The view from my home office on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales is idyllic and I’m lucky to be able to work from here.  But I am not stuck here because of the Coronavirus outbreak.  Both our businesses (recruitment and a law firm) were structured to be virtual from day one.  Our people work remotely and we use technology to enable this way of working.

I’ve seen a flurry of articles recently offering tips on home working for all of those who are suddenly having to decamp from offices as a result of the virus.  What I haven’t seen much of are ideas on how to lead a team who are used to working from an office.  Leadership is vital to any successful business and it will become even more so as we move through these novel and uncertain times.  I thought I’d share my perspective of doing just this for the last 15 years.

Mutual trust and respect are vital.  This is probably the key to successful leadership of a remote business.  When you can’t see people working, the only tangible evidence is their output.  You have to have confidence they are working and a lack of emails or calls doesn’t necessarily mean they are not.  Resist any urge to think this way and make sure your team know that you trust and respect them to be doing what they need to do.  Equally, be as productive as you possibly can yourself, which doesn’t mean bombarding everyone with messages.  If someone isn’t pulling their weight it will become apparent pretty quickly.

Staying closely in touch will help you keep your finger on the pulse of the business.  You won’t have the ability to drop by someone’s desk or sit down over a coffee to chat, so do the virtual equivalent.  Make more calls to your team and don’t always have an agenda to discuss.  Just catch up informally as you would do normally and, importantly, listen carefully.  It can be a lonely existence with no-one else around so use simple technology to help overcome that inevitable sense of isolation.  Video calls are even better for this than using the phone.

Of course, things are bound to be different with a group of people suddenly working remotely.  And your business may well be in crisis mode as well.  Processes may need to be adapted and some innovative thinking will be required.  So set clear expectations and lead by example.  Be very clear on what you expect from your team and how you expect them to work.  If you’re adhering to normal office hours then tell everyone that’s the case and make sure you are doing the same.  But also appreciate that you’re not getting those visual cues you are used to in an office.  People need to take breaks, get coffee and have lunch and you can’t see if they are away from their desk or stuck on a long call.  You may want to consider asking them to use a simple system to flag up when they are away from their laptop or taking a break.  Do it yourself because that will help to normalise it quickly.

There are plenty of other things you will need to consider and prioritise as a leader.  Of course, your customers sit very high up on that list, but if you facilitate and lead an effective team in this unexpected and new environment then you’ll find that your customers will be that much better served by them.