Not too long ago, I started to realize that I could turn the resources that I have an abundance of into the resources that I’m lacking. Andy Kessler in his book “Eat People” brought this point home and it really stuck with me. The same is true whether you’re an entrepreneur, a business owner, or a manager in a gigantic corporate structure.
“Yes boss. Uh huh. Okay. Yes I see the profit projections VERY well. Okay, will do. Thanks.”
You’ll have to realize that things are changing now. You can get things done from afar and you’re able to streamline the process by working with what works best for your people. Mobile workforce management is becoming a reality and something that you need to consider to get the most out of your team and the greatest return on your investments. Here are a few points to consider.
Understand That Life Happens
When you want to enable telework or a mobile workforce into your business, you have to realize that, yes, life really does happen. Kids get sick. The dog needs to go to the vet and sometimes grandma needs a ride to the airport. These things happen. What you need to focus on is the overall output and the goals that you set up are getting achieved.
You don’t need to know about whether or not this person was working four straight hours from seven to eleven and then four straight hours from 12 to four. That’s irrelevant when it comes to a telework or mobile situation. You’re looking for outputs, for appropriate reporting of time, and working on your team’s growth. Everything else is details. Managers are not supposed to be down in the details so stop it already.
Regular Feedback Is A Must
In that same light, you want to make sure that you are communicating with your team and letting them know that you’re always there for help. Let them know you’re extremely interested in making sure that they know their next step, that they know what they’re deliverables are, and that they know how to get there.
By keeping that feedback loop going, you’re able to get enough information to trust that things are getting done and getting done effectively while letting the employee have enough freedom to get them done in the way that works best for them without feeling micromanaged. Nobody likes to be micromanaged. I passionately dislike being micromanager. PASSIONATELY DISLIKE!
Face To Face Can Still Work
It’s still a good idea to have a weekly meeting or a bi-weekly meeting that you should do it face to face. I’m not saying you should drive in and take up a whole bunch of space in some gigantic conference room, however. I’m saying most people have a headset and maybe even a webcam that they can pop on so you can do a virtual meeting with every person that’s currently teleworking or working in a mobile atmosphere.
I know you’ve seen this style of teleconferencing in those fancy Hollywood films and it looks really nice on there. You might not be able to reproduce this in your own setting, but you’re still able to be face to face and voice to voice with your employees to help keep that team building atmosphere available and growing.
Say Goodbye to Cubes, Forever
Yes, mobile workforce management could very well kill cubicles in the end. This is not a bad thing, so long as you understand that life happens, that regular feedback is a must, and that you can still do face to face when needed.
Time to build the team, my friends. Make a list of employee issues that exist in your current workforce and figure out how you can work around them today (working on your personalities as a team is a great start). It’ll set you up for a positive teleworking and mobile management future.