Just about everything these days can be performed virtually. The COVID pandemic has shifted our focus from in-person efforts towards mostly virtual gatherings of every kind. With this workplace transition, we need to adjust and change the direction of leadership goals, desires, and projected outcomes. Here are a few ways to take your leadership to a whole different virtual level in 2021.
The first step in any kind of change is awareness. Recognize that company dynamics have changed, possibly indefinitely. The old ways of office interactions are gone, and often Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Skype simply do not fulfill face-to-face social needs. As a leader, it’s a good idea to delegate social time to reinforce company culture. These times could be structured or completely free-form; it’s up to the leadership and what they feel will establish the most effective cohesion.
With the culture changing, the work pace and strategies therein are different as well. Coming up with effective work schedules that may not follow the traditional 9-to-5 workday can often benefit employees. The work environment that each individual will be working from is uniquely different, and many variables will be challenging to control. Placing trust in your employees and recognizing the diversity of their talent is paramount to this new standard. Stepping back will lead your team to better results than ever before.
Transitions of any nature will see a turnover of employees. New employees who may have never done the job before may prove especially difficult to transition into a new work environment, mostly remotely. Learning curves are much more challenging from afar. Allow a more extended transition period for new employees and reach out if they have questions and concerns about anything they encounter in the transition process. As leaders, recognizing how to get more than face-value information from new employees is incredibly important. Ask more than the traditional “How are you doing?” questions, and you may get more than the conventional “I’m doing fine” sort-of answers. These conversations will provide you with more in-depth insight into how the new virtual environment treats the new employees.
Communication is critical on all fronts of the virtual environment. New hubs and centers of information need to arise as unique needs do. Places that individuals can seek the attention they need for mental health, human connection, or even technical support must be easy to find and updated with relevant information. All of these avenues will be paramount and essential to leading teams and businesses to virtual success.