How to coach high performance on a remote team

The most successful remote workers are particularly strong in these three skills, learn how to help your team develop each. But first, a note on remote feedback. Don’t let an employee spend time wondering if they are doing the right thing. 

Your employees who are used to office life are likely missing many of the cues and signals (like body language or a spontaneous ‘good job’ in the hallway) that tell them they’re on the right track. 

It can be all too easy to assume the worst about your work when you don't hear otherwise in a remote setting. As a manager of any employee, but especially a remote employee, provide feedback early and often. It’s your job to ensure they perform at their best.

1. Strong digital communication skills

In remote work, communication is almost exclusively digital. High performers can collaborate and connect with others using digital tools and across time zones and excel at clear written communication. 

Some behaviors of those who excel:

• They can distill complex thoughts and ideas into simple, clear language that's quickly and easily understood by others. 
• If communication is vague, they quickly suggest a video call to talk things out face-to-face.
• Documents processes, procedures, and learnings in a public space (like Slack channels, Notion, or wiki pages) so that others can easily find them.
• Proactively asks for things, instead of waiting to be asked.
• They stay calm in the face of tech issues.

Spot these warning signs:

• Your employee is vague in their communication.
• They have frequent misunderstandings about assignments.
• You have to repeat yourself continuously or clarify information about tasks and expectations.  

Coaching tips: 

1. Help them get to the point faster. Don’t bury the lead of the ask or the main point, put it up front. Try communicating with [BLUF] - Bottom Line Up Front.  
2. Make sure they match the technology to the task. Text-based media is generally more useful for sharing basic daily information, while video chats and telephone conversations are better for brainstorming, problem-solving, and relationship-building.
3. Put themselves in their listener’s shoes. When communicating an idea or challenging concept, simplify the message to be as concrete as possible. Provide documentation or visualizations to help people understand.
4. They shouldn’t assume people know what they’re working on. Encourage them to provide regular updates to the team. And, if they are struggling with something, it is okay and expected that they bring it up.
5. Teach them how to work and communicate in the open as much as possible. This means showing their work when they solve a problem, documenting a customer call so that others can learn from it, or explaining the decision criteria they used when making a tough call.

2. Focus on outputs, not inputs 

Strong remote workers are driven by metrics. They understand that their value is driven by clearly-defined goals and their output - not by the amount of time they are at their desk.

Some behaviors of those who excel: 

• They are focused on outputs like NPS, Apdex, conversion, and churn rates, instead of inputs like hours worked, widgets stacked, queues cleared, etc. 
• They communicate in outputs instead of inputs because they know this is what others see and value. They are comfortable documenting their success and updating metrics. 

Coaching tips:

For a remote worker to be able to focus on outputs, they’ll first need clarity on what those outputs need to be. That is where you, as their manager, can help them. Not only does this clarity help your employee, but it will also reduce micromanagement. 

1. Make sure they know the company and departmental annual and quarterly goals or OKRs and corresponding KPIs. Then, every quarter, with your employee to review their results and set individual OKRs for the upcoming quarter. 
2. Coach them to set their own measurable goals. Goals help employees stay focused and prioritize daily work. 

3. Ongoing task-based trust 

Skilled remote employees are adept at cultivating relationships. Virtual teams especially need to rely on task-based trust, which is the belief that each team member will do their job.

Some behaviors of those who excel: 

• Responsive: Team members earn the trust of their coworkers by being responsive. If they know they will be unresponsive for some time, they will proactively communicate this.
• Follow-through: They do what they say they will and keep their commitments.
• Taking responsibility for results: They don’t pass blame.
• Personable: They take time to check in with coworkers now and then. A simple chat to see how their coworker is doing in or outside of work and, if appropriate, an offer to help.

Coaching tips: 

1. Model this behavior by connecting more. Ask them how they are. Encourage them to do the same with others they frequently interact with.
2. Encourage them to proactively communicate if they will be unresponsive for a set period. Remind them to use Slack statuses and away messages and share alternative ways for colleagues to contact them in a pinch.
3. Promote connection with colleagues. Invite them to set up rotating virtual coffee chats with colleagues they work with frequently.