Challenging Remote Work Myths

Speaker 1 0:01

Okay , here's a question for you . When you think about leading a remote team , what's the first thing that comes to mind ? Are you thinking about Zoom , fatigue , endless Slack messages or WhatsApp messages , or are you wondering if your team is actually working ? Remote work isn't new . Companies have been doing it long before 2020 , but when COVID hit , it flipped the script . Gallup reported that by April of 2020 , about 70% of the US workforce was remote . What was once optional became a default setting , and , even as offices are now reopening , many of them still have hybrid and remote work as a part of their ongoing process . This is how they are functioning .

Speaker 1 1:01

So today I want to unpack what it really takes to lead remote teams . We'll bust through some myths that I just really am looking forward to talking about , because I've heard them for years , and then I want to talk about the real challenges , because there are some unique challenges and differences between managing or leading a team remotely versus in office , and then give you some best practices you can use to build trust and strengthen the connection and drive performance without burning yourself or your team out . Let's start with the myths , and I have three that I want to to clear up . Right , and and some of these are some pet peeves for me . I'll just say you know , truthfully and I understand that part of it is a learning curve and still , to this day , are still trying to figure it out but part of it is that people don't have an open mindset when it comes to remote work , and I'm not saying that every job can be done remotely . We understand and we know that all jobs can't be done remotely , but there's a good portion of the jobs that can be .

Speaker 1 2:20

The first myth I want to talk about is remote work kills productivity . We have heard that one oh my gosh , we hear that one so much but the reality is that it's the opposite . The opposite is true . A Stanford study found remote workers were 13% more productive and took fewer breaks . It's not about monitoring keystrokes . It's about setting clear expectations and measuring results . Measuring outcomes . It's not about checking to make sure that people are still online . It's not about any of that . So I really want you to think about that . If you are in the mindset that you feel like you're missing out when you can't see your team . There's other ways that you can measure performance , and we're going to talk a little bit about that later on in this episode .

Speaker 1 3:20

The second myth is that remote workers are disconnected and disengaged . Here's another reality Gallup found employees with flexibility actually reported higher engagement and less burnout . If people feel disengaged , that's not about remote work . That could be about leadership and culture . So there are some things , as leaders , that we need to be doing in order to make sure that doesn't happen .

Speaker 1 3:58

Myth number three you can manage remote teams the same way you manage in-person teams . I think that this was one of the biggest myths and I feel like people try to . Instead of changing , people try to manage them the same , which is why so many people have Zoom fatigue or Teams , microsoft teams fatigue , because they're online so much because they're trying to recreate what they did in person , and there's just some things that you're not going to be able to recreate , but there are some things that you can take advantage of when we're talking about remote workers . Different environment requires a different playbook . We have to alter the playbook and , as leaders , we need to be doing this anyway , as different generations enter the workforce , as technology advances , as people become more remote . Whatever the case may be , we have to be flexible at leaders and we have to be always ready and positioned to change . You can't just copy paste your leadership style into Zoom . You've got to adapt and flexibility is going to be on your side and is one of the biggest advantages that you have as a leader . Now , the truth is there are some challenges when you are leading remotely . It's not all berries and cream . There are some things that you are going to have to do .

Speaker 1 5:38

We're talking about , like I said , changing the playbook , because this is a different landscape , and when I probably about seven , five to seven years into my leadership journey I ended up having a team that were remote some of them work from home , some of them work from satellite locations , but they were not in the office with me I had to literally get on a plane and go to Tennessee , get on a plane and go to Colorado or wherever they were , when we had certain types of meetings . But the fact of the matter is , on a day-to-day basis , I was still managing

Unique Challenges of Remote Leadership

Speaker 1 6:20

them . They still reported directly to me . I had to figure it out and it out and um . So no , I know it's not new , no , I know that you don't manage the same , and the way I managed them back then changed . The way I led that team back then changed , technology changed , so we were doing conference calls and then , when we got video , we would all go to the conference room . Everybody would go to the conference room , depending on where they were located , and we would have the video up and we would take calls . And now we are at your desk . Wherever you are , you're doing a teams meeting or a Zoom meeting or Google meeting or what have you . But as technology advances , as things change , we have to be open to change . So I want to talk about some unique challenges , because I don't want to fluff over it , because there are some things that we have to consider .

