Even in the best of circumstances – like working with an already-established team in a traditional office environment, for example – leading a team comes with some challenges. But when your team members are scattered across a variety of different locations, successfully leading that group of people can be especially challenging. Fortunately, there are some strategies you can use to overcome those issues and ensure the success of your team.

• The communication challenge: When each team member is in a different location, it’s absolutely crucial to establish an easy and effective way not only for you to communicate to each individual, but also for every team member to stay in touch with each other. There are several technological tools that facilitate remote team communication. Apps such as Slack and Trello (to name just two) allow for file sharing, priority setting, and real-time communication between you and your team, as well as between team members.
• The scheduling challenge: If your team members are in different parts of the country or – worse yet – in different countries around the globe, scheduling team meeting times that are convenient for everyone can be exasperating. But there are tools available that will help you to gather input from each team member before selecting the best meeting date and time. Choose from a wide variety of scheduling and calendaring apps that take into consideration the location of team members and select the best meeting schedule based on that information, such as 10to8 and Arrangr, for example.
• The trust challenge: As a team leader, you already know how essential it is to have the trust of your team members. They need to know that their work will be judged fairly; that their efforts will be valued; and that they’ll be compensated for that work in a timely manner. That’s why it’s essential to be as transparent as possible with each team member. Tell them right upfront what your expectations are for completion of each phase of the project, as well as their pay rate and when they can expect to be paid. Remember that people working remotely don’t have the luxury of dropping by the office to pick up a paycheck or touch base with you face-to-face, so gaining their trust with transparency is vital.
• The productivity challenge: Assessing the productivity level of an employee down the hall can be challenging enough, but knowing how productive remote team members are can see like a next-to-impossible task. But it’s not. In fact, that’s precisely what MySammy was designed to do. Our cloud-based software provides you with a variety of charts and graphs showing you how productive each team member is throughout the course of the work day, and we do it without blocking websites or invading their privacy. MySammy is intended to be used with the full knowledge of the employees and can even help motivate workers to increase their own productivity levels over time.

If you’re preparing for the challenges of leading a remote team, MySammy is a great place to start. Sign up for your free trial today!