In a context in which many companies are regionalizing and expanding their services for which they need to incorporate collaborators from other cities or countries, and in which companies (increasingly) also decide to incorporate talent into their teams without taking into account their location geographic, Forming a good team is one of the pillars to do it successfully. A solid and committed group is the basis for these remote processes to work.
The 3 keys to achieving a sense of belonging in a remote work team:
1) Create trust
Like personal relationships, work relationships only work if they are based on trust. And for those who also have the extra ingredient of remote work, this is worth much more. “How do I trust?” It is, perhaps, one of the questions that I hear the most in advice to companies and leaders. The first thing I can say is that we can create trust and that for that, we must first recognize that it is nothing more or less than a judgment that we have about the other person. So, to change that judgment -that is, to stop mistrusting-, we can start by asking ourselves:
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What judgment do I have today about this person?
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This trial, is it founded? That is: if I believe that Juan does not fulfill the tasks that I assign him and then I cannot trust, is what I believe founded? I pass? Did it happen once or does it always happen? Did he happen to me or did they tell me?
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If the judgments are founded (indeed, Juan does not fulfill the tasks), what do you want to do? What actions can you generate, different, to return to the path of trust?
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Finally, evaluate the 4 points on which trust is based: reliability (does this person keep his promises? Has he done it in the past?), sincerity (is he consistent between what he says and does?), competence (does what skills and resources do you have to act effectively?), involvement (am I involved with this person or do I leave it to them to decide when and how to improve the relationship?).
2) Promote the freedom to achieve excellence
When we respect the freedom of people, in any area of life and, at the same time, accompany them in their own processes, we create this wonderful sense of belonging, that pride of being part of it. The possibility of having the freedom to do and be how and when I want, adapt it to my times, to generate a work-life balance and, at the same time, feel accompanied by a team even if I am alone at home working, that is, that I am part of a network, it is infallible. When we manage to understand that and put it into practice, we generate this tribal feeling that contributes to the culture of an organization.
It is about releasing the “control mode”. What does this mean? The need for all people to do things according to my criteria. This, in addition, usually brings frustration, in general, and much more in a remote work context, since when we want to control something that is not within our reach, that we cannot see, we get frustrated. When we want to know exactly what, how, when, where the other person is doing their work and we cannot, we enter into a wonderful paradox: we become slaves to the very control we want to exercise; we are controlled by our own beliefs (“this is done this way”, “if you don’t answer me in less than a minute it means that you are not working or engaged”, etc.).
In general, those who identify with the demand exercise this “control mode”. The proposal, then, is to work to achieve excellence, instead of clinging to the requirement. Therefore, the training of those who exercise leadership roles is essential in all organizations.
3) Apply and encourage assertive communication
It is very important to learn to listen to work teams and to the people who make them up individually. In addition, it is key to do something with that demand and give an answer. For this, assertive communication (that is, affective and effective) is key. Some points that help:
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Exercise active listening. Are you present when your team speaks to you or are you thinking about what you want to tell them, what you have to do or even applying your own judgments to what they are saying? Active listening is trained and is one of the most important items for every team leader.
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When placing an order, are you clear? Do you detail your conditions of satisfaction for that order? Will you generate a context? Do you take into account the skills and abilities of the person you are applying to? Do you open space for acceptance, decline or negotiation?
When we communicate assertively, we enrich relationships, foster trust, and encourage those who work with us to choose us and also become our best ambassadors. Also, we open the space so that those who are not comfortable can leave, without forcing relationships that do not benefit either party.
For all this, in a remote context, more than devising virtual structures, spreadsheets, trying to transfer certain experiences that occur in person to virtual, what is fundamental is the human factor and contact. It all comes down to freedom, trust and communication to create teams that choose us (and who we choose).
Degree in Communication UBA and Professional Ontological Coach.
Source: Ambito
