Five Leadership Best Practices: Stop Controlling

To get the work done, virtual leaders may become more directive because they feel a loss of control. It is difficult to monitor employees’ work remotely. To compensate, they over-rely on providing structure and direction to monitor and control.

Paradoxically, this...

Accept that micromanagement isn’t possible as a virtual leader. Delegate to team members and empower them to manage their own performance.

Studies show that team leaders fear becoming dispensable and underestimate team members’ ability to lead when necessary. This hin...

• Threats to team commitment and trust. Building team commitment, trust, and mutual support virtually, is challenging. By focusing on relationship-focused activities, leaders promote a collective sense of purpose and a positive environment.
• Feelings of isol...

Team members need to know that you care about their well-being and are there to support them. So, check in regularly and encourage team members to keep everyone informed of their activities and any challenges.

This fosters an environment of trust, commitment, and ...

In the office, leaders can clearly view progress and provide immediate feedback through direct communication. This is more challenging through a screen.

So, rather than being overly directive, leaders should create conditions where employees feel empowered to complete their work, a...

Creating space for team members to speak up and is even more critical in virtual environments where people offer feedback less readily.

But, it may not happen unless leaders make a special effort to solicit feedback, surround themselves with people who keep them honest, a...