Supercharge Working Remotely
Supercharge Working Remotely - Gain control, clarity and collaboration when working from anywhere.
If you're ready to shift from working onsite to remotely then ...
Gain control, clarity and collaboration when working from anywhere.
Welcome to the “Supercharge Working Remotely” Online program!
If you are reading this, you are most probably working remotely in a full or part time capacity. Maybe remote work is new to you, maybe you are now leading a remote team? For whatever reason thank you for dropping in, we look forward to supporting you and equipping you with tools, tips and insights to ensure success when working remotely.
Leading and working within a remote team is unfamiliar for many people and is my sole purpose for creating a simple online resource to tap into. I have personally led teams remotely and worked remotely for over two decades, and the good news is as much as it can be challenging, it can be productive, collaborative and rewarding.
Working with hundreds of organisations and thousands of leaders to lift their Leadership, communication and performance, leading remote teams has become a topical and common conversation.
Working within a remote team is fast becoming part of the new normal due to the accessibility of technology, better working practices and a downturn in the need to invest in expensive offices. Some businesses access all they need from a backpack. Who would have thought this was even possible?
In these times of uncertainty, change and disruption, as a leader or in any role, I believe this is an opportunity to shine and level up through new ways of working, thinking and collaborating. Going from chaos to calm is important as we navigate a landscape we have never seen before in our lifetime. Turning uncertainty into focus, we succeed working from anywhere as we pivot how we do things.
A report from the UN International Labour organisation found that while many employees are more productive when they work outside of the conventional office, they’re also more vulnerable to working longer hours, a more intense work pace, work-home interference, and, in some cases, greater stress. Collaboration and connection can also be lost if new ways of working and thinking are not implemented.
Whether leading teams on site or remotely, Leadership can be learnt and built upon. Limitless Leadership is based on the premise of learning, unlearning, forever evolving and having an infinite mindset of what could be.
With the challenging business landscape becoming more disruptive and with multiple balls in the air to juggle such as people, remote work, structure, technology, relationships, reporting and policy, it’s no wonder many leaders are only managing their teams instead of leading them and their organisation forward. True commitment, effective communication skills, ability to motivate and deep connection are imperative.
Agile leaders are creative thinkers with a deep sense of purpose. They show a propensity and ability to move into action and make decisions, and their implementation often results in greater learning. As Brian McGowan says, next generation leaders must be able to move, change and evolve the organisation proficiently.
The principles, skills, motivations and qualities to lead successfully are the same no matter where you and your team are geographically based. What does differ is the mindset you need to adopt, along with an ability to think differently about new ways of working.
To go from STIFLED to SUPERCHARGED when working remotely takes discipline and focus.
From experience, many managers that lead a remote team face more team related challenges than onsite managers, who tend to be faced with challenges around personal productivity. This is due to them being physically present, often approached by their team, and distracted by being in the office, which can lead them into “activity” mode, not “progressive mode”. When leading a remote team, we manage people in their “individual environments”, usually their homes, which comes with a plethora of challenges as we all respond to this in different ways.
The Challenges are real
Recent research from Soapbox indicated that remote managers experience retention challenges 6 times higher than on site managers. They also discovered that remote managers struggle two times more than on site managers when getting their teams to collaborate. This is due to distance, time zones and other factors we will touch on later.
Another finding was that managers leading remotely found hitting team goals almost twice as hard as when leading onsite. It was also discovered that managers with more than 50% of their team working remotely struggle with providing value to employees in one-on-one catch ups. Another key finding was that 56% of employees surveyed believe that managers need to adapt their skills to lead a remote workforce.
Key barriers to success
Resisting a change in mindset can be a barrier. An adaptative mindset around creating new norms is crucial when we go from an office environment to working in isolation. When we shift from what and who we know, there is uncertainty, and as humans, we aren’t good at dealing with the unknown, so reframing expectations is vital here.
Many people prefer either a sole or group environment in the workplace. Those who lean towards a sole environment will usually adapt more easily than someone motivated by people around them in real time. Many struggle to stay motivated working alone, even with access to online collaborative tools and new ways of working.
Another common barrier is the lack of leadership and direction. What this results in is unclear expectations, boundaries and ways of working. For an employee, having no direction or leadership is like driving somewhere using google maps without inputting a destination. Unclear purpose, objectives and expectations of the business, team and roles are widespread, especially when new norms aren’t in place and accepted.
The physical environment we work from can be a barrier. Lack of room, light, interaction, systems and processes can stifle our productivity, motivation and overall performance. Communication and connection can become fragmented when a team is split up. Many experience a lack of training in new systems and tools needed to do their job from home, and this can impact confidence & productivity.
Managing time and prioritising is another common challenge, and distractions from visitors, loved ones, and even the family pet can get in the way.
Many people find loneliness creeps in; we are wired to connect, which can be a natural and common occurrence.
As you can see, there are numerous obstacles that can hinder us leading and working remotely. On the flip side, this online resource aims to provide you with tools, insights and resources to take you from STIFLED TO SUPERCHARGED!
Course Outline:
The program is broken into 3 key areas containing a total of 8 modules:
- Adapt – Modules 1-3
- Adjust – Modules 4-6
- Amplify – Modules 7-8
Throughout this self-paced program, we invite you to take reflective time to explore and expand both the psychological shift and the physical environment change that needs to take place when working remotely.
Each module will include:
- Introduction video
- An overview of the module
- A printable workbook including an action planner
- A quiz at completion
- Resources to: read, listen or watch
What to do:
- Work through each module in visual order
- Watch the introduction video and read through the overview
- Print off workbook
- Assign a journal or electronic medium to capture additional thoughts (Evernote etc.)
- Set a time frame to complete each workbook
- Work through all exercises both on paper and on the job
- Complete the quiz at the end of each module to move on to the next module – the quiz will only appear once you have watched the video until the end
As with all immersions when learning, take what you need and leave what you don’t.
Things will emerge as you need them, and you can access them as needed.
With the right mindset, plan and tools, you can lead LIMITLESSLY and, during the process, bring your team and organisation along for the journey!
You will learn about...
Leading and working within a remote team is unfamiliar for many people and is my sole purpose for creating a simple online resource to tap into. I have personally led teams remotely and worked remotely for over two decades. The good news is as much as it can be challenging, it can be productive, collaborative and rewarding.
