7 Tips for Leading Your Distributed Workforce to Success

We've all heard the spooky stories - remote workers slacking off, disappearing mid-day, providing no value.

But our distributed teams are not phantoms to be feared. They are talented, devoted people who want to do great work. Remember they're not ghost workers, they're your team and they just need to be managed properly.

What is a Distributed Workforce?

Before we dive into how to lead remote teams, let’s define what exactly a distributed workforce is.

A distributed workforce refers to an organization where employees, departments, and leaders are based in multiple geographic locations instead of a single central office. This allows for remote work arrangements where team members collaborate across distances by using technology to communicate and get work done.

With distributed teams, you have staff spread across cities, states, or even countries. Some companies hire talent from around the world. Others allow existing employees to work from home offices or co-working spaces outside the main headquarters.

The end result is a blended workforce that resides both in-office and out-of-office.

This flexible arrangement has become increasingly common as technology removes traditional barriers imposed by physical location. Leading this distributed workforce requires adjusting conventional management tactics for maximum success.

The 7 Ways for Managing Your Distributed Dream Team

If you're managing a team that's spread across multiple locations, countries, or time zones, you've probably wondered if you should just move everyone to a single office and make things easier on yourself.

But here’s the thing: that ship has sailed.

Distributed and remote teams are here to stay. The good news is, you don’t have to strap yourself to the mast through the storm. With the right strategies, leading from afar can be even more exciting and rewarding than playing captain on an old-school in-office ship.

Let’s dive into the 7 essentials for leading your distributed dream team:

1. Overcommunicate Like You’re Running a Presidential Campaign

When working with distributed and decentralized teams, the biggest pitfall is the communication gap that geographical distances create. If you’re not careful, this can expand into an enormous chasm faster than you can say “Just hop on a Teams call.”

The antidote is to overcommunicate early and often through multiple channels:

• Send regular email updates.
• Hop on video calls.
• Schedule virtual water cooler sessions.
• Share condolences when a team member faces loss.
• Celebrate wins and milestones.

This fills communication gaps and makes remote team members feel like they’re down the hall, not halfway across the world.

2. Set Clear Goals and Metrics (With Wriggle Room)

Distributed teams need crystal clear goals and metrics to align their efforts and gauge progress. However, you also want to leave some wiggle room for creativity. Creating this balance is an art that even the most veteran managers struggle with.

My advice?

Set quantitative goals to create accountability, e.g. “Hit $300k in revenue this quarter.” Then use qualitative metrics to encourage innovation, e.g. “Deliver an exceptional customer experience.” This gives your team members guardrails to operate within while also empowering them to think outside the box.

3. Overinvest in the Right Collaboration Tools

Enabling seamless collaboration is crucial when managing distributed teams. With people working across multiple locations, you need tools that duplicate (or at least approximate) those productive in-office interactions that happen at desks and in halls.

That said, going overboard with flashy new collaboration tools can strain budgets and end up decreasing productivity more than helping. Do your research. Vet options thoroughly. Then overinvest in just a few tools that you’ll adopt company-wide and support wholeheartedly with training.

4. Build Personal Connections Through Virtual Events

Working remotely can feel isolating for team members. That’s why hosting virtual social events is key. Schedule online happy hours, trivia nights, etc. to give people fun excuses to chat about non-work topics. Send care packages to remote workers filled with tasty local treats to make them feel part of the team. The little personal touches go a long way toward building connections, even from afar.

5. Fly People to HQ (When Possible) for Team Building

While virtual events help remote workers feel socially connected, nothing builds bonds better than old-fashioned, in-person quality time. That’s why bringing distributed team members to your main office periodically for team-building events can pay huge dividends.

Schedule quarterly offsite gatherings if budgets allow. Or find other excuses to get people face-to-face, e.g. company summits, training seminars, client meetings. The travel costs are absolutely worth it. After all, the team that retreats together succeeds together.

6. Embrace Asynchronous Communication

Synchronous communication like video calls is great. But don’t underestimate the power of asynchronous channels like chat, email, project management tools, etc. They give distributed teams flexibility to communicate whenever they want from wherever they are.

Enable your remote employees to collaborate asynchronously across time zones, without schedule headaches or inconvenient meetings at odd hours. Create channels for various topics and encourage people to chime in when it’s most convenient. Asynchronous conversations may unfold slower but often yield richer results.

7. Trust Your Team and Avoid Micromanaging

When employees are out of sight, the temptation arises to monitor their every move. But micromanaging distributed teams destroys morale, hinders productivity, and shows you don’t trust your staff.

Instead, set clear expectations upfront and then give people the autonomy and resources to excel. Check-in regularly via calls and reports. But beyond that, loosen the reins and let your all-stars shine. They’ll reward your vote of confidence with increased ownership, engagement, and results.

Over to You

Leading distributed teams has unique challenges. But with the right mindset and strategies, you can build an incredible culture of innovation that allows your organization to thrive.

So sharpen your virtual leadership skills. Follow these essentials for managing across distances. Stay flexible, lead with trust, and enable your distributed dream team to soar.

The future of business is remote. Are you ready to seize it?