Are these 3 barriers holding you back from being a good remote leader?
The Coronavirus pandemic has demanded a major shift for workplaces.
Leaders everywhere are struggling to adapt from leading in the office to leading a remote team.
Since the industrial revolution, many organizations have relied on in-person leadership and collaboration to get their jobs done. So, for some, making the shift to remote work has been a real challenge.
Want to learn more about the history of remote work? Check this out.
We understand how difficult it can be to lead a team of people, period. Now, you’ve got a whole new set of challenges to deal with.
Regardless of whether you’re struggling or thriving leading remote teams, now is a great time to step back and examine whether there are any barriers holding you back.
Here are the three big barriers to pay attention to:
Barrier 1: Limiting beliefs about the way work “should be”
To say that the workplace changed during the COVID-19 pandemic would be an understatement.
Still, many employers, leaders, and managers cling to the traditional concept of work: in the office, with a set schedule, for 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week, and under the supervision of managers walking around.
While this may feel good for some leaders, the reality is; it’s not always beneficial and it’s not what employees want anymore. In fact, a whopping 97% of employees don’t want to return to the office full-time and prefer some degree of flexibility between working remotely and working in an office.
74% of professionals expect remote work will become the new normal
97% of employees don’t want to return to the office full tie and prefer flexibility between remote and on-site work
61% of employees prefer being fully remote over any amount of on-site work
Source: Growmotely
What we can learn from those numbers is this: employees looking for new jobs, or changing careers, put having the option to work from home as a top priority during their job search. Therefore, if you want to hire top talent, you’re going to need to allow for at least some remote work.
To remain competitive, while also creating the conditions for people to do their best work, it’s critical that leaders not only listen to employees (cough: they’re asking for more flexibility at work), but also pay attention to the research. As it turns out, the option to telework leads to higher retention rates and employees are even willing to take a pay-cut just to be able to telecommute.
95% of employees say telework has a high impact on employee retention
37% of technology professionals say they would take a 10% pay cut in order to telecommute
Source: SHRM
Now is the time to let go of your traditional beliefs of what work should be and instead, start
focusing on how work could be.
Barrier 2: Negative assumptions about employees
The second mistake is making assumptions about employees. We commonly hear:
Employees are lazy.
Employees aren’t motivated.
Employees aren’t trustworthy.
Here’s the thing: If you have these perceptions about your employees, your performance management skills probably need a boost regardless of whether you’re leading a virtual team or not. These beliefs (justified or not) aren’t serving you, your organization, or your employees.
Let’s look at an example: Imagine being a dog trainer and assuming that most dogs are stupid.
How could you expect a dog to learn a new trick if, in the back of your mind, you thought the dog had a low likelihood of being able to do it? How would that change the way you attempt to train the dog? Would the dog be able to tell that you didn’t have high expectations?
The same applies when we make negative assumptions about the people we lead.
Whether we like it or not, these assumptions affect our behavior, our interactions, and our ability to lead people effectively, whether it’s remote or in an office.
Let’s let go of those assumptions for a moment and look at some numbers.
23% of remote workers are willing to work longer hours from home than they normally would at the office
77% of employees who work remotely report greater productivity when working offsite
30% of remote employees say they accomplish more in less time
Source: SHRM
What we’re seeing is that, for the most part, employees aren’t slacking off at home. Instead, they’re more productive and even willing to put in more time just to complete tasks. How’s that for some assumption-shattering data?
Knowing this, your challenge becomes learning how to trust your hardworking employees and setting up a remote environment that is empowering, motivating, and cooperative.
Barrier 3: Avoiding Vulnerability
The final barrier can be the most difficult for some, but please don’t ignore it - it might be the most important.
It has to do with vulnerability - the emotion that occurs when something is risky, uncertain, or there’s emotional exposure involved.
“Vulnerability is not weakness, and the uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure we face every day are not optional. Our only choice is a question of engagement. Our willingness to own and engage with our vulnerability determines the depth of our courage and the clarity of our purpose; the level to which we protect ourselves from being vulnerable is a measure of our fear and disconnection.”
-Brené Brown
Often vulnerability triggers fear. For leaders, it could be fear of failure, of disappointment, or of “looking bad.” Too often, instead of recognizing these emotions and sitting with them, we attempt to escape the uncomfortable feelings associated with vulnerability as quickly as possible.
Attempting to escape these feelings can take the form of:
Playing the “what if” game to spread fear (i.e. “what if everyone stopped working”)
Micromanaging (i.e. using control tactics in an attempt to reduce uncertainty)
Hiding behind policies and procedures or using HR as the scapegoat
Using cynicism and criticism as a way to avoid risk
Fear is a natural human reaction to risky or uncertain situations where emotions are involved.
But fear isn’t the problem.
Nor is feeling vulnerable.
The problem is avoidance.
Instead of making the mistakes listed above, try giving yourself permission to sit in discomfort and get curious about what’s triggering your fear. It’s often not what we think, but rather a perceived loss of control.
Have you ever worried about the answers to questions like…
What if they aren’t actually working 8 hours a day?
What if employees are doing personal things during the work day?
How will I know employees are working if I can’t supervise them?
If these anxieties sound familiar, it’s okay. Control is a natural human want. Fears like these often result from limiting beliefs of how work “should be” (see barrier 1).
Allowing fear to drive your decisions when it comes to remote work could have unintended consequences, like not being an employer of choice, cultivating a low trust culture, or being part of the “great resignation” and losing key employees.
You don’t need to let that happen.
Now is your time to be vulnerable and acknowledge the fears. Ask yourself where these fears come from and whether they’re based in reality.
Exercise: Breaking Down the Barriers
I invite you to take the following steps:
Write down any thoughts you have about how work should be
Write down your assumptions about your employees
Write down your fears with having workers work remotely
Don’t worry about being negative here. No one else needs to see this. Just be honest and real with yourself.
Next, answer these questions as a follow up:
Write down your thoughts about how work COULD be
Write down all the strengths you’ve witnessed from your employees
Ask yourself if any of the fears are based in reality and examine the link between how you think work could be and the strengths you’ve already seen in your employees.
Conclusion: Examine these 3 barriers to become a more effective remote leader.
The world has changed. While this can be scary, it’s also presented an opportunity for leaders and employees to reexamine how they work best.
Now’s the time to ask yourself:
Which barriers are getting in your way when it comes to remote working?
What changes can you make within yourself to lead more effectively in a remote setting?
Strengthening your virtual leadership skills will not only help you now, but will make you even more valuable to your organization. It can also open new doors as the demand for working remotely increases globally.
We hope sharing these barriers helped guide you… but if you’re still struggling or wanting more support, check out our catalog of workshops, or schedule a call to work with us one-on-one. We’re here to help you on your leadership journey.
Are you looking to strengthen your virtual leadership skills? Do you want to expand on any of the topics in this article? Schedule a time to chat with us about how we can help.