New Era of Leadership Requires New Skills, Not Control
Although remote work has been with us for years, many executives still worry about leading remote teams effectively.
Leading teams across different cities – or continents, as in the case of Tompkins Ventures – isn’t just challenging. It’s a completely different ballgame from traditional office management.
I speak from experience. At Tompkins Ventures, we’ve been fully remote since our inception. Except for annual gatherings, the entire team has never been in the same room. And few of our virtual business calls involve partners or clients sitting in a downtown or suburban office.
The business world is largely remote. And you know what? It works brilliantly.
But I keep hearing the same concerns from bosses:
- “How can I ensure my team stays productive?”
- “What about collaboration?”
- “Won’t company culture suffer?”
These worries often mask a deeper issue: The struggle to let go of traditional command-and-control leadership styles. Listen, if you’re fixating on monitoring your team’s every move, you’re already failing at leadership, remote or otherwise.
The Myth of Remote Work Chaos
Some executives paint pictures of remote workers binge-watching Netflix or playing with their pets all day. But let’s get real. In my experience, the opposite is true. Remote workers often struggle to disconnect, not to stay focused.
A recent Microsoft Future of Work study found that remote workers put in longer hours, with the average workday expanding by 45 minutes since 2020. Your leadership challenge is preventing team burnout – not getting them to work.
Seven Strategies That Actually Work
Here’s what I’ve learned about leading distributed teams effectively:
1. Trust Is Your New Currency
Forget surveillance software and activity monitoring. If you hired competent professionals, treat them like adults. Trust them to manage their time and deliver results. At Tompkins Ventures, we focus on outcomes, not hours logged.
2. Embrace Asynchronous Communication
Not everything needs a meeting. In fact, most things don’t. Document decisions, use shared repositories like Microsoft SharePoint, GitHub or Dropbox. Let people digest information on their own time.
Your team in Thailand shouldn’t wake at 6 a.m. for an update that could have been an email.
3. Create Connections
While we don’t need to see each other face to face all the time, human connection matters. Schedule regular one-on-ones that go beyond project updates. Build trust by asking about career goals, challenges and ideas.
4. Master the Art of Virtual Meetings
When you meet, make it count. Have a clear agenda, start on time and ensure everyone has a voice.
And please, normalize camera-optional meetings. Although I love Zoom, “Zoom fatigue” is real.
Sitting all day is not healthy, and a set of wireless headphones will let your people stand and stretch. That’s just good ergonomics.
5. Invest in the Right Tools
Don’t cheap out on technology. Good collaboration tools pay for themselves in productivity. And standardize tools. If half your team uses Slack while the other half prefers Teams, you’re creating unnecessary friction.
6. Build Culture Deliberately
Culture isn’t about ping-pong tables or office happy hours. It’s about shared values and experiences.
Celebrate wins publicly. Create virtual spaces for casual interaction beyond work.
7. Prioritize Mental Health
Remote work can be isolating. Make mental health support a priority. Encourage breaks, respect boundaries and normalize discussions about workplace stress. Your team’s well-being directly impacts their performance.
The Future of Work Is Already Here
Some companies are trying to force everyone back to the office. They ban working remotely, ensure all team meetings are in person and spend millions on amenities to lure workers back. But they’re fighting yesterday’s battle.
The future belongs to organizations that can effectively lead distributed teams. Success is not about surviving remote working environments – it’s about thriving through them.
Think about it: When you master leading remote teams, you can hire the best talent regardless of location. You can operate across time zones, serving clients globally. You can reduce overhead while increasing productivity. Employee engagement is probably better than forcing long working hours in cubicles or offices.
The Bottom Line
Leading remote teams isn’t about control – it’s about coordination. Insightful leaders clear obstacles and enable success. They do not peer over everybody’s shoulder.
The organizations that understand this will have their pick of top talent. The ones that don’t? Well, they’ll be stuck managing empty offices filled with golf simulators and nap pods.
Maybe they can nap while they wonder where all their best people went.
Related Reading
- Hybrid/Remote Work: A Tool to Increase Opportunity
- Future of Work Might Require Rethinking Office Location
- Return-to-Office Mandates Spark Rebellion
Jim Tompkins, Chairman of Tompkins Ventures, is an international authority on designing and implementing end-to-end supply chains. Over five decades, he has designed countless industrial facilities and supply chain solutions, enhancing the growth of numerous companies. He previously built Tompkins International from a backyard startup into an international consulting and implementation firm. Jim earned his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University.
Keep up the fantastic work! Kalorifer Sobası odun, kömür, pelet gibi yakıtlarla çalışan ve ısıtma işlevi gören bir soba türüdür. Kalorifer Sobası içindeki yakıtın yanmasıyla oluşan ısıyı doğrudan çevresine yayar ve aynı zamanda suyun ısınmasını sağlar.
FinTech ZoomUs This is really interesting, You’re a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your magnificent post. Also, I’ve shared your site in my social networks!