Managing & Leading Remotely - November 2006

In the business world today, many people are responsible for managing and leading people who are in geographical locations away from them. These can be in another building or as far away as in other countries. The issue seems to be based around two fundamental problems.

First, how do you know they are doing what they are suppose to be doing and that they are not taking it easy or abusing the lack of a boss being present. Second, is about knowing that they will report any issues or problems BEFORE it is too late. All bosses hate surprises. There is nothing worse for a boss to discover, from someone else, that there is an issue and they are made to look foolish for not knowing. It makes them look incompetent and not in control.

There are probably others as well but it is these two that most commonly challenge the boss. Let's take the first of them. Are they doing what they should be doing and remaining focused on the job?

Preparation, preparation and preparation is what's important. The only way any of these issues can be dealt with is to agree things up front and be clear about how things will be dealt with. For example, ensure the objectives are clear and that the measurements are in place, understood, owned by the individuals, agreed how these will be communicated and how frequently communication is to take place.

The more clarity the person has about the reason they are being asked to do things in a certain way and how what they do impacts on others, the more they will be able to take ownership for their performance and deliver what is required.

There is another aspect to this that needs to be considered. How do these individuals need to be supported? The danger is that we assume that people are like us in certain ways. If we are self-motivated, then we think others are. If we feel comfortable to ask questions and challenge things, then we assume that others are, as well. When our people are near us and we have regular contact with them because they are working with us, then we can notice that these are not happening and react to it. When they are out of sight and in a different location, we are unable to gauge this and so can often find out too late.

We need to be aware of people's differences. Some people need more support than others. Some people need re-assuring frequently, encouraging, motivating and praising on a regular basis. These people can quickly become de-motivated if they are not getting regular feedback.

There are two points to understand here. Firstly, recruiting people that will be managed from a distance means we need to make sure they are capable of being self-motivated. If someone is the type of person who needs constant contact and interaction, then maybe they are not the person for the job. So we need to be aware of this when we are recruiting.

The second point is, if we already have someone in that position, we need to take the time to find out how they like to be supported. Take the time to discuss this with them and make it a focus of the relationship in the early stages. Many managers make the mistake of delegating too quickly when dealing with people in remote positions to them. Delegating and empowering them from a distance takes longer than normal.

So, open up the issue and discuss it with them. Ask them how they want to be supported, how they want to be communicated with and how they want to be given feedback. Then manage their expectations of what you expect from them. What you want from them, in what format, how frequently, how they can contact you and anything else that enables them to appreciate the situation from your point of view.

Most importantly, don't believe that because you have one person that works well from a remote position based on how you deal with them, that everyone will react the same if you deal with them in the same way. Every person should be handled in a way that suits their ability to operate independently or remotely. Take time to understand the differences and manage each one accordingly.

So for this month I would ask you to think how good you are at managing and leading your people remotely?

• Do you know how they need to be supported and communicated with so that you get the best out of them?
• Are they absolutely clear about what they need to be doing and how they can measure their own performance?
• Do they know how to get hold of you if they need to?
• Do they know your personal expectations of how you want them to keep you informed?

I would love to hear your experiences in this area, so please feel free to let me know your thoughts on managing and leading remotely.

If you want to watch the video version of this then please go to my video blog or subscribe to my video podcast in iTunes or go watch on my YouTube Channel.

Have a great month and best wishes

Paul

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