If you have started your entrepreneurial journey in 2020, then you need all the luck in the world. That’s because India’s economy is moving at a snail’s pace.
The COVID pandemic declared by WHO has forced employers to allow employees to work from home. If ecommerce and food delivery solutions are booming, travel and hospitality industries have taken a blow.
We at Nordic Intent were wondering what piece of value to convey to budding entrepreneurs out there. There came a thought! Why not discuss being leaders from home?
Being equipped to work from home
If you have started a company, and are small in number, working from home through Jio mobile data won’t be much of a problem. This tiny tweak in technical architecture will allow you, as a leader, to collaborate with your team members virtually.
There are free video tools available for communication such as Google Meet and Zoom. There are also remote servers accessible through VPNs. Project task management tools such as Trello, Salesforce and Basecamp lets you designate tasks with ease.
Once you have the technical aspect covered, become a leader from home by working on the following three areas.
Become a leader from home through culture
Just like setting up a positive work culture in your physical office is important, don’t stop doing that remotely as well. Distance is the issue. You can’t physically see your team member. You cannot shake their hands or pat them on the back.
But, you can set up informal meetings maybe once a week to check on them. This meeting also acts like a buffer from hectic schedules and deadlines. Online engagement through online gaming sessions or virtual movie hour could work. Ideas are aplenty, you know what works best.
An effective leader will look to inspire his/her subordinates and keep things positive.
Become a leader from home through communication
A Zoom meeting will differ drastically from a boardroom discussion. Network issues could inhibit turning on video conferencing. You will miss the visual cues of face expressions, gestures and body language.
Communicate positively through WhatsApp, internal communication tools, email or on-call.
Expecting the pandemic to ease off on the economy? Don’t think so. Read more about it here
Become a leader from home through trust
Without trust everything gets chaotic. You cannot expect your teammates to follow on your mission without trust. They need to trust your tough decisions during the pandemic. They need to trust your instinct when guiding the business or startup through rough waters.
Lack of trust leads to uncomfortable situations such as micromanagement. These then lead to misunderstandings and a chaotic work environment. Build an environment where processes are constructed with work policies refined.
Become a leader from home through empathy
Your teammates working for your dream are your most valuable resources. Some of them have EMIs to repay, kids stuck at home due to schools being shut, and difficulty in purchasing household resources. Think about employees who live alone. Make sure they are doing okay.
Try listening to their woes and be proactive about it. Express words of solitude and support. If there are tasks that you can re-assign to any member, do so. Keeping the productivity level high boosts morale. It’s natural to be curious as to how engaged your employees are at home.
We recommend you take a situational approach to your leadership role. Assume your team members are doing the best they can. The productivity will obviously not be as robust as before. Deadlines will need adjustment. Client servicing could take a slight hit.
The best leaders focus on the overall output, instead of worrying about what the individual inputs. Newest members need special attention as well.
As per a statistic, 70% of employees remain with a company if their initial 3-4 months were positive.
In parting, we would like to ask newbie entrepreneurs about their experiences with regards to the pandemic.
Have you built a system in place to avert another productivity collapse in the future?
If you are a budding entrepreneur and looking to partner with us in any productive way, feel free to get in touch.
Visit us at Nordic Intent to learn more.
Also, if you are a Freelancer looking to WORK WITH US, or just interested in knowing more about the cool things we do, go to NORDICINTENT.COM