Managing Remote Teams: Best Practices for Digital Nomad Leaders
When I was a young executive at my first company, I was in charge of a team spread across four states. Each employee had their own office and reported directly to me. It wasn't until later that I realized how lucky we were—with all those offices, we could have easily fallen into the trap of managing each team member separately and not as one cohesive unit. Our remote teams were able to stay connected thanks to weekly meetings on Zoom or Google Hangouts and daily check-ins on Slack chat groups.
Now that I've grown my business from one office with five employees to an international organization with over 50 remote workers scattered around the globe, running an effective remote team has become even more important than ever before. Fortunately for me (and for you), there are plenty of tried-and-true tips that can help your company scale without losing its culture along the way! In this article we'll show you ten best practices for digital nomad leaders who want to stay connected while keeping everyone happy:
Create a transparent culture
Share goals and objectives: If you have a mission statement, share it with your team. The more transparent you are about what the company is doing, the easier it will be for them to understand their role in its success.
Share information about the business: If there's something important happening in the industry that might affect your business (for example, if competitors are launching new products or services), let employees know so they can plan accordingly. You may also want to share quarterly financials or other key metrics from time-to-time as well as any news about upcoming changes/development within your organization that may affect their daily workflows or roles within it.*
Share financials: This can be done via email newsletter sent out once per month (or however often makes sense) along with an invitation for anyone who wants more detail on any particular topic(s) discussed therein.*
Share information about the team: Let remote workers know what projects they'll be working on next month so they can prepare accordingly--this includes providing details such as deadlines and client names if possible so that everyone has enough lead time before starting new projects together!
Establish clear communication guidelines
Establish clear communication guidelines.
You should use a communication tool like Slack or Zoom to ensure that all team members are on the same page, even if they're in different locations. Define the purpose of each channel and make sure everyone has access to it. For example:
Establish a channel for each team member so they can message each other directly without bothering anyone else (or having their messages bother anyone else). This will help keep things private between coworkers while also keeping everyone up-to-date on what's going on within their respective groups.
Set up an "All Staff" channel in addition to individual ones; this will allow for quick updates about upcoming events or changes in policy that affect everyone at once--and make sure no one gets left out!
Create separate channels for managers so they can coordinate with one another without interrupting anyone else working hard toward achieving common goals
Build trust and respect within the team
Building trust and respect within the team is essential to ensure its success. Here are some tips on how to build trust:
Encourage communication. Remote workers can feel isolated, which makes them less likely to share their ideas or feedback with you as a leader. Make sure everyone has an easy way of getting in touch with one another by providing tools like Slack or Zoom for team meetings, conference calls and video chats (if possible). This will help your remote employees feel more connected as well as give them opportunities for collaboration that might not have been possible otherwise!
Be transparent about tasks and goals from the start so everyone knows what's expected from them--and why those expectations exist in the first place! Also remember that some people may need more guidance than others when starting out so don't be afraid if someone asks questions about their role within your organization; it shows they care about being successful at work too!
Set goals, milestones, and check-ins to keep everyone on track
One of the most important things you can do as a leader is to set goals for your team. This doesn't mean that everyone needs to be working toward the same goal; rather, it means that each person should have at least one thing they're working on that helps them get closer to their own personal goal.
Creating these goals will help you stay focused and motivated throughout the year, so it's worth taking some time upfront before starting work on this project or launching this product--that way, when you begin working together as a team (or just yourself), there is already something concrete in mind for what success looks like at each step along the way.
Asking yourself questions like "What am I trying achieve?" or "How will I know when my project/product launch has been successful?" can help define what success looks like for each milestone along your journey. This will allow both yourself and others in your organization to plan accordingly based on those milestones instead of just hoping everything works out okay once they're reached!
Plan for remote vacations
It's easy to forget that remote workers are people with lives outside of work. They need vacations, too! The same goes for your remote team: you should plan for them to take time off and go on vacation.
Planning a vacation is basically the same as planning an in-person one--you'll want to book flights and hotels, make sure there's someone available to cover duties while you're gone, etc.--but there are some key differences when it comes to managing your team while they're out of town (or even just away). For example:
Do they have access? If so, how much? Are they allowed email access from their phone only? Will they have wifi at all times or only in certain places (like airports)? How often do I need updates from my team members during their trip(s)? These are all things worth considering before scheduling time off for yourself or others on your staff who work remotely.*
A remote leadership style is as effective as in-person management.
Remote management is just as effective as in-person management. However, there are many challenges that come with managing a remote team that you may not have experienced before. You need to make sure your team is on the same page and understand what's expected of them. You also have to keep them motivated, productive and happy so they can do their best work for your organization. Here are some tips on how to do this successfully:
Keep communication lines open! Emailing regularly will help ensure everyone understands what's happening within the company and has an opportunity to contribute ideas or ask questions if they're confused about something.*
Give frequent feedback so employees know where they stand in terms of performance.*
Provide opportunities for collaboration via video calls or conference calls--and encourage these interactions whenever possible.v
In the end, managing a remote team is no different than managing an in-person one. The key is to be transparent with your employees and create an environment where they feel safe asking questions and sharing ideas. If you can do that, then your digital nomads will be able to work just as hard as their counterparts who are sitting in the same room!
