Being a leader in today’s climate certainly has its challenges. Ever since we began our working lives, we associate what we do with where we do it. Now, even in the most field-present jobs, structures have changed and many business owners, managers, and employees need to find new, innovative ways to be at the forefront of their business, paving the way and empowering new and experienced employees. 

We have spent decades using a system that involved both direction and presence for the training and development of staff. While that has since been the norm, we are now tasked as leaders to develop a new way to lead, but with more distance in between us. For some, we are learning how to use technologies or telecommuting models that were essentially inconceivable before 2020. Models that were once just the purview of philosophers such as Malcolm McLuhan and Noam Chomsky have to settled to where the rubber meets the road. These ways are now a new set of best practices, and mastering them will be the best way to support our teams so that our businesses and employees thrive in this new age. 

Here are 4 ways to be an effective leader, co-working and managing from a distance during the time of COVID-19 and beyond. 

Be Present, Even From Afar

Contact your team members regularly, and continue to build and maintain individualized relationships with them. For virtual communication, ensure you are in an environment with few distractions. People can tell when you are not focused, attentive, or present in the moment. Effective team leaders take initiative, which means reaching out and communicating with colleagues. Show your team that they matter and that you are still in touch even when you can’t physically be in the same place.

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