Creating a Virtuous Cycle for Remote Team Effectiveness

The foundation for managing a remote team effectively, as it is for any organization is understanding. Understanding is even more critical with a remote work force. Without it, you cannot make effective decisions on people, processes, target markets and of course technology. Many organizations, you see, even those who bring in outside experts to install technology and improve business processes, when it comes time to operate, they lack the understanding to get the virtuous cycle going and they fail and severely under-perform. Technology, how things work, is a foundational element.

Obviously your people are fundamental but what is often missed is a simple accurate understanding…  Understanding is key here as well and the foundation is trustworthiness. Focusing on trustworthiness leads to its two dimensions of  Competence and Integrity -  and from our experience, to do this right entails looking  at the full scope of what determines if they CAN do the job – knowledge, experiences, technical skills as well as the softer more behavioral attributes that determine WILL  they do what it takes, SUITABILITY which includes Motivations, attitudes, interests, interpersonal skills, career expectations, natural tendencies, preferences and stress behaviors.. These are attributes that underlie your behaviors and best predict your performance level - understand them in all your people and you will achieve trustworthiness and when this is authentically achieved, trust can be achieved which reinforces Effective leadership is based on authenticity, using technology to direct your attention situationally and applying visionary, facilitative, coaching, affiliative, pace-setting behaviors and so on…

This leads to greater understanding and a reinforced virtuous cycle, supports focused work and effective collaboration necessary for successful work outcomes  which then leads to the achievement of shared goals. At the same time, Effective leadership, appropriate technology and effective collaboration reinforce and help create inspired work and engagement which in turns leads to superior customer experiences. These along with share goal achievement lead to shared success and the conditions that lead to this success feedback into improved and sustained understanding creating a somewhat involved but highly effective virtuous cycle that is sustainable with continued understanding, effective use of technology, trust and effective leadership.

Of course, this is easy to say, but doing it is never that easy. The purpose of this site is to make leading a remote work force more effective, predictable and successful.