You're leading a virtual team and struggling to keep everyone on the same page. What are your options?
Leading a virtual team can be challenging, especially when you need to keep everyone on the same page. Communication, collaboration, and coordination can suffer from the lack of physical proximity and face-to-face interaction. However, you don't have to resign yourself to confusion, frustration, and inefficiency. There are some options you can explore to improve your team facilitation skills and make the most of the virtual environment.
One of the first things you should do as a virtual team leader is to set clear and realistic goals and expectations for your team members. This will help them understand what they need to do, why they need to do it, and how they will be evaluated. You should also communicate how often and in what format you expect them to update you and each other on their progress, challenges, and feedback. Having a shared vision and direction will keep your team aligned and motivated.
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Kaustubh Joshi
Microsoft Certified Senior Power BI Consultant (SME) at EY, with expertise in VBA, Power BI, Power Automate, Power Query & German Language | ex-Team Lead at AXA.
To ensure clarity in goals and expectations for your virtual team, consider holding regular video meetings, creating detailed project documentation, and fostering open communication channels. Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) and encourage team members to share progress updates. Additionally, utilize collaboration tools for seamless communication and task tracking.
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Lisa M.
Have the team agree on Guiding Principles (GPs) in addition to documented objectives and goals. GPs will signpost HOW to win. GPs make objectives feel closer (vs the bedtime read of requirements docs). Shared GPs are a set of mutually agreed behaviours. GPs also set expectations for HOW the team will work collectively. GPs can also be a ''North Star'' or agreed units of measurement (not the KPI). The North Star keeps the team orientated. Setting a specific focus reduces plausible scope creep (the team can void distractions or temptations). Agreed units of measurement ensure incremental results are celebrated, achievement has gradual momentum (on top of tracking end goals). An all-or-nothing, win:lose goal does not motivate 100% of the team.
Another important factor for effective virtual team facilitation is to select the appropriate tools and platforms that suit your team's needs and preferences. You should consider the type, frequency, and purpose of your communication and collaboration, as well as the availability, accessibility, and compatibility of the technology. For example, you might use email for formal and asynchronous communication, video conferencing for regular and interactive meetings, and a cloud-based project management system for real-time and collaborative work.
A team charter is a document that outlines the roles, responsibilities, and rules of your virtual team. It can help you establish a common ground and a sense of accountability among your team members. You should involve your team in creating the charter and make sure everyone agrees on the expectations and standards. Some of the norms you might want to include are how to handle conflict, how to respect diversity, how to share information, and how to celebrate success.
Trust and rapport are essential for any team, but especially for a virtual one. Without trust and rapport, your team might experience low morale, poor performance, and high turnover. To build trust and rapport, you should communicate frequently and openly, show empathy and support, acknowledge and appreciate contributions, and encourage social interaction. You can also use icebreakers, games, and quizzes to create a fun and friendly atmosphere and learn more about each other.
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Jacob Wood
Learning designer, writer, gamer, Toastmaster, and accessibility advocate.
One great tool that my team used was the "User Manual of Me" exercise. Each person fills out a "User Manual of Me," which is like a questionaire that goes into detail about each person's working habits and communication preferences. Everyone can share their user manual with the rest of the team and answer questions about it. It's a great icebreaker and helps the team know how best to work with one another. It's also helpful in creating a team charter that incorporates everyone's working preferences as best as possible.
Feedback and recognition are powerful ways to improve your team's performance and satisfaction. Feedback helps your team members know what they are doing well and what they need to improve. Recognition helps them feel valued and motivated. You should provide feedback and recognition regularly, timely, and constructively. You should also solicit feedback from your team members and act on their suggestions. Feedback and recognition should be both individual and collective, as well as both formal and informal.
Learning and development are crucial for your team's growth and adaptation. As a virtual team leader, you should facilitate learning and development opportunities for your team members, as well as for yourself. You should identify the skills and competencies that your team needs to succeed in the virtual environment and provide relevant resources, training, and coaching. You should also encourage your team members to share their knowledge, skills, and best practices with each other and to learn from their mistakes and successes.
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Lisa M.
A facilitator can consider the value of Strengths and Skills Sharing (SASS!) across the team formally and informally. Establish a culture of ''No Stupid Questions''. Info and knowledge can come from all directions, not just: one way & top down. Ask everyone, individually to write a statement with two skills, knowledge or strengths they're willing to share with others, ad hoc, on request. Ask each individual to get endorsement from one other person, for their statement. Now you have a library of L&D content and willing (endorsed) educators. Publicise who is willing to share what topics. Encourage the team to informally meet and exchange knowledge. Formally schedule time to share specific skills uniformly (one way: one lead and an audience).
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