Speaker 1 7:20

So what makes leading remote teams challenging ? The first thing is no casual connection . When you're in the office , you can look at people , you can see their face , you can ask how they're doing , you can stop by their desk . All of this changes . You don't have that casual connection . You see each other when you're making coffee . Those are opportunities to build relationships . Those are opportunities that I took advantage of when building relationships and one of the reviews that I read by Harvard Business Review they note that 70% of collaboration comes from informal interaction . So those little quick chats , it's not the same . Remote , it's not the same .

Speaker 1 8:10

The second challenge is trust takes more effort Without visibility . Leaders often default to micromanagement because you don't see the person sitting in their chair . You don't see how long they are actually working . You have many leaders that go right to default to micromanagement , like , again , they're looking to see how long are they online , they're looking at how many keystrokes and things like that , and there are just so many . Especially , we're in 2025 . There are so many ways that you can figure out if someone is being productive and if they are performing or not , and we're going to talk about how you lean on some of those things in order to determine if your team is really producing , instead of micromanagement , which makes everybody feel uncomfortable you as a leader and then your team as well . The third challenge is cohesion fades quickly . You got different time zones . Depending on how you are managing , you may have different cultures . Home setups can isolate people . There is a potential for cohesion to fade quickly and we're going to talk about some things that you can implement so that that does not happen .

Speaker 1 9:29

Another challenge the fourth challenge and the last challenge that I'll mention right now is performance feels harder to measure for some leaders . Leaders confuse online hours with actual outcomes . Leaders confuse online hours with actual outcomes , and we have to be careful of that , because just because somebody spends 12 hours in the office does not mean that they were productive at all . We have to be really careful not to look at oh my gosh , he worked so hard , but what is being produced ? What are the outcomes of that work ? If I'm sitting in the office for 12 to 14 hours a day , what is the outcome ?

Speaker 1 10:13

Now I want to twist and I want to talk about some best practices for remote leadership , and this is where we're going to tackle some of those challenges that I mentioned above and some of the things that you could do to really make sure that you are leading in a way that doesn't put you in a position where you are micromanaging and makes everybody feel uncomfortable and suspect and there's

Best Practices for Remote Teams

Speaker 1 10:39

a lack of trust . Well , here's the good news Remote leadership doesn't have to be complicated . Here's the good news Remote leadership doesn't have to be complicated . If you focus on these best practices , you'll see your team thrive , even from a distance . The first thing you want to do is build trust by leading with transparency .

Speaker 1 11:06

Sometimes , as leaders , we hold on the information because we don't think it's important to the project or to the team member , and usually what happens is it creates this room for distrust . Share the why behind your decisions , not just the what . You won't be able to do that 100% of the time , but more times than not you'll be able to do that . Instead of saying we're moving the deadline , say it the client shifted their needs , so we're adjusting timelines to deliver on expectations . Be forthcoming with information . This builds trust and let me tell you something Trust is the single biggest driver of team performance , whether it's remote or in person . It's bigger than the tools that you can provide them . It's bigger than anything else . Trust your team wants to trust you and , as a leader , you want your team to trust you . Be forthcoming with information . Be as transparent as you possibly can .

Speaker 1 12:11

Number two set clear and consistent expectations . Be really clear about what success looks like . Do not make your team guess looks like . Do not make your team guess . Get it's extremely clear . They need to know it's really hard to hit a target that's not visible , because what are you aiming at ? This is something that you have to give your team . Your team believe it or not . Most people want to be successful . They want to feel good about what it is that they do and when you define what success looks like , you give them a better opportunity at hitting that . Clarify communication this is included in number two . Clarify communication this is included in number two . Clarify communication when we're talking about remote work , we use a lot of technology Email , slack , whatsapp messages , video , project management software , clickup , asana . Whatever it is that you use use , be clear about how these tools should be used and when they should be used , because , if not , what could happen is you may have everything sitting in slack when there were some things that you were expected to be in an email . Make sure you lay out how you're using each of the tools and when they should be used , and enforce that with your team . And as work evolves , as technology evolves , you may have to change that , and that is okay , but be clear with your expectations . Be clear what it is that you want them to do and how you want to do it .

Speaker 1 14:03

The third thing is to create intentional touch points . This is going to help us in building relationship with our team and then also making sure that we have cohesive team and there is collaboration . This is something that we're going to have to be more intentional when we are managing remote teams . When you're in office , it's easy to walk around and say , hey , can we do a five-minute huddle ? It's real easy . You're looking at people and you do it , but sometimes because people are not in our line of sight , we may not think to include them , we may not think to have these type of huddles . Make sure that you are intentional with your touch points . If you're going to have weekly team meetings which I would recommend that you do use that for updates and then also to build connection . You're meeting in a team atmosphere , in a group atmosphere . People get to hear what others are working on and then they get to provide feedback and support and collaborate Also in those meetings . It's a good idea to rotate a win of the week type of thing right . Make sure that number one you are sharing wins with your team for specific people , specific things they've done . Make sure they have an opportunity to share a win . Also , give them an opportunity to share a hurdle or a challenge that they may be , that they may have identified , and give the others in the room an opportunity to support them through that and they may end up going off and having separate meetings as well , but you're building collaboration . Now they're working as a team .

