Flexible Teams: How to Focus on Strategy and Long-Term Goals

Flexible Teams: How to Focus on Strategy and Long-Term Goals

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The prevalence of remote work lets employers enjoy the convenience of hiring top talent from anywhere. However, when your team is geographically distributed, it can be challenging to ensure strategy and goal alignment. Here are a few tips to avoid unnecessary setbacks and ensure your remote team is on the same page.

1. Communicate Clearly With Your Team

When working remotely, it’s vital to overcommunicate, especially when various team members work on different tasks and projects. Be clear about your expectations, company goals, the purpose behind the goals, and strategies to achieve them upfront. Organize check-ins with your team to assess progress, ensure they understand their individual roles in contributing to the company’s success, and help them overcome obstacles to achieving those critical milestones.

Other remote team communication tips include:

  • Create time for staff to get out of their silos and interact with other team members.
  • Create consistent messaging from senior leadership.
  • Encourage employee feedback.
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2. Offer Company Updates

It’s essential to make sure all team members are aware of new initiatives, announcements, and changes in strategy or processes so that everyone is working toward the appropriate goals. This can be a challenge with staff working from home, since you can’t gather everyone into the same conference room at one time. Some ways to share company updates with a remote team include:

  • Send out a company newsletter.
  • Organize team check-ins.
  • Hold a company “town hall” where senior leadership can discuss new initiatives and manage expectations.

3. Break Up Larger Projects Into Smaller Chunks

If someone told you that you’re going to run the Boston Marathon in April, you might find that overwhelming. However, if someone said you’re going to run a mile tomorrow, then in a week, two miles, and so on, that makes the long-term goal of running a marathon much more feasible.

The same concept applies to accomplishing larger company goals. Whether overhauling your company’s social media channels or producing a new product, a long-term goal can seem overwhelming, just like that marathon. To make it more manageable, break up the more extensive project into smaller steps, but make sure to communicate the long-term vision.

Keep Your Team on the Path to Success

Remote work can present challenges in ensuring your team’s alignment on projects and overall company goals. However, with clear communication and project management, you can keep your remote team productive and ensure they realize company goals.

Interested in more tips and ideas about managing a distributed team? Meet with a remote work professional to discover a better way to recruit remote talent.

 

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