Work Together Anywhere

CHAPTER 7Commit and Lead, Trust and Succeed

“Essentially, what managers should do is inspire people to use the tools at their disposal to take ownership and responsibility for their work.”

—LUIS SUAREZ, digital transformation and data analytics adviser, panagenda¹

As “an entrepreneur managing virtual teams, I need to be empathetic, emotionally intelligent, sensitive to what others need, and willing and able to provide whatever tools are necessary for success.” In addition, “I must … be self-aware—in tune with my skills, capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses.”

—MEGHAN M. BIRO, “Telecommuting Is the Future of  Work,”  Forbes²

As stated elsewhere in this book, successful remote working results from a finely tuned, consciously chosen combination of skill set, mind set, and tool set. But note that what remote teams need most from their managers concerns mind set. For a remote team to succeed, its manager must both believe that remote teams can succeed and trust that each member will come through as expected. (Again, “remote team” refers to a team with even just one remote worker. This is because the most effective remote teams function as though all its members were remote—even if only one member works off-site.)

For anyone reading this who hasn’t fully embraced either that belief or that trust, then know two things: you’re in good company; and many, many teams and organizations, whose achievements you’d be proud to match, can wholeheartedly attest that remote teams ...