Leading a team can be hard work; leading a virtual team can be even harder. We all get it, telecommuting is great for the environment, it can lower stress levels in workers, increase productivity and drastically reduce costs for the organization. That being said, virtually managing a team comes with its own hardships. In order to truly reap all of the benefits of telework, the virtual leadership process must be thoughtfully crafted.

Ask the “What Ifs…”

Even if you’re working with a seasoned remote worker, you have to address the needs of this specific team and project. This step is all about setting expectations and proactively addressing potential roadblocks. Cali Williams Yost, a flex work specialist, suggests asking all of the “what ifs” before they happen. Here are a few of the seven “What If” scenarios that Yost suggests leaders get the answers to, before an employee begins to work remotely.

• What if…your babysitter gets sick or your kids have a snow day?

• What if…someone from work (especially your boss) tries to reach you and you don’t respond immediately?

• What if…there’s an important meeting scheduled in the office on your remote workday?

• What if…your internet service goes down?

Yes, as a team leader you could simply give them the answers for each of these scenarios and form rules, but an open, two-way dialogue is always best when defining expectations. By letting the employee answer these questions, leaders can also get a reading on how seriously they take this remote working opportunity. You might even find that some aren’t cut out to work remotely.

Transparency Breaks Down Silos

Remote workers are particularly susceptible to becoming insular. These silos aren’t good for innovation, they inhibit collaboration and they can certainly close workers off to being a valuable part of the company culture. Additionally, when work becomes insular, the common targets and goals get lost. So how can leaders prevent this disconnect that seems to happen very naturally and swiftly in virtual teams?

All goals, and I mean all goals need to be communicated, visited daily and tracked in a transparent way. Collaboration tools like Yammer, Hall orBasecamp are all great communication tools that build transparent accountability into each project. 66% of CIOs from top-performing companies see collaboration as the key to driving innovation. When the walls come down, people start talking, sharing and getting involved on a big picture goal-level.

Make Communication a Priority

“Poor Communication” topped the chart as the biggest challenge that remote workers face at 33%. Workplace communication is a challenge even when we’re face-to-face, so virtually connecting is obviously going to require some extra effort. Consider this advice from virtual team leadership pro Michelle LaBrosse:

“Does your team spend hours trying to solve an issue with an e-mail conversation that could have been solved with a 30-minute conference call? E-mail and instant messaging are critical tools in our work environments, but it’s important to create a new culture of effectiveness around them. Ask yourself: How can I make my team’s e-mail communication more productive? Set e-mail and IM rules for your organization.”

Facilitate, Facilitate, Facilitate

14% of remote workers cited a difficulty in accessing the knowledge they need to succeed. Leaders must ensure that all of the tools, knowledge and assistance that their team will need is provided or readily available to them. Want to know a stat that will make most leaders cringe? An average of 58% of employees waste about one hour per day trying to locate information.

• Be sure that all sources of information are organized and identified in writing.
• Create a system of constant communication.
• Always have an open-door policy with managers.
• Make sure that all necessary access is granted to each applicable team member.
• Openly discuss roadblocks and bottlenecks to progress. Find ways to improve the process together.

It really only takes a defined process and a thorough understanding of the members to create a successful remote team. Individual assessments are also a great tool to utilize in both the creation and maintenance of virtual teams. Leading a remote team does require more involvement and purposeful facilitation, but the benefits to all parties involved are completely worth it!

Head over to our main blog here.