If you find this weeks post helpful hit the ❤️ button at the top of this email so that more leaders can find it.
In my practice many of the leaders I work with lead teams remotely. Both they and their teams spend a good proportion of their time working from home, wherever that may be, interspersed with time visiting offices, in shared working spaces, travelling, and meeting clients/stakeholders - as well as the occasional offsite.
While this way of working offers huge flexibility and potential for a better life balance, it requires thoughtful structuring and management to be successful.
Whilst home working requires the least amount of travel, it isn’t always plain sailing. Long stints of working from home can often provide the most challenge and exacerbate ill thought-out working practices.
And working solo from home, my clients share, is often where the most issues and bad habits arise.
It’s a subject that my client Max - a COO in a fast paced UK headquartered SME - has found particularly challenging recently. Travel budget tightening has meant he’s finding himself doing more and more work from home. Most of his recent weeks have been spent working from his office - which also happens to be his converted spare box room. He spends much of his day at his desk - normally from 8.30 through till 6 or 7pm. And whilst the room is simply and well designed, it has just one high window that brings in natural light. As his wife also works from home, his office door is closed most of the day. With back to back meetings the norm, he moves from his desk for bathroom breaks, to refill his water or grab a coffee.
Max is deeply aware he’s not moving enough, and tells me he occasionally suffers eyestrain and headaches, which he attributes to using a ring light all day. He knows he’s not setting himself up for success. But as someone who takes great satisfaction from his work and who thrives on getting things done, his work and desk can be a magnet.
It’s a difficult position to be in. And Max isn’t on his own.
Working from home is wonderful, but it demands intentional design to ensure that your working environment and day is conducive to productivity and your own well-being.
In fact, establishing the right conditions for remote work is critical not just for individual performance, but for ensuring the overall health of your organisation.
Leaders frequently face the challenge of ensuring consistent productivity and engagement across dispersed teams. And as a leader, it’s your responsibility to model and promote practices that sustain long-term productivity and engagement.
A healthy remote work environment includes scheduling regular breaks, moving your body as well as resting your mind, varying your workspace, and using technology to help you work effectively.
Yet whilst that sounds simple, it’s the basics that often get overlooked or deprioritised for even the best of leaders. Especially when you are busy and under pressure.
And I often encounter an unspoken assumption (both personal and external), especially at the most senior levels, that you should have it figured out and perfected by now.
The challenge is that we often know what to do. Simple changes such as switching up locations can boost creativity and break the monotony, addressing the isolation and stagnation that can come from working in the same setting. Regular breaks are essential to prevent burnout. And moving your body is imperative. Utilising the right tools is also fundamental for seamless communication and collaboration, helping overcome the barrier of physical distance.
None of this is rocket science. However it does take is creativity, intentional planning and, hardest of all, discipline. And all of these can be an even bigger struggle for leaders especially when headspace is low and the draw is to get things done.
But for leaders, your job is to lead, and to help create the right environment for your teams to deliver. And when that environment is remote - and not in your direct control - it takes even more intentional design and role modelling - from afar.
Because what ever you do, your team will too.
Here are five things to give your working environment a review and refresh.
Reflect: Every workspace and working pattern will be unique, just like every leader is unique.
Imagine you are up in a helicopter watching how you have worked, so far today:
What two good practices have you observed?
What one thing would you be shocked if you learned one of your team was acting in the same way?
Imagine: Imagine a film crew were with you for the rest of your day, filming how you work (not ‘what’ you are working on) as part of a series on ‘leaders working remotely’.
What ‘best day’ behaviours or practices would you want them to see?
What habits would you actively try not to practice?
How can you start practicing more of the ‘best day’ behaviours, right now?
Culture: The behaviour of the leadership team sets the tone for the entire organisation, especially in a remote setting.
Take a moment at the start of your next leadership meeting to answer the two sets of questions above as group, to share how you each individually work.
Then discuss the following questions:
What behaviours do you and your leadership team routinely exhibit that could influence your team's remote work practices?
In what ways can you improve your role modelling to promote healthier work habits among your team?
What is one leadership habit you can start modelling next week that you believe will positively impact your team?
Evaluate: The tools and technology you use significantly impact the efficiency of remote work. VPN’s for security, noise cancelling apps that remove background cafe noise are just the start.
Which technologies or tools have you found most effective in maintaining your communication and productivity?
Are there tools or software that you are underutilising that could potentially enhance your team’s collaboration?
What is one technology-related improvement you can introduce to make your home working environment more healthy?
Read: For detailed guidance on setting up your home office and structuring your workday effectively when working remotely, the "HBR Guide to Remote Work" by Harvard Business Review could be highly beneficial.
It provides practical tips on creating a routine, selecting the right technology, managing distractions, and collaborating with your team remotely. All essential topics to help you remain productive and maintain work-life balance, even when you're not in a traditional office setting.
If you’ve found this weeks newsletter thought provoking, please share it with your friends and colleagues.
Meantime if you haven’t already, you can subscribe to receive the next issue straight to your inbox.