Driving Engagement on Remote Teams (Part 1)

As we wrap up November this year, it’s hard to believe that it was just a year ago when all of us at Coaching Right Now were together at our annual summit. We typically host this event once a year to bring our 100% remote teams together to build camaraderie, celebrate our wins, and strategize for the coming year. Our COO, Kelly Ellis, recently posted a picture of us at the 2019 summit on our Slack channel, and it felt like a distant galaxy. If you’re reading this, I probably don’t have to make the case for the sharp contrast of what life was like in 2019 compared with life as we know it today.

Looking back on this year, I’m astounded at what we’ve all been able to accomplish over the last 9 months. With little warning, so many organizations (and the people in them!) have had to transition to working remotely, adapting to new technology, learning new skills in real time, and leading in different ways. Many of the clients we work with have also completely transformed the way they do business, and even the products and services they offer and deliver to the marketplace. This year has required all of us to pivot on many levels, both personally and professionally. And…we’ve done it. We’ve transitioned to working remotely- frequently sharing our home space with new “office mates,” often while juggling the roles we didn’t sign up for as we became ad hoc teachers, remote learning specialists, tech support, athletic directors, and chefs-in-residence.

We’ve also had to hit pause on many of the activities that bring us joy and energy. I never realized how much we humans (even the introverted ones!) are hard wired for being together.  From attending concerts, plays or sporting events, to participating in family gatherings, weddings, religious services, or yoga classes – when we come together with a shared purpose, it has a multiplier effect that energizes us and lifts our spirits.

While most of us don’t expect things to return to the way they were before Covid hit, I suspect I’m not the only one who is looking forward to the “next normal” and being able to come together for our summit and other “in person” events again. Until then, what else can we do to keep engagement high across our distributed teams?

Come back next week to see 4 tips to better equip your Core Leaders to build engagement across your remote teams.