Remote working often means less visibility and therefore greater potential for uncertainty. A common response for team leaders facing these changes is to dial up their control over what remote staff are doing.
However, if you want a trustworthy team, it starts with you placing trust in your people.
Here are our tips to help you have the confidence to let go, improve performance and develop trust.
1
Set clear expectations
- Be crystal clear on the outcomes you are expecting and by when
- Make it easy to succeed by ensure the goals are realistic and achievable
- Specify how you want to be kept informed if there are any changes
- Agree checkpoints and get into a regular rhythm of 1-2-1 reviews
Remote Working Tip: Create a document that you can share with a platform like Google Docs to help structure the plan for the week and frame weekly catch-ups
2
Incentivise Autonomy
- Reward strong performance and proactive output with more responsibility
- Line up a project that plays to their strengths and interests and give them free rein over where they take it
- If successful, work towards increasing their control over what projects they work on
Remote Working Tip: Remember to mention or showcase projects and celebrate individual or efforts on video calls
3
Boost transparency
- Get better visibility of progress through the use of collaboration tools
- Encourage proactive, more regular sharing of draft iterations
Remote Working Tip: Open calendars up in calls and use different colours to donate meetings and blocks focus time for key pieces of work
4
Address issues collaboratively
- If expectations are not met, assume the best of intentions and focus on finding a better solution
- If a mistake was made, agree a mechanism to avoid surprises next time
- Follow up once the change has been to see if it is proving effective
- Ask questions like ‘did you get everything you need today?’ and ‘how can I help you solve this?’
Remote Working Tip: Always aim to use informal ways of discussing misunderstandings – such as a phone or video call – rather than falling into the trap of always relying on email
"You extend the most generous interpretation possible to the intentions, words and actions of others."
If any of this has been of interest and you would like further information on how this can be used to further your own development, or that of your colleagues, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.
