Many executives may struggle with the transition to a remote or hybrid workplace — online leadership coaching can help
Remote work may be here to stay, but some businesses are still reluctant to make the transition. Ultimately, this hesitancy comes down to leadership. Many believe that the changes required by remote work will decrease the amount of work that gets done, erode company values, or eat into corporate profits — essentially, the old way of doing things is better despite most employees preferring the option to stay remote.
Yes, remote work can feel different, and that is why many businesses are turning to virtual tools that support employee engagement. One way is through online leadership coaching services. Leadership coaching supports executives and managers in developing the capabilities necessary to lead teams whether they are in-office or remote.
What is online leadership coaching?
Leadership coaching is a highly personalized professional development experience using an action-oriented approach. A leader works in partnership with a coach to increase their self-awareness and uncover insights that can lead to lasting behavior and mindset shifts, hone their leadership style and capabilities, and expand their impact. Online leadership coaching is a virtual form where sessions are held remotely through video conferencing or phone calls.
While some people may have innate leadership qualities, many of the traits required to lead a team are learned — especially when each organization’s demands and success metrics are unique. Leadership coaching enables these new and emerging leaders to develop their strategic thinking, decision-making, and other core capabilities. Programs also bring out new opportunities for collaboration, reveal new ways of thinking, and provide systems that enable cross-functional knowledge sharing and relationships across departments and disciplines.
Remote work adds another layer of complexity to management. The little water cooler moments where management could chat with employees to learn their personalities and determine their strengths are gone. Communication elements like body language are difficult to project via conference calls and impossible to display in chat messages. As a result, the temptation to micromanage remote employees is far greater because managers can’t see what their teams are up to.
Online leadership coaching can reframe management’s approach to remote work and improve accountability while empowering employees to be self-starters, manage their own work schedules, and deliver high-quality work. It also gives leaders the tools they need to help employees feel like a cohesive unit within a digital space, even as employees work halfway across town — or across the globe.
Why is leadership coaching online gaining popularity?
Opportunities for professional growth and development can have a real influence on employee engagement, recruitment, and retention. In a recent Gallup poll, over two-thirds of workers believe employer-provided development is a key factor when considering a new job.
Online leadership coaching offers an affordable, flexible way to develop leaders. The virtual format allows companies to scale leadership development programs at a faster, more efficient rate.
7 ways online leadership coaching can improve business outcomes
Online leadership coaching services can help teams make the work-from-home transition more efficiently and find success in the following ways:
Foster strong employee relationships:
The way leaders form bonds with their remote employees may be different than with in-person work, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be just as strong. Leadership coaching can help you build techniques and develop processes to ensure your remote workplace feels like a tight-knit community.
Boost accountability through autonomy:
You won’t be able to keep tabs on your remote workers the same way you can with in-office employees. Rather than force accountability with tools like keyloggers — and inevitably generate resentment — leadership coaching can help leaders set expectations and communicate follow-up processes to allow employees to meet deadlines while delivering high-quality work.
Retain employees:
Keeping employees engaged for the long haul goes beyond offering remote work options — it means ensuring they feel that their hard work is noticed and meaningfully contributes to the company’s overall success. Online leadership coaching can help managers develop capabilities to help off-site staff feel seen.
Improve hybrid management:
While many workers want to stay fully remote, some may want to return to the office or opt for a hybrid schedule between the two. Leadership coaching can help leaders manage both sets of employees, meeting your talent’s unique needs without leaving anyone behind.
Build trust:
Just as leaders should trust their employees to be autonomous when doing their work, employees should trust their leaders to steer the company and provide them with the tools they need to succeed. One-on-one leadership coaching can help give up-and-coming managers the confidence they need to make a meaningful impact.
Improve online communication skills:
Conversations through Slack and email lack the subtle cues found during in-person conversations, and it’s easy for employees to misinterpret tone and meaning. Learn the right capabilities to avoid communication breakdowns.
Develop positive company culture:
Your online presence is an extension of your organization’s overall culture and values. Discover how to transition those values into an online context without sacrificing productivity.
Digital leadership coaching helps leaders manage remote employees with confidence
Remote work is different — but that isn’t a bad thing. It just requires exercising different leadership muscles than you may be used to, and we want to help.
Our leadership coaching platform is the ideal foundation upon which to develop a customized program built to meet your organization’s leadership development needs.
We understand that technology evolves rapidly and can transform how we do business almost overnight. Watch our webinar, The Value of Leadership Coaching Amid Turbulence and Disruption, to discover how to navigate your business through rapid change, and request a free Sounding Board demo to learn how to build the capabilities your team needs to lead.
