How do you build culture as teams go remote

Everything has changed.

As a leader you will be tested many times. This is one of them.

Wide spread lock downs have forced work from home. This has challenged existing work paradigms.

Every transition, opens up new opportunities. So when teams go remote, how do you ensure that you are building the right culture. To share knowledge and build social bonds that form the cornerstones for building your organisation's culture requires deliberate action.

Communicate

Today’s times are laden with stress and anxiety. Triggers abound under the guise of health concerns, supply of essentials, state of economy, organisational performance and even job continuity.

A leader’s imperative in such times is to communicate. Communicate ground realities and show the tentative way forward. It important to be humble and accept that you do not have all the answers but that you are willing to work together as you continue to show the way ahead. Just the knowledge that we stand together, will be the glue that bonds. 

Trust

People are out of their normal work habitat and concerned about how they will be perceived and evaluated with no face to face engagement. Demands on the them are more than ever as they juggle multiple roles at home. Performance anxiety is normal so it will be good to be empathetic and cut them some slack.

This is not to lower expectations but to adjust the pace in the short term so people learn to cope before they change gears again. Demonstrate trust and encourage them to do their best. Keep nurturing, keep guiding proactively.

Motivate

Motivation is an easy casualty when people are put in unstructured environments for extended times with unpredictable time frames. Small wins become important to re-build confidence and motivate.

Re-calibrate the metrics so that small wins shine bright and light up the path ahead. A quick pat on the back is no longer possible so remember to call out wins on calls, send out emails. Winning motivates. Continue to actively build a culture that celebrates wins.

Get Social

Water cooler talk, cafeteria lunch, a walk down the hallway, serve to build bonds and de-stress. Technology has spawned businesses valued at tens of billions of dollars based on the human need to share and bond. Leverage those.

Set up virtual coffee breaks. Talk about what’s going on, share stuff, get to know about your colleagues kids, their projects, their family pets. Smell some virtual coffee if you will. It will be exhilarating.

Once the crisis is over you will look back and say that these were the times when we bonded. These were the times when our culture shone through the dark clouds.

Everything has changed. Make the most of it.