Make your team fall in love: being a good e-leader

To think that people should simply do their jobs because they are being paid is naive and obsolete. As Dale Carnegie said, “There's only one way to mobilize people to do something: to motivate them to want to do it.”

Leading virtual teams is a tremendous challenge. It is in our hands, as a company, to ensure that working relationships remain as fresh as on first dates. And that requires an e-leader with specific competencies!

How do we manage to keep the flame alive at a distance? We'll tell you!!

What is e-leadership?

E-leadership is a multidimensional concept where corporate leadership is integrated with the use of technologies that serve as a means to carry out knowledge management, communication and decision-making processes.

It is an individual and organizational approach where the e-leader must cross cultural, temporal and space barriers to create a work environment that:

• Make it easier to execute tasks.
• Keep workers motivated to achieve established goals within defined deadlines.

How to build virtual leadership?

Like everything in life, saying it is easier than putting it into practice: in a remote environment, motivating and retaining your team has complexities. How do we do it?

1. Good communication

One of the most important challenges in digital environments is to coordinate communication between all members of the team, because this is where intercultural and linguistic differences abound.

So in this virtual context a good e-leader must:

• Listen to and empathize with your team members This helps workers feel understood, valued and more secure when it comes to expressing their ideas.

• Be very clear and explicit in our communication, generate common agreements and avoid misunderstandings.

• Take care of paraverbal language (tone, volume and inflection of the voice), non-verbal information and written communication, as these dimensions can confuse the message that an e-leader seeks to convey. A digital leader must convey security, but without sounding authoritarian.

• Ensure that the entire team understands the information or guidelines. The language barrier can cause some members to feel confused, excluded, uncomfortable, or stressed when facing a task, even during meetings.

2. ICT resource management

Fortunately, technology is on the side of remote workers.

But that also implies that the digital leader must have the technical competencies and the capacity to identify and implement the most effective management resources and processes.

If the e-leader is unable to discern what resources are useful for the virtual team, the quality of work, productivity and efficiency can be affected.

Within the full range of ICT resources, there are options to meet specific requirements and other more cross-cutting options that help promote collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. Some of them are:

• Automation tools for emails (MailChimp, HubSpot).
• Project management systems (Asana, Trello).
• Video conferencing programs (Zoom, Google Meet).
• Applications for managing meetings and teamwork (Slack, Twist).
• Resources for managing cloud documents (Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Workspaces).

3. Vulnerability analysis and conflict resolution

In a remote context, individual and group difficulties may arise, which, although they may be noticeable, may not be clearly manifested.

Examples?

• Cultural shocks.
• Workload.
• Undefined working hours.
• Problems with working as a team.

This means that the virtual leader must analyze vulnerabilities and obstacles in order to apply conflict resolution strategies that promote an open and inclusive work environment.

How to do it?

Giving team members the opportunity to reach out or organize a meeting to communicate when they need support. This is an excellent way to involve them in a process or to learn more about the details of a conflict.

The virtual leader is the one who must channel problems and work on effective solutions.

4. Project organization and planning

How do teams perform? Are they fulfilling their assigned tasks? Who will be responsible for performing each function?

Digital leaders must address a range of issues that help:

• Achieve goals.
• Proactively detect urgent needs or changes to make.

With the objective of optimizing the workflow and work experience of talents. This involves, among others:

• Redistribute tasks.
• Incorporate new ICT resources.
• Extend the deadlines for completing a project.

Where is the key?

ROLE OF THE DIGITAL LEADER:

✅ It involves being integrated into the workflow, including members in decision-making, delegating and trusting their competencies.

⛔ It doesn't involve becoming a restrictive virtual leader who exercises excessive control over the team.

For the rest, leadership is also about building relationships. And for that to happen, it's crucial to empower talent, develop a support network and highlight the achievements they're making.

5. Generate intergenerational cooperation

The advantages of having workers from different generational groups are:

• Greater opportunities to unify experiences.
• Gain knowledge.
• Expand the field of action by incorporating new capabilities and abilities.

But considering that interaction in virtual spaces is not always so fluid, the digital leader must be able to establish that intergenerational link that encourages cooperation and speeds up feedback between the parties.

👉 This means that leaders must understand what motivates each talent segment, to find common ground and avoid friction.

The good e-leader leaves a mark on their teams

- Does it give me confidence to be able to do my work remotely?

- Does it help me grow as a professional?

- Does it motivate me to take on new challenges?

- Does it facilitate communication despite geographical barriers?

- Does it create a good work environment?

Aspects such as these are what evaluate digital talents when qualifying their work experience.

And what results will lead them to stay with the company or seek other opportunities.

The e-leader must also be nourished by those who work with him, to learn from their own mistakes and strengths, and to exercise great leadership on a plane as difficult to manage as the digital one.

All of this can help you improve your team's digital experience. But as a leader, remember to empower this right from the start, when you have the first approach with each of the workers.