Sometimes, I find myself mulling over the uses of certain words.
STREAM.
When I hear that word, I think of a creek, kill or a steady flow of water.
My kids think about watching something online.
In this blog series, we have been talking about the word REMOTE.
I grew up in a remote part of Ohio. I live in New York now, and when people find out I am from Ohio, they ask, “Oh, what part of Ohio?”
“Do you know where Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo are? I’m from the part of Ohio that is not near any of them. It’s pretty remote.”
Another form of remote is the “remote control.”
I am old enough to remember TVs without remotes. Now, I’m not sure I can use my TV without the remote. My kid’s college dorm fan has a remote, and my window air conditioner has a remote.
The key to the success of those types of remotes is the connection. If my remote’s battery dies, it loses connection to the television. If I bring my remote to your house, it won’t work on your television because it won’t connect–the frequencies are different.
As I mulled over how that type of remote works, I realized that the same concept applies to leading in remote work environments. You have to have a good connection for it to work.
Last week, I mentioned that “Humans are tribal creatures. Whether you believe it is evolutionary or God-built, we naturally desire to work WITH others.”
And this is where leaders have to be extremely intentional in remote environments.
When I worked in an office, it was remarkable how much connection happened in the break room. We would grab a cup of coffee and spend fifteen minutes discussing work, life and last night’s game.
Now, when I go to the break room (also known as my kitchen), I only talk to my dog. She’s a good listener, but it doesn’t help my work.
Here are some quick thoughts on building connections in a remote environment.
1. If it’s a personal check-in, do not use company channels.
When one of my teammates is sick or facing a personal challenge, I try to communicate with them through a personal phone number or text message.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” via a text message or personal phone call feels different than the same message over company e-mail or Gchat.
When it comes through Gchat, it feels like I’m a boss checking in on whether you can do work versus a human asking a human how they are doing.
2. Send them something in the mail.
It’s exciting to get something handwritten in the mail.
When you donate to my local food pantry for the first time (whether that gift is $5 or $500), they send you a handwritten note.
Something handwritten says, “I took time to think about you.” That does the soul good.
(PS–I know this, but I am awful at actually doing it.)
3. Put personal reminders on your work calendar.
Write notes to remind yourself to check in with remote teammates about things going on in their lives.
Are they doing something special this weekend? Write a reminder to ask about it next week.
4. Learn together.
Our Leadercast team has a short “All Hands” meeting every Monday. Much of that meeting involves rotating team members leading a meeting starter from Leadercast 365.
Learning something new together is a huge bonding experience.
There are countless other ways to connect with remote team members, but here is what I want to emphasize. As a remote leader, you must be increasingly intentional about connecting because you no longer bump into people in the break room.
