Reena Khullar Sharma, Founder of Agilis Executive Consulting, offers executive coaching and HR partnerships to organizations globally.
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Global organizations that have adopted hybrid or all-remote workplace models often have "drive results" as a core organizational value. As we emerge from the pandemic, leadership teams continue to shift their focus and attention to activities that will produce the greatest output. Therefore, engaging, retaining and managing remote teams to improve productivity is an important and required skill set for remote leaders that will set up their direct reports and team members for success.
A leader's goal when engaging an international team should be to focus the team on cross-functional activities relevant to their results. This, in turn, encourages collaboration and connection among team members. I have found the following leadership traits to be effective when engaging team members in global organizations:
Communication
Communicating clearly, effectively and periodically is important for leaders who may need to communicate differently with team members in different time zones or on different schedules. A few best practices include:
- Scheduling team meetings on a rotating schedule in different time zones to ensure that every team member has an opportunity to participate and attend
- Allowing all team members across different locations to view or edit one another's documents
- Encouraging non-work related conversations and small group video calls to allow for bonding and build relationships with team members
- Hosting periodic virtual events with the entire organization in an effort to get to know one another in an informal setting
Transparency
To align team responsibilities and build trust, leaders at global organizations should be open to sharing information with team members as often as possible. This can help foster collaboration as informed employees reach out to one another to discuss team approaches to completing assignments and projects. Transparency also creates awareness around organizational initiatives across all locations internationally and helps employees understand their role in the organization's long-term strategic goals. Finally, transparency allows organizations to recruit new members to the team who care about and connect with the company's values.
Visibility
It is important for remote leaders to be creative with being visible, so they are perceived as easily approachable. Leading team members located in different countries is challenging without direct in-person and human interaction. Therefore, setting up ongoing and regular team video meetings will create space for intentional but informal communication. This visibility is important because it builds a support system for employees while at the same time striking a balance to ensure performance and accountability measures are achieved. Visibility also helps build trust, which leads to a supportive working environment.
Connection
All-remote settings empower team members to live and work where they are most fulfilled. Leaders managing employees across different countries should also prioritize one-on-one time with each team member in order to build relationships based on mutual trust and respect. Leaders should take the time to meet with direct reports one-on-one via a video call at least once a week. This allows leaders to clarify responsibilities and implement asynchronous workflows, which can increase efficiency and decrease dysfunction without micromanaging schedules.
In an all-remote and international team environment, leaders can more effectively engage team members by offering strong communication, transparency of information, visibility for approachability and connection through relationship building. This, in turn, can create a more comfortable, well-rounded workplace environment where employees feel engaged and motivated for success.
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