4 lessons for managing remote teams

In a 2014 survey, almost 60% of leaders said that more than half their workforce would be remote by 2020. So how can you turn remote work arrangements into a lever for success?

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With intentional management, many companies have been thriving with remote workers for decades. Here are some tips for making remote arrangements work.

1. HIRE THE RIGHT PEOPLE: The fact that you do not have to maintain physical offices leaves you room to pay higher wages than others and attract top talent. Spend a substantial amount of time researching and interviewing a given candidate. That way, you can ensure that you find and hire the right people.

2. FOCUS ON OUTCOMES: After spending the effort to bring the right people into the firm, it only makes sense to set them free. Tell your new teammates exactly what outcomes matter to you, and reward them for achieving and exceeding those outcomes. Once clear, consistent outcomes are set, management conversations shift from exercises in delegation and micromanagement to problem-solving sessions.

3. HELP EMPLOYEES CHOOSE, AND BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, THEIR OWN ADVENTURE: By determining the right floor and not restricting the ceiling, you can put the choice of how hard to work in a remote worker’s hands. Ideally, each employee should be free to choose the type of work they want to do, whom to do it with and when to do it.

4. CENTRALIZE THOUGHTFULLY: Focus on letting your team members be the “CEOs” of their professional lives, but not every aspect of choice adds value. Too much control can erode mutual trust, while too little can be inefficient.