Keeping Your Team Motivated, Remotely

Covid 19 showed us quickly that there was no choice but to work remotely. And after the first few weeks of scurrying around and trying to figure out zoom or Microsoft teams or some other remote working site, we all settled into some sort of routine.

Maybe we met every morning for a check-in and then late in the afternoon for a check-out…maybe we sat on webinars learning more about how to do the things we actually thought we knew, and maybe even some of us had happy hours to keep us motivated during this isolated time.

But how do you keep your team motivated for the long term? How do you keep people engaged in not just doing tactical work but rather, planning for the future, focusing on long term projects and solving bigger issues than just for the next week or month?

First, help them to find their work engaging. Meaning, find out what they value. If they enjoy working with numbers, then let that part of the project be for that person. And if someone is more of a people person, then let them do the presentation. Find out where that particular person shines…ask them where they can deliver their amazing service.

Second, make sure that the work is not all tactical but rather it involves some strategic planning and problem solving. Have discussions of where you are in each of the projects, how people can feel needed and provide time for feedback and discussion.

And three, help people stretch. Find ways that employees can grow and move out of their comfort zone. Even though this may be scary at first, it will benefit both the individual as well as the team and organization.

Experimenting with these ideas might be new but so are these unprecedented times that we are facing these days. As the new challenges pop up, think about utilizing one or all three of these suggestions, to see how you can increase your skill set as well as your self-confidence.