V7.28: Leading a Remote Team

Managing a team is obviously not a walk in the park, but managing a team remotely is a whole other ball game. No matter where your team is located, they still need a strong leader to produce quality, productive work.

Entrepreneur.com contributor Danny Forest wrote a list of four ways to more effectively lead a team of remote workers that we’d love to share.

1. “Delegate effectively.” We’ve always believed a win-win situation for the company and the individual is always the best option. When the company has a business need for something, the best way to achieve it is to be the best person on the job. And by that, we mean the individual with the right set of skills. Everyone has strengths and weakness, so make sure that you’re delegating the pieces of a project to the people best suited. 
2. “Empower your team.” This should sound pretty familiar to you all. Empowering your team is of the utmost importance. Essentially, this means giving power to the people who will deliver quality results. Help create a space and a mindset that allows people to self-motivate. It’s the only way to get them to go above and beyond for you. Micromanaging is the death of an empowered employee mindset. Don’t limit your team by hounding their every decision. Trust them to find the best way to do something and they will. 
3. “Be completely transparent.” The best leader utilizes the ‘expectation management’ principle. Be transparent with your team on expectations and processes and they will trust you. Trust is VITAL to getting your team to produce stronger work. Be open with them because a team that feels they only half the picture won’t succeed. They can become insecure and won’t feel confident in their work. 
4. “Make it a collectively success.” Collaboration is key for a strong team. It’s time to move past the you-work-for-me attitude and get into a we-all-work-together mentality. It’s so important to remind your team how vital they are every step of the way. Make sure they know it is not solely your success, but everyone’s success. Victory goes to the team, not the individual. People are more likely to work harder for a project they will get recognized and praised for.

So, effectively managing a remote team, looks a lot like managing a team onsite, doesn’t it? There is a reason for that! A team is a team, no matter what zip code they reside in. Working remotely or with a remote team can be difficult, but with a little effort and A LOT of communication, you can succeed quite wel