How to Support and Empower Your Team

In today’s rapidly changing workplace, managing teams has become more complex than ever before. The pandemic has accelerated the shift towards remote work, and employees have new expectations that are challenging for many managers to meet. How can managers support and empower their teams in this new hybrid world? In this blog post, we will explore insights from the interview we’ve done with Helen Fanucci, a transformation sales leader with Microsoft, and best-selling author of Love Your Team: A Survival Guide for Sales Managers in a Hybrid World.

Helen wrote Love Your Team because she observed a pent-up demand for guidance on how to manage remote teams effectively, in particular from a Sales team perspective. In the summer of 2021, she gave a keynote speech on retaining talent and found that many people were struggling with managing remote employees, especially as some companies were insisting on a return to the office. Helen has been managing remote teams for over 25 years and her insight on this topic is quite valuable to share.

The Hybrid World and Changing Employee Expectations

According to a recent study, many employees want to work for companies that align with their values and have a purpose and meaning beyond just showing up and doing work. This is partly due to COVID-19 and people thinking about what matters to them and partly due to political unrest and other situations happening worldwide. In addition to aligning with their company’s values, employees are also looking for managers who can connect with them on a personal level. Managers are now being asked to not only manage the work but also get to know their employees and their expectations as whole people with ambitions worthy of the manager’s support.

Unfortunately, most managers in the workforce are not prepared for these changing expectations and the new skills required to manage employees effectively. The analyst group, Gartner, warns that managers need to learn new skills to retain talent and be effective in the changing workforce. Retaining top talent has always been crucial for any company’s success, but it’s even more critical now. Layoffs in high-tech and mainstream companies have resulted in top talent being let go, leaving the company at risk. Losing top talent can lead to a burden of work on the remaining employees, making it challenging to achieve goals.

In the sales profession, losing top talent can be particularly risky, with a manager at risk of not achieving three-quarters of a year’s worth of quota. It takes at least three months to replace a top seller, and it can take another six months for the new employee to get up to full strength. During this period, a manager is at risk of not achieving their quota, which can impact revenue growth and overall success. In conclusion, the hybrid work model has changed employee expectations and made it even more crucial for companies to retain top talent. Managers need to develop new skills to connect with employees on a personal level and keep up with the changing workforce. Retaining top talent is crucial to achieving goals and maintaining revenue growth, making it a core skill for managers to develop.

Challenges and Important Tips For Managers When Managing Remote Employees

Managing remote employees can present a unique set of challenges for managers. With the rise of hybrid work environments, where employees split their time between working in the office and remotely, it’s important for managers to understand how to effectively manage their teams no matter where they are located.

The first challenge that managers face is building a connection with their team. When working remotely, it can be difficult to build rapport and establish trust with employees. Accordingly, managers need to have with their team is conversations of connection. This means getting to know your team members, understanding what they care about, and building a relationship with them on their terms. By doing this, managers can establish a foundation of trust and create a sense of camaraderie among team members.

The second challenge is setting clear performance objectives. When employees are working remotely, it can be difficult to assess their performance and ensure that they are meeting their targets. Managers need to develop very clear outcome-based performance objectives that are both hard and soft. Hard objectives are metrics that are easily quantifiable, such as quota or pipeline coverage. Soft objectives, on the other hand, are more difficult to measure, such as developing stronger relationships with customers or broadening your influence in the organization.

To achieve these objectives, it’s important for managers to meet with their team members regularly, to review progress and provide feedback. During these meetings, team members can identify areas where they need to develop relationships and discuss strategies for achieving their goals. Providing support and guidance to team members as they work to achieve their objectives is highly crucial. For example, if a team member is trying to build a relationship with an executive, they may need help from their manager to secure a meeting. By providing “bait in the bucket” or other support, managers can help their team members achieve their goals and succeed in a remote work environment.

What Are The Risks Of Not Doing Performance Management?

Performance management is an essential part of any successful business. Without it, there are many risks that can arise, including the inability to retain top talent and resentment among team members. Not addressing low performers can lead to resentment among team members. When some employees are allowed to get away with poor performance, while others are doing their work, it creates an environment that can be toxic and demotivating. This can result in a high turnover rate and difficulties in attracting and retaining top talent.

Furthermore, without addressing low performers, the company risks stagnation and a lack of growth. When low performers are not held accountable for their work, they may not be motivated to improve or meet their targets. This can lead to missed opportunities, lost deals, and reduced revenue. On the other hand, when managers take a proactive approach to performance management, they can create a high-performing team that is motivated and driven to succeed. By setting clear expectations, providing feedback, and addressing underperformance early on, managers can help employees develop and grow in their roles.

One way managers can address performance issues is by implementing a performance improvement plan. This involves meeting with the employee regularly to discuss their progress and provide support and guidance. The plan should have clear goals and objectives, timelines, and consequences if the employee fails to meet the agreed-upon targets. While having difficult conversations with underperforming employees may be uncomfortable, it’s essential to do so to ensure the success of the team and the company as a whole. By addressing performance issues head-on, managers can create a culture of accountability and continuous improvement that will benefit everyone in the long run.

Takeaway Points

Managers should put high importance on their conversational skills as they need to have many interpersonal skills, including empathy, understanding, and building trust. These skills are crucial for building strong relationships with team members and ensuring that everyone is working together effectively. Another important skill for managers is the ability to provide context and explain the “why” behind certain tasks or decisions. By doing so, managers can help team members understand how their work fits into the bigger picture and why it is important. This can be particularly challenging when it comes to tasks that team members may not enjoy, such as administrative work. However, by explaining the importance of such tasks, managers can help team members see the value in their work and motivate them to do their best.

In addition to these conversational skills, managers should be modeling the behavior that they expect to see from their team members. This means that managers should be practicing the same skills that they expect their team members to have, such as empathy and understanding. By doing so, managers can set a positive example for their team and create a culture of trust and respect. It’s important to set a good example, even for tasks that you may not enjoy doing. For instance, updating the CRM system can be a tedious administrative task that sellers dislike, but it’s necessary for accurate forecasting. Forecast accuracy is essential because it lays the foundation for anticipating revenue, which is the basis for investments that the sales organization receives. If teams underestimate the forecasts, they may not maximize our investments to support sales, which can ultimately harm the company and the team.

Overall, the key takeaway is that conversational skills are essential for managers. By focusing on empathy, understanding, and building trust, as well as providing context and modeling the behavior they expect to see, managers can build strong relationships with their team members and create a positive work environment where everyone can thrive.

Closing Words

Developing strong communication and leadership skills in the workplace and adapting to the changing world is essential for managers, regardless of if they are managing a hybrid team or not. Supporting and empowering the team requires effective communication by having mutual empathy, understanding, and the ability to put oneself in others’ shoes, especially when being a leader. As the Global Risk Community team, we thank Helen Fanucci for her expertise and insight. Our readers can access the book here.

More information about this topic is available in our original interview, which is accessible here.

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