How to Effectively Manage a High Performing Virtual Team

Managing a high performing virtual team comes with its own unique set of challenges With team members spread across locations, time zones, and organizations, it can be difficult to keep everyone aligned, engaged, and productive However, with the right strategies and management approach, you can cultivate an outstanding remote team.

Why Managing a Virtual Team is Different

Virtual teams operate much differently than in-office teams Without the benefit of face-to-face interactions, managing a virtual team requires an approach that focuses on

• Communication: With limited in-person contact, communication becomes even more important for virtual teams. Managers need to overcommunicate to keep everyone in the loop.

• Connection: It’s harder for virtual team members to build connections and establish trust. Managers need to be proactive about relationship-building.

• Collaboration: Collaboration doesn’t happen as naturally in a remote setting. Managers need to establish processes for working together seamlessly.

• Engagement: Keeping team members motivated and invested can be challenging from afar. Managers need strategies for boosting remote employee engagement.

The good news? With the right strategies, you can create a motivated, collaborative, and productive virtual team. Here are some tips for effectively managing high performers in a remote setting:

1. Set Clear Goals and Expectations

Clear goals are important for any team, but they become even more critical for virtual teams. With everyone working remotely, alignment around shared objectives helps keep everyone pointed in the same direction.

• Hold kickoff meetings when starting new projects to define goals, guidelines, schedules, and success metrics. Document everything for future reference.

• Outline what you expect regarding team member availability, response times, meeting participation, and project updates.

• Revisit goals frequently to realign as priorities shift. Check in regularly on progress and course correct when needed.

Well-defined goals and transparent expectations give your team a shared roadmap to work from, even when they aren’t together in an office.

2. Choose Communication Tools Strategically

With a remote team, nearly all communication happens online. Carefully choose tools and systems that meet your team’s unique needs.

Email works for non-urgent messages and updates. Instant messaging enables quick conversations. Video conferencing adds visuals and helps build connections. Project management software centralizes tasks, documents, and workflows.

Look for tools with these features:

• Cloud-based for easy access
• Simple and user-friendly interface
• Ability to seamlessly work together (integrations)
• Options for group and private communication
• File sharing and storage capabilities

Give team members guidance on when and how to use each tool so communication streams are effective but not overwhelming.

3. Prioritize Relationship Building

When people don’t see each other every day, it’s easy to become disconnected. That’s why managers need to be proactive and intentional about building relationships with a remote team.

• Schedule regular one-on-one meetings to chat about non-work topics and stay connected personally.

• Kick off projects or milestones with a team virtual hangout session. Encourage camaraderie by playing games or doing icebreaker activities.

• Organize opportunities for team members to socialize virtually through activities like trivia, happy hours, or coffee chats.

• Recognize important events or milestones in team members’ personal lives. Celebrate wins and achievements.

• If possible, organize occasional offsite get-togethers for face-to-face bonding when permissible. Even periodic in-person time can strengthen team cohesion.

Making relationship-building a priority fosters trust between team members, even from a distance.

4. Coach Team Members to Be Effective Communicators

Communication is key for any team, but the virtual setting makes it even more essential. Ensure your team has strong communication skills by coaching them on best practices:

• Overcommunicate: Share more context and background than feels necessary. It prevents confusion.

• Reply promptly: Quick responses keep projects moving forward smoothly.

• Be transparent: Admit challenges early so the team can problem-solve together.

• Check for understanding: Seek confirmation that messages were received and interpreted accurately.

• Use video: Seeing facial expressions builds trust and emotional connections.

• Document discussions: Take notes in meetings and share recaps after calls.

Arm your team with the skills needed to communicate well in the remote environment. It will maximize your team’s productivity and synergy.

5. Define Processes and Cadences

Consistency and routine optimize efficiency for distributed teams. Define processes to streamline how you operate:

• Establish core hours for mutual availability to collaborate in real-time as needed.

• Set up recurring meetings for status updates, brainstorming, troubleshooting, and collaboration. Keep them consistent.

• Document business processes so everyone understands internal workflows. Outline standard operating procedures.

• Select central systems for messaging, file-sharing, documentation, tracking, and anything team-related.

Smoothly functioning processes allow your team to focus efforts on execution rather than logistics. Review periodically to make sure they still meet your team’s needs as priorities evolve.

6. Use Collaboration Tools Efficiently

There are many great tools available to enhance collaboration for remote teams. Make sure you’re using them effectively:

• Project management platforms: Assign tasks and track project progress in one central place everyone can access. Set notifications so team members get updates immediately.

• Shared documents: Use cloud-based docs that allow for real-time co-editing and commenting. Maintain Well-organized file structures so documents are easy to locate.

• Virtual whiteboards: Brainstorm ideas visually together. Annotate and iterate on each other’s inputs.

• Screen sharing: Walk through documents, presentations, or workflows together in real-time during meetings.

• Digital asset libraries: Share frequently used files like brand assets or presentations via a cloud-based library.

Leveraging collaboration technology helps bridge common remote team challenges like misalignment, delayed progress, and knowledge silos.

7. Set Clear Availability Expectations

Remote team members often have flexible schedules. Avoid frustration by being clear about when you expect them to be reachable:

• Define core team hours where everyone overlaps online for meetings and quick collaboration.

• Set expectations for response times to messages, emails, etc. Make them reasonable for your team and time zones.

• Respect off hours and flexibility needed to manage personal obligations. Assume positive intent if someone is unexpectedly unavailable.

• Cross-check schedules before scheduling meetings to find optimal times across time zones.

• Encourage communication of availability so team members can plan accordingly around periods of focused work, PTO, etc.

With defined schedules and availability policies, your team can maximize productivity without sacrificing flexibility. Renegotiate when needed based on evolving team needs.

8. Provide Ongoing Feedback

Constructive feedback is essential for growth and improvement. With a remote team, delivering it effectively requires some adaptations:

• Schedule dedicated time for delivering feedback. Don’t squeeze it in between packed meetings.

• Use video calls so you can observe body language and have more natural conversations.

• Balance negative and positive feedback to build trust and show you value the person beyond their work.

• Focus on observations rather than judgments so feedback seems less subjective.

• Collaborate on solutions rather than dictating changes you want to see.

• Follow up with support like training resources or mentoring check-ins.

With good remote feedback practices, you can nurture the ongoing growth of your dispersed team members.

9. Monitor Engagement and Morale

It’s harder to gauge how your team is feeling when you can’t observe them in an office every day. That’s why you need to purposefully monitor engagement and morale:

• Poll regularly to get anonymous feedback on what’s working well and what needs improvement.

• One-on-one meetings give insights into individual team members’ situations.

• Track work to ensure no one seems disengaged or frustrated with assignments.

• Watch for isolation warning signs like decreased participation or avoidance of team activities.

• Ask for input on solutions if you notice lower energy levels across your dispersed team.

Keeping a pulse on remote team morale allows you to proactively address issues and boost engagement levels before problems escalate.

10. Recognize and Reward Contributions

Public recognition helps remote team members feel valued for their efforts. Find creative ways to acknowledge individuals and boost morale:

• Highlight achievements in team meetings or emails. Share wins and milestones.

• Send thank you messages to acknowledge specific contributions and extra efforts.

• Award virtual perks like gift cards or paid time off.

• Celebrate annually with a gift box of treats mailed to each team member.

• Feature team members internally via newsletters,