Five Top Tips for

Five Top Tips for Leading Dispersed Teams

Like it or not, you now find yourself as the leader of a fully remote team. It’s probably the first time you’ve had to face this situation and it’s even more challenging because of the current unrest and uncertainty.

You could bury your head under the duvet and self-isolate both from COVID19 and your team members OR follow these five simple tips. Establish Clear Guidelines Don’t leave your remote employees to fend for themselves. Establish clear guidelines and expectations and share them with everyone. Consensus building at this early stage sends a great message to your team.

Ask your most seasoned remote employees to host a working group and talk through the challenges. Make sure that the ideas suggested are implemented quickly. Be the Voice of Reason and Calm Given the massive amount of uncertainty, all of your employees will be on-edge. Outside of your role as a leader, you can, and should, feel whatever you need to feel.

However, as a leader, you will best serve your team by being a voice of reason and calm. The more you show empathy, respect, understanding, and peace, the more those under your leadership will have the ability to calm themselves and to do their work.

Your workers won’t be at 100% during this time but by being a source of stability, you maximise the productivity that your employees are able to have in this situation. Monitor Productivity, not me Give your employees a sense of control over when and how they work and it will make them feel trusted.

With your trust behind them, your team will rise to the level of performance that you hope for. When the focus is on their work output, not time spent, employees are eager to prove themselves by delivering excellent work and high productivity.

Place emphasis on outcomes, not hours, and break away from the misconception that the most accurate measure of productivity is time spent.

Outcomes are easier to deliver if you have a clear set of priorities in place. Now will be the time to prune down the list of team and individual objectives to just those that are in the ‘must do’ category.

Make sure that home workers have the right infrastructure in place in terms of broadband and wifi. Check that everyone is tech savvy enough not to waste time struggling with technology. Achieve better communicaton by focusing on connections Communication in dispersed teams is a human challenge, not a technological one.

The heart of effective communication in dispersed teams is not the latest and greatest chat app; it’s connection. The biggest complaint from remote teams is that members feel like they never talk with one another. This is usually because they’re only engaging via text and email. Prioritise high-quality video conferences for one-on-one and team-level interaction. This can be just as real and deep as si ng across the table from someone in real life. It’s up to you as the leader to make Xme for these daily interactions and make them work.

If people see you are leading and fully engaged in the process, they will follow suit. Don’t forget off-duty team interactions. Consider a pizza video conference. Have pizza simultaneously delivered to each team member’s home and talk about issues other than work. Encourage Self Care With so much current turmoil, one thing still within our control is how we take care of ourselves.

Encourage colleagues to take time to relax, exercise and to engage in whatever other activities calm and rejuvenate their mind, body, and spirit. These activities are essential for everyone to stay calibrated. You’ve got this It might be ‘business as unusual’ for the foreseeable future but build on these tips and you and your team can develop a highly effective way of working. For further help on this and other topics, www.gradient.uk.com

Mploy Dorchester relocates to beautiful Poundbury

Mploy Dorchester has recently relocated to Poundbury to support its growing client base and is aiming to make further additions to their superstar team of consultants.

The Dorchester office had outgrown its previous office space on the High East Street in Dorchester’s town centre and has now moved into premises on Bridport Road in Poundbury. On Thursday 27th February, the office welcomed staff and clients to enjoy drinks and nibbles, with the opportunity to have a look around at the beautiful new space.

Nicki Hayton, Branch Director at Mploy Dorchester, said: “We were so pleased with how our opening party went and it was great to see so many faces both new and old.”

“We are all very excited to be located amongst some of the county town’s most attractive employers and we look forward to being the agency of choice for temporary and permanent staffing solutions going forward. So, if you are looking for your next career move, expanding your business or just want to stop by for a coffee and a chat then we’d love to see you!” www.mploystaff.com