Nicholas Fainlight is an aspiring finance professional.

Tag: working from home

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Remote Leadership Mistakes

Just when you think you have the whole leadership process figured out, a pandemic completely changes everything. Today, instead of face-to-face interactions, you are forced to conduct meetings and catch-ups on video calls. The most important thing is adjusting to the situation and learn how to motivate and manage your team remotely. Understandably, there are new skills you will have to learn. However, many leaders are continuously failing their remotely-working teams by making the following mistakes:

Lack of clear priorities, goals, and directions

As a team leader, you have to set clear priorities and goals to improve team performance. It’s not easy to do this remotely; however, ensure you review your team’s priorities and goals from time to time. An effective team will quickly outline goals, and a good leader will give team members clarity on their roles. Use virtual meeting platforms to update your team about any changes and hold catch-up meetings regularly.

Being Extremely Rigid

Today, most managers are tracking team members’ hours and monitoring daily activities to determine if the employees are working the agreed number of hours per day. Everyone can benefit from a flexible work schedule. Having a better integration of personal and work life can lead to a healthier, more productive, and happier team. As a leader, you should stop micromanaging and tracking how many hours an employee has spent on their screens. Instead you should focus on their daily achievements Give your team some space to breathe and don’t be so rigid. They know what works best for them.

Unproductive collaborations and communication

When working face-to-face, most collaborations and communications take place through informal conversations and interactions. However, this is not there with virtual teams. You need to find ways to foster better communication. The best option is to take advantage of online conferencing platforms such as Zoom.

Unconstructive, inconsistent and non-existent feedback

Giving employees feedback will motivate and improve their performance. It also keeps the team members satisfied since it shows you have their best interest at heart. Be consistent, offer suggestions on how they can improve, and coach them. Let your team learn from you, accept their feedback, and act on it. You can offer frequent feedback to your team through short video calls and creating one-on-one time with individual team members.

Norbert Levajsics 243763 Unsplash

7 Tips for Successfully Working from Home

Working from home, regardless of your job, can be challenging. If not managed correctly, working remotely can become a hindrance to your productivity instead of a way to enhance it. You’ll become stressed and find it more challenging to focus on important tasks. If you want to be able to successfully work from home, here are a few tips to apply to your work day.

Have your own space

One of the biggest mistakes people make when attempting to work from home is that they do not create a separate space for their work. Many people believe that they can effectively work anywhere in their home and attempt to do so from their sofa or in a bedroom. While some people may be able to work this way, it’s much more productive to have a separate area just for working. If you have a spare bedroom, set it up as an office, or have a small corner of your home with a desk and everything you need.

Plan out your schedule

At the beginning of each week, plan out your schedule for what you need to get done. Then, review this schedule each day. You’ll have an idea of all you need to accomplish that day and can plan how to tackle it. Knowing what’s next on your to-do list makes you more productive.

Communicate with others

If you work remotely for a company or have employees or clients of your own, make a point to stay in regular communication with them. Create consistent check-ins so you never lose track of what you need to be doing. If you’re working for a larger company, it’s even more important to remain part of the conversation if you’re remote.

Stay organized

If you have great organizational skills, you’ll find working from home even easier. Take advantage of planners, calendars on your technology, and any other resources at your disposal. Create to-do lists, put everything in neat places, and keep yourself on track. The more organized you are, the easier working from home will be.

Utilize technology

When you’re working from home, take advantage of the technology available to you. Whether it’s apps and extensions to keep you more organized, ways to share files and information, or simply an up-to-date computer, technology is your ally when you’re working from home.

Limit distractions

Whether you have children at home, tasks you need to get done, or friends who know you’re working from home and think that means you’re always available, you need to do your best to limit distractions. Make it clear to your family and friends that you have clear working hours. If you have tasks you need to get done around the house, schedule those into your day or make a plan to do them before or after you’re working. It can be incredibly easy to get distracted while working in your home.

Take breaks

As you’re navigating working from home, remember that it’s healthy to take breaks. Schedule your breaks into your daily calendar; it’ll help you avoid taking too many breaks, but also pushing yourself too hard. These small breaks can be the time you get some other tasks done or simply go for a quick walk to clear your mind; you’ll find you’re much more productive after doing so.

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