Virtual Virtuoso

Insights for Working Virtually

A note from the Liberty team:

For many of us, working virtually was an occasional thing.  Now in many places it is becoming mandatory. We are therefore challenged with rethinking how to be an outstanding leader. 

At Liberty, we are spending time discussing how we can support our clients and friends in this changing and challenging circumstance as managers.  Your goal is to have team members be healthy and safe, productive and motivated.  Much research and many pundits provide useful suggestions that we have summarized into actionable notes to you. 

We will be adding a short note every week.  Feel free to respond with reactions and/or pass them on to anyone you feel would benefit.

Wishing you good health.  Stay well.

Emmy Miller, President

I. Gail Howard, Managing Director and Senior Consultant

Laurent Besançon, Senior Consultant and Executive Coach

Christiane Frischmuth, Senior Consultant and Executive Coach

Anne Cobuzzi, Senior Consultant

The Virtual Virtuoso #3

If you are managing your team virtually, here are some thoughts about how to do it well:

Set a clear start and stop to the day. Support each staff member in setting limits for their work time, and then to disengage for the rest of the day. People do not need to feel guilty if they are not reading emails after work hours. Clear lines between “working from home” and “personal time at home” will help people not burn themselves out.

Get a glimpse into their world. Have each person send you a picture of their workspace. Send one out to the team as part of a daily update. It may help support a sense of knowing a bit about each other and encourage some good fun. Something like:

“Today we are featuring Liz’s home office, including her “support staff” of Jinx, Taboo, and BB Queen. Liz, congratulations. They strike me as a hard-working team.”

The Virtual Virtuoso #2

If you are managing your team virtually, here are some thoughts about how to do it well:

Getting work done in the new normal. Hold a meeting with your team to discuss what ideas they have about setting parameters with any children or significant others who are also home due to school and business closures or self-isolation. Suggest that they each hold a conversation with any parenting partner(s) (i.e., spouse, significant other, family, childcare provider) to have an agreement about childcare duties. What plans need to be in place so that each member of the household can be productive during a portion of the day? Sharing ideas with other staff members may help each feel supported as they work out the details for their own situation.

Versatility is a virtue. Together with your team, revisit shared written or assumed operating principles.  How will you keep each other informed of work underway or completed? What will replace the “drop-by-with-a-quick-question” method of helping each other? What flexibility can be provided about work hours so that staff members in isolation with their family members can take care of daily routines at home (e.g., making lunch for children, letting the dog out and then back in) and still complete their work?

The Virtual Virtuoso #1

If you are managing your team virtually, here are some thoughts about how to do it well:

Be supportive of this new experience. When having a virtual one-on-one meeting with a member of your staff, consider starting the meeting by asking how they are experiencing being isolated.

Be empathetic. Working from home will be difficult for some people, and you can be creative to help them think of ways they can connect with colleagues (and perhaps family members outside the household) to feel more comfortable.