By Carli Uys (MCom Industrial Psychology and MCom Communication studies)

As a ‘virtual’ leader, you should focus on finding ways to translate your in-person leadership skills into virtual tactics to continuously focus on human connections.

As a ‘virtual’ leader, ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I communicating enough with my team members?
• Am I checking in with my team members enough to find out if they are coping?
• Are my team members able to use their skills in the best way possible? If not, what can I do to help them?
• What social activities can I do virtually to help get my team members to be more engaged?
• What support can I offer my team members to help them be more engaged and not feel like they are disconnected from their work?
• What other tools can I possibly use to get my team members to be more connected?
• Are my one-on-one sessions with my team members making a positive impact?

By asking yourself these questions, you will focus on the importance of building connections with your team members and let them know that you are there for them no matter what.

Virtual leadership should focus on boosting collaboration through regular communication, transparency and accountability. According to Kaleigh Moore, an effective virtual leader should:

• Make use of tools that will help to maintain an open line of communication between team members and to share everything from status updates to digital assets with the team members. Work Operating System (Work OS) is a great tool to use for this.
• Be more transparent about the desired outcomes of the organisation as well as the organisation’s goals. This will help boost engagement from each team member and help them take ownership of the work they are producing.
• Hold each team member accountable for their work that they must deliver and give team members more autonomy.

Arial group indicated that there are 5 key skills all virtual leaders need and how they can develop them.