meeting everyone’s needs and creating a high-performing remote team.
Although each of the 8 areas above are equally important at different times in your team’s evolution, you can take our free team assessment survey to see which you might need to focus on first. Simply click on the link below.
that since the first lockdown in March 2020 The Colour Works has been hosting free-to-attend webinars on subjects that have helped people to get through these challenging times?
Please check out our Reboot Team Performance webinar, designed especially for leaders and managers that have previously experienced a Colour Works programme.