Speaker 1 15:58

Another thing when we're talking about intentional touch points , host optional virtual coffee chats or lunch chats or some type of informal bonding . One of the things I did when I had remote teams we would have the virtual coffee chats where I would just schedule something 10 minutes on somebody's calendar or give them an opportunity to schedule 10 , 15 minutes with me , and we just talk and catch up over coffee . We also had luncheons online virtual luncheons . It's a couple of different ways . If you have a budget , you can send people Uber Eats cars and they can order something for lunch and then we are online and we are eating . We're just casual conversation , but it's an opportunity for us to get together , for us to bond informally , to kind of keep that going . So here's another stat Microsoft's Work Trend Index found that employees with strong social connections reported 50% higher productivity and 40% better retention . So these things are a great idea .

Speaker 1 17:08

Of course , you want to be cognizant of what people may have going on outside of work . Make sure that you are thinking through that . That's why I usually recommend like a virtual lunch instead of something in the evening . But you know your team , figure out what works best . And you know what works best because you're having one-on-ones . You're having one-on-ones with them and you are getting this type of feedback and you're learning what it is they like and they dislike . Another point I want to go back to when we talked about celebrating the wins . You could also do this in Slack , in the different messengers , just like a quick shout out to people . That way you don't have to wait till your weekly meeting and this kind of replaces or it fills the gap of that hallway high five . You know how . You see somebody and they did a really great job on a project or coming up with a solution for a client , whatever that looks like , and you see them . And by you seeing them , you automatically think about what they did and right there you recognize them for it . Well , we want to keep that energy going and you can do this by doing it in whatever remote channels you have . But acknowledging their contribution to the team I lost track .

Speaker 1 18:43

I think I'm on number four . Encourage collaboration across the team . Pair people up who don't usually work together . If there's projects that they'd be good at or based on their skill set that they would complement each other . Pair them up to work . Of course , they set their own schedule . They figure out how to do that , but you have to be intentional about telling them what it is that you expect and

Setting Boundaries and Using Technology

Speaker 1 19:11

what you want them to accomplish . And they can get together and they can brainstorm , they can work on projects , but make sure you are encouraging collaboration across the team and make sure you are collaborating with them as well . Make sure you are using technology that's appropriate and that complements that type of thing . So it could be , you know , asana , clickup , whatever tools that you use that will help you foster some of this , this real time brainstorming .

Speaker 1 19:45

Number five focus on outcomes , not activity . Focus on outcomes , not activity . The reason why I think this is extremely important is because we have to replace the are they online ? Mentality with did they deliver the agreed results ? And this is why it's so important that you are clear with what your expectations are , because then that way , you know if they delivered what it was that you agreed that they would deliver , not that they were online , not that the green dot was showed that they was online for 20 hours . That's not what we're using as a a stick of measurement . We're looking at outcomes . We're looking at are you , are they meeting project deadlines ? We're in 2025 . It's time for us to start using the technology that we have in front of us and start trusting our team more and depending , like I said , on outcomes when we're talking about performance and then um .

Speaker 1 20:52

One thing I like to do is establish team rituals . Every week , you're doing certain things over and over again . It could be wrap up Fridays . So you're going to wrap up on Friday with accomplishments and learnings . These do not have to be over video call , but you decide people are going to share their accomplishments or learnings in Slack or over email , whatever it is that you choose to do , but every single Friday we're doing the same thing . Or you can have a kickoff Mondays where we're going to kick off what the priorities are for the week , and this is basically depends on the type of team that you are leading and what their responsibilities are . You have to do , of course , what makes sense for you , but just establishing some team rituals where they know every Monday , I'm doing this , every Friday we're doing this . These rituals , they create a rhythm and a predictability and it's an anchor for remote teams . They know , at certain times of the day or certain times of the week that things are certain things that are going to happen . Some people get lonely when they are working remote and we want to make sure that we are intentionally creating spaces for people to come together and to work and to share and to support .

