The Coronavirus hasn’t only affected employees. As a boss, it’s your job to lead by example and show your workers the way during hard times. However, the fact that you’re based at home like everybody else makes this task challenging.

A big chunk of being a good leader is using body language to inspire confidence and gauge which reaction to utilize to your advantage. The impact isn’t the same over a phone call or Microsoft Teams meeting. Your biggest task is to figure out how to be a successful manager while leading from a virtual office.

Of course, this is scary since it’s something that most leaders have never experienced before. Whatever the issue, you’ve at least been able to tackle it head-on, face-to-face. Still, it’s essential that you don’t panic and bury your head in the sand to avoid making the situation worse.

You need to stand up and be counted as the difficult periods are when bosses earn their salary. Carry on reading to find out how to do it remotely during a global lockdown.

Put Equipment and Procedures in Place

The key is to remember that you’re only one person. The buck stops with you, yet that doesn’t mean you can’t delegate and hire third parties or invest in technology. If anything, these are critical steps in the right direction because ensuring your team is fully-equipped eliminates problems.

With fewer issues to deal with, you won’t be stretched bare, and life as a boss won’t be as severe. Any business that uses telephone services to generate leads and convert them into sales should call Cowboy Auto Dialer today. Dialing solutions are essential to success as they read endless reams of call data and connect your staff to live calls. In short, they reduce red tape so that your employees can focus on being productive.

Aside from call technology, you’ll also need cloud computing software. Remote-based jobs don’t work if your staff can’t access critical data and files from anywhere in the world at the touch of a button. A VPS is a smart move, according to Znet Live. In their eyes, it not only makes information accessible but removes security concerns attached to public servers.

Put Your Misgivings Aside

Working remotely could put you in a tricky position. Previously, you may have decided that working from home wasn’t right for the company. As a result, you rejected requests from employees and told them why citing your concerns. Now, you’ve got to convince everybody that remote-based activities are essential for the foreseeable future. Ouch.

People may not take you seriously, which is why you should address your past remarks. By doing this, you first note the elephant in the room, which affords you more respect. Bosses that attempt to gloss over their mistakes appear sneaky and hypocritical. Secondly, it shows growth.

Admitting that you were wrong highlights that you are willing to hold your hands up and move forward. Employees like this because it means they will be given the same opportunity when they make mistakes. Respect isn’t a concrete notion, yet it has massive consequences. Leaders that aren’t respected won’t get people to fall in line for the sake of the business.

Another smart move is to keep your concerns to yourself. You may still feel a way about working from home, but moaning about it will only impact everybody else’s morale.

Promote Virtual Communication

Introverts won’t feel too badly about the situation. If anything, they may be the sub-section of society that actively enjoys working from home without any interaction. On the other hand, extroverts will be itching to speak to colleagues and get their social juices flowing.

As a leader, you must be aware of everyone’s communication preferences. However, this is one instance where it’s more challenging in the office than outside of it. Why? It’s virtual video calls combine the best of both worlds. Introverts don’t hate them since there is a sense of protection. After all, people can hide and remain quiet if they have nothing to offer to the conversation.

Extroverts, however, will seize the chance to speak openly about issues. As a result, they’ll finally be able to release the pressure valve that’s been building the last three months. This study on NCBI proves the motivational power of video communication for extroverts. Plus, don’t forget that introverts, no matter how much they embrace isolation, need to be around people in some form. It’s an occupational hazard of being human!

Check-In

How often do you check in with your team at the office? Perhaps once or twice per day? A standard routine provides you more flexibility concerning delegation and independence. Let’s face it – nobody enjoys their boss peering over their shoulder and micromanaging their workload.

The problem with working from home is the situation is far from ordinary. Therefore, employees are searching for more guidance than before. This means that checking in multiple times per day is vital. To them, it shows that they are on the right path and working well during an unpredictable time.

Of course, you don’t want to slide into their DMs too often as you’ll stifle their autonomy. A smart move is to gradually reduce your feedback as lockdown goes on and people better understand their role.

Pick Your Battles

Everyone, you included, must try and prevent the lines from becoming blurred. It’s the most common challenge when working from home. So, getting on your team’s back about dressing to impress and logging on and off at specific times of the day is a drag.

Your employees have lots to worry about without the boss making life more difficult. A leader foregoes the stuff that doesn’t matter and focuses on the things that make the biggest impact. That means pushing them when there is a looming deadline, and taking a backseat when they’re at home dressed in casual attire.

Who’s it hurting? Ask this question before you raise a query and you’ll save yourself and the company a lot of pain.