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A majority of Vanguard crew have been working virtually for nearly a year. We’ve made several adjustments, never backing down from our mission to give our clients the best chance of investing success. We’ve adjusted as individuals, as teams, and as a company. Vanguard recently held a series of webinars about leading virtually for the long haul, hosted by virtual work pioneer Sacha Connor, CEO of Virtual Work Insider.
Sacha’s wisdom about working on a successful remote team brings value to all as she reminds us that this is not normal. Before the pandemic, a work-from-home environment was something that could be more controlled. Now we are juggling our work plus our families and household duties like never before, or as Sacha explained, we are experiencing work/life collision. It’s important to acknowledge that most of us have probably never experienced this type of environment and it’s not typical. We need to create conditions for ourselves and our teams so that we can do our best. It starts with empathy. Here are three considerations to keep in mind to achieve success:
Avoid bias
There are two key concepts that Sacha touched on – distance bias and recency bias. You’re not seeing your teammates throughout the day, casually or formally. Our tendency is to remember the last thing we heard or saw. This is not exclusive to remote work. You probably remember an important point from a meeting you just had, as opposed to something from last week. You have more conversations with those closer to you (especially with multiple office locations). You may unintentionally give these opinions more weight. Remember that you’re a team and everyone should be included. A quick tip is to post a photo of your teammates on your computer so that you don’t leave anyone out of the mix.
Distance bias – Tendency to put more value on the people closest in proximity to us. [A concept that originated from the NeuroLeadership Institute]
Recency bias – Tendency to put more value on the people we’ve heard from or seen more recently.
Remember that everyone is different
Focus on each person on your team. Just as we have different learning styles, we communicate differently and react to situations differently. As a team, set communication norms:
Cut down on fatigue
Fatigue takes many forms, whether it’s too much communication, too much video time, or no set work hours. We’ve all seen tips on how to avoid burnout while working remotely, but here are some ways to specifically improve your team’s working environment:
Are you unsure if you should have a meeting or just send an email?
The first step is to acknowledge our unique situation and have an open mind. We will need new solutions and flexibility. As we adapt, we’ll continue to succeed.
-Laura B.
Interested in reading Sacha’s 10 Top Tips from 10 Years of Remote Work? Click here.