Speaker 1 22:26

Two more things I want to mention . Number one we have to model healthy boundaries boundaries when you , when you say take care of yourself , but you are sending late night emails with the expectation that they're going to respond , you don't really mean take care of yourself . We need to make sure that we are having healthy boundaries and we are encouraging these boundaries and we are helping to protect our personal time as well as their personal time . So , if you have people that are in different time zones , you may want to have a rule that talks about people are going to respond within 24 hours or 12 hours . It depends on the time zones that you are , that people are in , that you are leading , but something that makes sense . So people don't feel pressure that when you send a email and it is midnight in their time that they're expected to respond . So make sure that you are clear about what those boundaries look like . You also have to make sure that you are following the boundaries as well , because they're going to take their lead from you . If you say that you want them to take care of themselves , that you want them to have healthy boundaries , but you don't have any , they're going to look at what you do more so than what you say , and you'll see that they may start to get burned out and overwhelmed . So when you are working in a remote space , make sure that you are cognizant of the fact that you're really clear on what those expectations are and that you are following whatever those boundaries are , that you're really clear on what those expectations are and that you are following whatever those boundaries are that you put in place that you want them to follow . You have to walk it out . They won't believe it's safe for them unless they see you do it as well . So if you value your family time and you don't take calls , emails or what have you after 7 pm , then that's what you need to do . You shouldn't be responding at 7 , 10 . Just kind of think about you know those things .

Speaker 1 24:43

And the last thing I want to mention is technology . We want to use technology wisely , because there is so much technology it can be overwhelming . So tools should support the work that we do . They shouldn't dictate how we do work . They should support us . They should not overwhelm us . They should not take up all of our time . It has to be structured . That's why I say , if you're using Slack and email and all of these different tools , make sure you have a plan about how it should be used , because if not , it's going to be overwhelming and you'll find that people are spending more time trying to figure out how to use the tool or where to find information than they are in doing the work , and it is on us as leaders to make those things clear .

Speaker 1 25:37

When I started this , I said that there's a different playbook that we have to use . We really have to use it . This means that your leadership systems that you have for in-person how you lead in-person teams is going to need to be updated . For remote teams , there are some foundational things that are going to be the same across the board . However , there's going to be some glaring differences and you need to be able to identify those and modify the tools , the systems , the way you lead , as much as possible .

Quick Wins and Final Thoughts

Speaker 1 26:21

All right .

Speaker 1 26:21

So if you are leading a team , here's some quick wins for you . The first thing is audit your communication plan . Are you over communicating or are you under communicating ? Audit your plan , determine what it is right and then in your next one-on-one ask how connected do you feel to the team ? You want ? To make sure that your one-on-one people feel connected . Also , you can ask them about do they feel like they're getting the information that they need ? Do they feel like expectations are clear ? There's nothing wrong with asking your team that . All right . So the other thing that is a quick win is making sure that you review your performance measures . How are you tracking results ? Is it solely based on the amount of time that they are online or is it based on outcomes ? And if it's based on outcomes , what are the outcomes and what are the outcomes that equate to success , so that you can be able to clearly communicate that with your team .

Speaker 1 27:25

All right , so I just wanna close this out and I had to start with those myths , because those are some things that I'm like no , no , no , no , no , no , no , no , no . Remote working is not new . It doesn't mean that people are working less Any of that . People can be just as productive , but there are some things that we need to do from a leadership perspective . So remote working isn't brand new , but COVID did make it mainstream and , like I said , the truth is remote teams can be just as productive , just as engaged and sometimes even stronger if you lead with trust , clarity and connection .

Speaker 1 28:07

But you have to be intentional about how you lead . Just keep in mind that remote leadership doesn't happen by accident . You have to design it with intention . If you are leading your remote team or hybrid teams and it's feeling overwhelming , let's work together . This is something that I could work with you in the Leadership Shift Coaching . It's a one-on-one program where we work on the things that you need that you're dealing with right now , today , so that we can position you to be the best leader as possible , and also so that you can put the systems and the strategies in place so you can leave with more confidence , without burning yourself out and creating a powerhouse team that is going to help you build capacity as well .

Speaker 1 28:55

Again , thank you for joining me , because I know that there are many podcasts out there , but you chose to spend your time with me . If you enjoy the content , if you learn something , give us a five-star review . Also , if you know another leader in middle management or a business leader that is building a team . Make sure you share our podcast with them . We would really appreciate it . Lastly , keep in mind that we have Ask Me Anything episodes and if you just hit the text message , you can send us a text message with your question and we may answer it on a future podcast episode , or you can email me at info at signalpartnerscom . Thank you and have a wonderful day .