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Virtual Leadership - The new kid on the block

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Tarulata Champawat is working with InfoBeans Technologies for more than 15 years. She is well aware of all the nuances of technology and is thorough with all the latest technologies. After a long stint of almost 10 years as a part of the Delivery Team, she is now heading the entire Sales, Pre-Sales, and Marketing efforts at InfoBeans Technologies. She holds BE & MBA in Marketing from e-Cornell University.

Pandemic, Lockdown, work from home! These words became common since the pandemic emerged two years back. Though I have been always managing delivery remotely and doing business development in the US and Middle East regions seated remotely in my capacity as Senior Director Sales & Marketing, I found myself struggling to keep up the productivity and vigor when my entire team was away working from their homes. My team was always split across various locations, but absolutely no face-to-face interaction topped with Gosh! 10-12 virtual meetings per day were eating most of my time. Those numerous phone calls were hitting my otherwise peaceful and methodical life and plundered my work-life balance.

I was trying to find an easy solution to manage efficiency and keep the spirits of my team similar to what it was when we were in the office together.

It was challenging, seriously. It was like breaking some status quo. I am aware that it is not new, but its pace accelerated at a dizzying rate in 2020. It accentuated virtual meetings, discussions, training, brainstorming sessions and upended my belief that these could only happen in an office setup. Seemingly overnight and unknowingly, I started practicing virtual leadership, the new kid that evolved during the pandemic and is still prevalent.

Simply put, virtual leadership is leading from far off. But, is it that simple and has high acceptance?

No, not really. It requires a lot of effort, patience, dedication, meticulousness, and clarity to reap results from virtual leadership. Here are a few principles that worked for me -

Focus on results, not on getting things done: When your team is coping up with something that they have not experienced before, adding pressure will only make matters worse. Keeping a close eye on their actions and micromanaging them will not yield the desired results. Instead, making them accountable for their work and an unshakable trust in their abilities to perform will work wonders. They should work out of a strong desire to work and not out of any fear.

Tip: Evaluate your team members on the outcomes of their work rather than how, when, and from where they produce those outcomes. Remember that team members value the autonomy working virtually provides because it gives them enormous flexibility to balance their personal and professional lives.

Empower employees: Delegate work and empower them to manage their own performance. Delegation is a win-win for both, while it sheds off work from your plate, it makes your team responsible and more result-oriented. It signals that you trust team members’ competence, which promotes stronger relationships and inspires confidence.

Tip: When you don’t delegate, it shows your fear of becoming dispensable and that you underestimate team members’ ability to lead when necessary. This may hinder virtual team effectiveness. Delegate without a doubt.

Relinquish your desire to control: It is absolutely understandable that leaders who enjoy daily face-to-face contact, with all the monitoring and direction, yearn for the control they have lost. But, nothing that you do as a virtual leader is achievable unless you relinquish your desire to control your team. I know letting go is difficult, it takes time and it emotionally drains you. As a leader, your prime objective is to steer your team in the right direction, not to exercise control over them. When you control, team might feel pressured, micromanaged and they may even doubt your ability to lead.

Tip: Set clear purpose, goals and expectations for the team, hold regular planning and review meetings, offer them the flexibility to work the way they want and at a time they find most convenient and finally be a good coach to your team

Enforce visibility (virtually): Visibility in the office is easy, leaders can clearly view progress and provide immediate feedback through direct communication. But it is more challenging through a screen. So, allow your team to invite you for a call even if you are not necessarily required, keep your cameras on and ask them to keep theirs and also permit them to call you on phone for some urgent and important task.

Tip: Don’t be overly directive. Create conditions where team members feel that you have done your bit to create an actual office atmosphere and that you are acting in the team’s best interest.

Offer support: Virtual leadership is more about relationship-focused leadership then task-focussed. Make your team feel that you care about their well-being and are there to support them. Keep some after-hours informal meet for a chit-chat, make a quick call and ask them about theirs and their family's well-being, offer support outside your work domain and keep them informed about your activities too.

Tip: Make them feel connected, even if it makes you do something outside your comfort zone. Send a text or make their special days special through some small gestures.

Each leader has some quirky ways in which they practice virtual leadership. The outcome should be the expected one and your team should feel happy, that is the ultimate goal.