Since March, managers have had to face a completely new form of collaboration:
Due to Corona/Covid-19, their employees mostly work from home. But you can also learn from this crisis and gain insights that will change your leadership behavior in the future. Because leadership from a distance is and will remain one of the most important executive trends.
The number of employees working from home has increased by approx. 150 percent since 2004. Due to digitization and globalization, it has long been the order of the day for many companies to digitally manage their employees from other locations and countries. The switch to working from home for all teams is a challenge that pushes many companies and managers to their limits. Not only does the technical equipment have to guarantee continued cooperation from now on, the team structure is also put to a tough test.
If the technical equipment holds up, the corporate culture is one of the most important success factors. Values such as trust and loyalty now compensate for the lack of personal interaction. This culture must be established and lived in advance. The subject of trust is an absolute keyword here: Trust that your employees will also give their best “from a distance”. Use video chats to arrange not only team meetings, but also one-to-one conversations.
More local distance, more communication
More local distance means more communication at the same time. Show a personal interest in the situation of your employees: Many people have their children at home and also need resources to balance childcare and work.
Give your employees an orientation: prioritize projects, agree KPIs and deadlines. In this way, your employees know what expectations you have of your team.
The current developments will also influence our future cooperation: Home office – not welcomed by some departments and companies before the crisis – is becoming a normal part of our working life – at least a few times a week. In addition to the implementation of the necessary technical equipment, there are also factors such as cyber security and corporate culture, which is based on values such as teamwork, authenticity and transparency.
