How to bring your best self to work while leading a team remotely

I met with several Citrix women leaders and asked them to share their courage, experience, and motivational tactics on managing a team remotely, especially in a time of global crisis. With the grace of emotional intelligence, basic leadership strategy should not change. These women unveil the core of what it takes to “bring your best self” to work and to your team in challenging times.

Take care of You. We often put our own health and wellbeing last as we try and help the people around us. In theory, this might sound heroic, but in practice it doesn’t work. Lindsey Boggs, Digital Sales Manager, invites her team virtually into her meditation room to facilitate a webinar, escaping the chatter among her children at home. It’s the same room she visits each morning for daily meditation. Lindsey’s routine allows her to set daily intentions, adjust her mood and begin her day with purpose.

 Don’t Mess with Routine. Our lives are disruptive, we are wearing many hats and asking the same of our teams. Now, more than ever, people need routine. Sarah Steinhoff, Enterprise Architect Director, suggests focusing on the 30-minutes of energy in a 1:1 or an online collaboration tool checking in “how’s your family doing?” It’s about the present moment. Give them the opportunity to discuss their personal concerns outside of work issues. And that’s not all. There’s a real struggle to fill the void of all that’s been taken away – social gatherings, planned vacations, or just that daily visit to the gym. Team meetings, 1:1s and random check-ins will not replace what’s missing, but routine can be comforting.

Taking a Step Back. We are often great authors of our own stories. For example, “Am I letting someone down?” “I’m concerned I can’t balance everything.” When Anna Porembka, Service Delivery Manager, finds herself conflicted with timelines and deadlines, she takes a “What if” approach – instead of telling herself a story, she sticks to the facts. Take a step back and insert just enough space to ask yourself two questions: “What do you know for sure?” “What are the facts?” This helps you practice emotional agility and self-awareness as well as reality-based leadership. (Cy Wakeman discusses this and other practices in her book entitled Reality-Based Leadership).

Facetime is Fundamental; Encourage it! Lights, Camera, Action! Facetime is encouraged when leading a remote team and it fulfills a social need for those who crave it. Tara Vagalatos, Director Cloud Business Operations, has been managing remote teams for more than five years. “I show my webcam to my team even if my hair is in a bun from the day before and I have no makeup on,” she says. It’s not worth the worry how one looks on camera, it’s more important to have the face to face engagement. It also sets the tone for the team. She encourages a remote atmosphere of “relax, be yourself, wear your jammies… just show up with your awesome smile.”

Communicate Often and Mix it up! If you’re wondering whether you’ve communicated enough with your team today, odds are you haven’t. Communication is critical in times of crisis, and your approach should be strategic, thoughtful, and dynamic. Standardize your touchpoints, team meetings, and other activities. And don’t worry about over communicating. Heli Halva, Manager Customer Success Engineers, is easily accessible through multiple remote communication channels and will reach out for a quick virtual coffee chat via Skype or GTM (with the camera always on). The virtual upside of these casual conversations – you’re building relationships.

Erin Butler, Customer Success Director Enterprise East, in my opinion, offered the most challenging advice, but critical to everyone’s wellbeing especially during a time when we are all experiencing a sense of grief. She states, “positivity is contagious – laughing is infectious.” Those are not the best adjectives to use right now, but we need lots of this and we need it with our team, and our team needs it with us. Michelle Humphreys, Managing Director, Field Support Services, introduced ‘Comedy Time’ by starting a WhatsApp group with her team where everyone can share funny clips, memes and gifs to lighten the pressure of the unknown. Michelle also talks about the work calendar. “It’s time to clean it up. Get rid of unneeded meetings and tighten up your time so you can carefully address the needs of your employees.”

And I borrowed an idea from my brother, a theology teacher, who’s creating daily videos for his peers. I created a “Sunday Afternoon with Bern” video series, where I record a message for my team to help jumpstart their week. It might not be everyone’s style but that’s the point. As leaders we must find alternative ways to communicate, uplift, motivate, and show empathy.

Plan. Everything. Katie Curtis, Senior Product Manager, is a planner, but she says, she doesn’t think anyone could have planned fully for the impact of COVID-19. The mom of a 3-year-old and a 6-year old, Katie felt anxious at first, not knowing how to plan.

“Our daycare is still open, but should I be sending my son? Will my daughter’s school re-open before the end of the year? Should I continue to have our babysitter help us as we adjust to everyone being home during the workday? And do we have enough toilet paper?”

Katie knew her planning skills would be key to bringing her best self to her family and at work. Here are some things she did to deal with the unpredictable and stay in control.

• Meal planning and grocery delivery

• Google Calendar to share meeting times with your spouse or others that assist in child rearing if you both work full time will provide a solution to divide and conquer on the family front.

• A schedule for the kids that we put on the wall in the kitchen every morning.

• Personal time, whether it’s a few minutes to disconnect, couple of hours to watch a movie or dive into a book. Even if it’s just unwinding with a glass of wine, building in personal time is essential to the schedule.

It’s Empathy and Trust. Relationships are bound by trust. Use this time as an opportunity to strengthen your relationships with your employees. They need you to be positive. Marcia Branco, Practice Manager Information Security, agrees, “but you need to be mindful. If your positivity isn’t authentic, you’ll erode the trust you’ve worked hard to build.” Put yourself in your employees’ shoes, too. Avoid making assumptions and provide the time and space – in other words, the flexibility – your employees need. Empathy, particularly in a time like now, will help you to strengthen your relationships with your employees.

When a global crisis defines a set of circumstances and new marching orders, leadership excellence must come from a place of vulnerability and strength. It was a privilege to engage with these women and get their input and ideas for ‘bringing your best self’ to work while leading a team remotely. 

Be well, stay safe, and wash your hands!