Regardless of the industry or organization, managers commonly (and often mistakenly) share assumptions concerning their team’s performance.
And this is especially true when working remotely, as we literally can’t see what’s occurring with our team on a daily basis.
Perhaps the statements listed below sound familiar?
No one takes our online meetings seriously. They’re all “on mute”, answering emails, paying no attention to the meeting’s agenda.
Or: They’ll view my checking-in with them as not trusting them.
And what about: My team is top-notch; I don’t want to hinder their performance .
What all these comments have in common is they are assumptions about what’s going on, rather than statements of fact (no matter how vehemently they’re said).
Assumptions aren’t bad things. Like rationalization, we’d never get out of bed in the morning without a reasonable belief in the way things are. They are the working model under which we do our work. But they become a problem when the outcomes we desire don’t match the assumptions we’re making.
For example, when you assume that people will reach out to you or the rest of the team if there’s a problem (the “no news is good news” school of management), we may get unpleasant surprises if a deadline is missed or the quality of the work isn’t what’s expected. And the assumptions go both ways; you assume people understand the parameters of the work involved, they assume they’re doing the right thing. Without any feedback somewhere in the process, good people (and performance) can go very wrong.
Here’s where a lot of people suffer a little cognitive dissonance: how can we say we trust our people if we’re constantly checking up on them? Testing your assumptions is not the same thing as micro-managing, at least if it’s done well. Here are some key things to keep in mind:
Are the assumptions you’re making clear to both sides? Is your understanding of the assignment and the other person’s the same? Does the other person clearly understand that your lack of contact is a sign of trust, rather than neglect? How do you know? Although the whole point of assumptions is that they are usually unspoken, this can be a major point of contention.
Closed ended questions don’t really get you honest answers. One of the great ironies is that asking someone directly, “Do you understand?”, gives you no assurance of understanding, even if the answer is an emphatic “yes”. Rather than, “Do you need anything?”, you’ll find the answer is often very different if you phrase it as, “What will help you?” or “What might get in the way of successfully doing this?” The other person doesn’t want to sound unconfident or uncertain when answering you, and that might get in the way of any assistance you or the team can offer.
Communication is less ominous when it’s consistent. As deadlines approach, it’s not unusual to communicate with your team members more often. That is natural, and if everyone’s expectations are set accordingly, it shouldn’t create tension or drama. If you’ve been conspicuous by your absence, and suddenly the number of times you call or check-in increases dramatically, your legitimate attempts to help might be misinterpreted as intrusions or a lack of trust.
When communication is expected, scheduled, and consistent, you’ll have better quality conversations and your time will be better spent as people will treat it as part of the work, rather than an interruption while doing their “real work.”
So, take time periodically to check your assumptions concerning how you work with your team and individual reports. Are things clicking along? Are there visible signs that misunderstandings are occurring? By checking your assumptions with the other person from time to time, you can avoid problems down the road.
For more information regarding remote leadership and how you can become a remarkable remote leader, visit our website, Remote Leadership Institute, where you’ll find more tips, methods, and techniques uniquely catered toward remote leaders. We also offer training via online webinars, on-site training, and more! Click HERE for more information.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Wayne Turmel
President
GreatWebMeetings.com
Wayne Turmel is the founder and president of GreatWebMeetings.com. For 20 years he’s been obsessed with helping managers communicate more effectively with their teams, bosses and customers. Wayne is the author of several books that demystify communicating through technology includingMeet Like You Mean It- a Leader’s Guide to Painless & Productive Virtual Meetings, 10 Steps to Successful Virtual Presentations and 6 Weeks to a Great Webinar. His work appears frequently in Management-Issues.com. Marshall Goldsmith calls him “one of the unique voices to listen to in the virtual workplace”. He works with organizations around the world to help people use technology to lead people and projects and build productive human connections in an increasingly remote work environment
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