10 tips for managers to lead teams through the coronavirus crisis

Written by Kristina A Nardi and Gina Urgena

Your company set up a social channel to share the latest COVID-19 updates, top leadership emails employees frequently, if not daily, and employees can visit a COVID-19 “hub” to get FAQs and information. What’s more, leadership mandated all employees who can work from home do so until further notice. Now you’re at home managing your remote team amidst an escalating world crisis. And, there’s work to be done. Sound familiar?

If you’re a manager of knowledge workers, the coronavirus pandemic has likely put you and your team in situations you’ve never dealt with before. In normal times your team sits nearby, you regularly meet in-person, you grab coffee with team members, and they stop by your desk to ask questions. You see them whiteboarding solutions together, getting lunch, and talking about weekend plans. Lengthy company emails and rigid virtual calls have replaced the collaboration, teamwork, and comradery you and your team are used to. Your company’s top-down response might be great, but you’re left unsure how to lead your team through the day-to-day. Here are ten things you can do starting now.

1) Set expectations for the team, as a team.

Facilitate a team discussion to determine remote-working expectations together. Decide in advance what expectations you want to establish (and why) vs. what the team can decide together. You should set expectations on anything to do with company policy and practices as well as your employees’ safety. For example, make it clear you expect your team to read company emails and follow guidelines.

Expectations to determine as a team include: core hours the full team is available; specific “deep work” days/times when team members do not schedule meetings or interrupt each other; how to stay connected beyond email and meetings (e.g., virtual chat rooms, instant messenger); and team norms on calls and texting, including on/off hours. Spend time in advance thinking through your own position on these topics, especially what you are and are not okay with and why, so you can objectively articulate your point of view to your team.

Send the meeting invite in advance with a personal message explaining what you want to accomplish, why, and what decisions you want your team to make together — so they have time to prepare. Consider soliciting your team’s input on what expectations they want to determine in addition to those you propose.

Use a virtual whiteboard or document to show the agenda and ideas the team brainstorms, ask for input from each team member, and use democratic approaches like voting to decide on competing views. After the meeting, send and post the team decisions to establish the expectations as practice.

2) Increase your connections.

Your team members may be more apprehensive to reach out to you over email or chat because it’s different than stopping by your desk for a few minutes or catching you in the kitchen. Fewer connections with you can result in a lack of clarity on priorities, hinder idea-sharing, and cause your team members to struggle without the direction or coaching they need from you. Prevent this by instituting more frequent, efficient touchpoints with your team. For example, a 15-minute daily “scrum” meeting where each team member shares “what they completed since yesterday,” “what they plan to complete today,” and “what’s getting in their way” is a great way to keep each other informed and quickly remove roadblocks.

If you already hold one-on-ones with each of your team members, great. If not, start now. Ask your team members to set the agenda. Encourage them to include activities and projects they need more direction or coaching on from you. Ask them to share their agenda with you in advance, so you can prepare. Avoid using one-on-ones as status reports; rather, use them as working time with your team member to help him/her move forward.

3) Advocate for self-care.

During these times of high stress and ambiguity, it’s important that your team remembers to take care of themselves. It’s just like those flight attendant instructions on the airplane: You have to put your mask on first before helping others. Check in with team members to make sure they are engaging in whatever stress-reduction activities work for them, whether it’s taking a walk outside, reading, or meditation. Make sure that you as the leader are doing the same. You will be more effective at supporting your team if you are not a giant stress monster yourself!

4) Create (virtual) community.

You can’t go to happy hour, but you can still share and connect. Involve your team members so you don’t have to get creative alone. For example, open a chat or a virtual whiteboard and ask your team members to submit an idea for how they want to create connections while working virtually. Ask them how they want to continue team traditions, such as birthday celebrations. Support their ideas and give them ownership over execution.

Do simple, low effort things such as: Invite team members to rotate asking a question-of-the-day like “where is your favorite vacation destination” or “what TV show are you binging” and comment on each other’s responses. Institute “Win Wednesday” where everyone shares a personal or professional win from the past week. Start a team-decided challenge like reading a set number of pages in a book a week or getting in steps daily. Hold Monday morning coffee breaks where you all turn on your video at a set time and share about your weekends.

5) Create dedicated virtual team communication channels.

Whether it is a group chat or instant message on whatever platform your organization uses, set up channels for the team to stay in touch on updates, projects, or just sharing fun photos like baking cookies with family or the antics of your dog or cat. Also create a group channel, for example a group text, for more urgent messages and emergencies.

6) Communicate with transparency.

Share as much information as possible with your team. Even if you don’t have all the answers or information, do communicate what you can. It’s ok to say, “I don’t know that yet — let me find out and get back to you” or “I will let you know as soon as I have more information about that.” When there are communication gaps, employees may “make up stories” to fill the gaps, which can lead to the spread of misinformation and increased anxiety.

7) Check-in with each team member individually.

Take time to really check in with your team members, such as during one-on-one meetings. Ask questions like “what are you concerned about,” “how is it going working from home — what’s working for you and what’s not,” “what’s on your mind that we aren’t talking about,” and “what could I do to better support you” to open the door for your team member. Listen, avoid interruptions, and share back what you hear in your own words to check understanding. Take actions based on what you hear, so your team has the support they need during this time.

8) Give permission.

Help your team know it’s okay to ask for what they need. Share that you recognize everyone’s situation is different, and let them know you want to work with each person to figure out what’s right based on his/her unique circumstances. Doing this makes it clear to your team that they can approach you and you’ll work together to find solutions that work for you both. This goes a long way in alleviating the stress employees build for conversations like this.

Be open about your own situation, even if comical. For example, at the start of a call, let your team know they might hear your dog barking or your kids in the background. Or, show the group your favorite coffee mug and share the story behind it. Invite your team to share too. Gestures like that help your team feel comfortable and supported in the home environment over which they might not have total control.

9) Model empathy and balance.

How you act and react influences how your team acts and feels. Do you act annoyed when a team member has to suddenly drop from a call because his/her toddler needs something? Other team members will react the same. Are you online from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and still sending emails into the night? Your team will think they need to mirror this. Do you avoid using your video on calls? Your team will too.

Stress levels are high as your team navigates new ways of working, responsibilities at home, and disruptions to their routines. Keep this in mind during your interactions and in your communications. That team member who has to suddenly drop from the call? Try saying “It’s okay. We’re all doing our best right now. We’ll catch you up later.” Breaking for the day? Share with your team that you’re signing off so you can workout and invite them to share what they’re doing to stay active. Joining a team meeting? Let your team know you plan to use video and invite them to do the same if they are comfortable.

10) Model a positive mindset.

Just as your behavior serves as a role model, so does your mindset. There is no doubt that we are in an unprecedented time. Instead of focusing on all the challenges, think about the opportunities. What are some positive outcomes from this situation? Is this an opportunity for your team to get to know one another better and learn new ways of collaborating effectively? Is this new way of work leading to efficiencies, improved communication, and a more cohesive team? Instead of having a victim mentality, consider what you would like to create together as a team to support one another and amplify connection and collaboration.

As a manager you know your team takes their cues from you. Right now is an incredible opportunity for you to model the behaviors, mindset, and actions that will keep your team engaged and productive and give them the support they need.