2. Biz Network May 2021 39-76.qxp_Chamberlink 30/04/2021 09:33 Page 60
TRAINING
Leading remotely What managers need to keep teams engaged As the skills needs for managers and leaders have changed with the onset of remote working, so have the training courses offered by the Chamber, as business training manager Vicki Thompson (pictured) explains. anaging remotely can be difficult and complicated – and, to be honest, most of us have been doing a fair job at it over the past year when as businesses have transitioned into a partial or fully remote working environment due to Covid-19. But as we move forward along the Government’s roadmap, it is becoming clear that many businesses are actively moving forward with a hybrid or agile working environment, allowing far more opportunities for their teams to work from home, especially while social distancing will still be required within workplaces.
M
‘Managing remotely gives your teams the opportunity to work to their strengths’ In fact, many businesses have found that their employees have worked much more effectively from home, with reduced commuting and less disturbance. Of course, not all managers view remote working in the same way – some will have embraced this and have already been busy decorating their home office space, while others will resent the feeling of disconnection and isolation.
HOW TO GET REMOTE MANAGEMENT RIGHT In response to this, it is now essential that managers and leaders are equipped with the tools they need to ensure they are able to manage their teams effectively while working remotely from them. Understanding what those people need to lead remotely is a must, as well as supporting them within their roles, moving forward. There are a number of things that should be fully understood by leaders for remote management to work. These include: 1. Every team member is an individual and will have certain requirements or issues when 60
business network May 2021
working at home (childcare issues, poor broadband, no dedicated work area), so the rules we followed in the office will no longer suit everyone. 2. How we communicate with our colleagues when we are no longer seeing them face-to-face and there is no body language available to soften the communication. Is a Teams chat the best way forward? Or did that email sound too harsh? 3. How do you hold your teams accountable for their workload and their actions? Doing this away from the workplace can make it much harder to monitor workloads and productivity but this still needs to be done. One of the most important things to remember is that managing remotely gives your teams the opportunity to work to their strengths, get creative and engage with each other in different and meaningful ways. Trust and evolution are areas that need to be considered along with being open to new ideas, listening to your team’s thoughts, looking at technology and good communication.
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT The Chamber has always run a full and active leadership and management programme of training courses. Over the past year, these have been re-written and re-designed to ensure they are supportive and meet the changing needs of businesses. The required skills for management and leadership have changed – maybe forever. Whatever your leadership and management needs are – from first-time team leader or manager, right through to senior leadership – we are able to offer support with development to meet the changing requirements we are currently working with.
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAMME The Chamber’s leadership and management courses, many of which are accredited, take place over several weeks or months to run alongside day-to-day business. Listed below are the available courses and programmes, as well as the next available dates:
ACCREDITED COURSES • 2 Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) award in effective team member skills (10 September) • Level 2 ILM award in leadership and team skills (3 November) • Level 2 ILM award in customer awareness (6 May and 11 November) • Level 3 ILM award in coaching (8 November) • Level 3 ILM certificate in leadership and management (7 September) • Level 5 ILM certificate in leadership and management (30 September) • Level 5 ILM certificate in coaching and mentoring (15 September) • CIPD award and certificate in HR
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES • Director development programme (14 May and 12 October) • Manager development programme (10 May and 1 November) • Advanced sales excellence (24 May and 30 September)
MANAGEMENT, TEAM LEADER AND SUPERVISORY COURSES • Become a skilled communicator (20 May, 20 July, 21 September and 18 November) • Effective team leader (8 July, 8 September and 10 November) • Friend to supervisor – establishing authority (22 June, 9 August, 5 October and 7 December) • Project management (17 June and 23 November) • Time management (16 July and 16 November) • Virtual presenting skills (12 May and 9 September) The full suite of leadership and management training courses can be viewed at www.emc-dnl.co.uk/developing-skills/leadership-andmanagement. All courses are available as a bespoke option. For more information, contact Vicki Thompson on vicki.thompson@emcdnl.co.uk or call 0333 320 0333 (ext 2153).
