Are You Worried About Leading a Virtual Team? Just Stick with These Basics

Have you been scrambling to read everything you can on leading a distributed team? Take a deep breath and get back to basics.

Whether you are leading an in-person or distributed team, the mission is to create a motivating space for people to work and innovate.

Take this quick temperature check to see if you have the basics in place for an engaging environment.

My team has high trust.
We operate in a psychologically safe environment.
We are a community that works together, supports each other, and has fun together.
We own our vision, and each person can communicate it.
Each team member has defined goals.
Each team member knows the daily and weekly priorities and meets deadlines.
We have productive, regularly scheduled meetings.

The key in executing the basics is to communicate and the results are team clarity and buy-in to decisions.

Here are five essential questions to ask in any team meeting:

What are the team’s priorities?
Where are the obstacles you are facing? How can we help?
Did anything unexpected pop up that needs immediate attention?
Who needs to be informed about the decisions we made today?
What are you grateful for?

What types of meetings can you lead?

Pre-shift Huddles: Quick, 15-minute meetings, align the team on the day’s priorities.
Weekly: Drive meetings with a plan to make the most of team collaboration.
End of Week: Celebrate successes, address challenges, express gratitude and recognition, and set the tone for the next week.
Strategy: Plan your projects from start to finish.
Social: Have fun together!

Joni Anderson | Photo: courtesy of TH!NK LLC

“I have had the absolute pleasure of working with TH!NK for the past ten years. When we have an organizational development need, Sarah and Cindy are the first for me to reach out to.” – Jondi K. Anderson, Servco Pacific

If you need help leading a successful team, the TH!NK team would love to help you.