Become A Remote Manager Rockstar: Embrace Virtual Coaching
Necessity is the mother of invention.
A need or problem encourages creative efforts to meet the need or solve the problem.
-Plato
For many of us, working remotely is already part of our everyday routine. However, for others it is a significant change to the way work gets done. Like any change, it takes humans time to adapt. How much time? Well, that depends on the individual. Some of us are eager to embrace change and will lean into it quickly while others will resist and be slow to adjust. The current coronavirus outbreak is denying us the luxury of time. Within days, millions of people have been requested to work remotely to curb the spread of the disease. For those who are new to remote working, in the coming weeks you will likely lean heavily on your IT experts to troubleshoot connections and software issues. But don’t forget about the psychological challenges as well. You’ll want to lean heavily on a virtual leadership training coach as well to ensure you remain confident and grounded during the transition.
A study released in 2018, the latest year with validated data, by Zug, a Switzerland-based serviced office provider found that 70 percent of employees work from home at least once per week, while 53 percent work remotely for at least half of the week. In 2018, Gallup’s research found that 43 percent of U.S. employees worked from home, at least part time, which was up from 39% in 2012 and just 9% in 19951. In another study2, data showed that only 22% of remote employees participated in virtual learning and development. Clearly, there is a significant number of remote employees who are not benefiting from ongoing training and professional development.
In addition to the common sense during a health crisis, there is a compelling business case for individual and team leadership development virtual coaching. The debate will likely be ongoing about whether remote working arrangements are effective, but for now remote teams are a reality and organizations continue to look for ways to offer professional and personal development for these workers.
To help you lean into remote working, our coaches are ready and available. Below are a few of the benefits of offering virtual coaching.
· Immediate support. Today’s uncertain conditions create increased stress and pressure on our leaders. Providing a confidential trusted resource to help your leaders maintain composure, make thoughtful decisions and support their direct reports during these challenging times will help them to lead themselves and others through this health crisis.
· Flexibility. Today’s virtual meeting platforms (Skype, WebEx, Zoom, etc.) are relatively simple and accessible and offer a compelling face-to-face environment in which to engage in coaching conversations.
· Wider Reach. Virtual coaching can be a lifeline for remote workers; especially those who live in rural areas where in-person coaching is not feasible.
· On Demand. Because of the flexibility of virtual coaching, clients can engage with a coach when they need it rather than waiting for an on-site appointment. This is particularly helpful given that organizations are limiting in-person appointments or traditional in-person training for the time being.
· Collaboration. With virtual leadership training coaching, leaders are able to bring together a wider group of employees who may not have had the opportunity to work together previously because of geographical location. In times, when frequent communication is necessary, bringing your team together virtually to provide updates and information will help to ease some of the stress felt by others.
· Confidentiality. Another interesting thought about virtual coaching is about confidentiality. Individual virtual coaching allows for a more confidential environment compared to in-person coaching since the coach is not on-site and visible to your colleagues.
Loeb Leadership is committed to meeting the needs of our clients during these challenging times and beyond, and thus we are pleased to offer significantly reduced virtual coaching rates for the next 60 days. We would like to help make virtual coaching available to everyone so please contact us with any questions and to discuss discounted offer.
1 http://www.gallup.com/poll/184649/telecommuting-work-climbs.aspx (accessed 2/26/2017)2 http://cdn.culturewizard.com/PDF/Trends_in_VT_Report_4-17-2016.pdf Study by R3, Culture Wizard