Koen Vanpraet Shares How To Tackle Managing A…

Koen Vanpraet Shares How To Tackle Managing A Remote Or Hybrid Team

Managing remote teams can be extremely difficult, especially for leaders without remote experience. However difficult it may be, it is becoming increasingly necessary.

Not only has COVID led to an increase in work-from-home jobs, but workers are becoming much more insistent that their jobs be done remotely when possible. To help you gain remote team management skills, we’ve talked with Koen Vanpraet.

Koen Vanpraet is a business leader and business management consultant and one of the most respected consultants in the industry, and he’s agreed to share some pro tips with you!

Tech is your Friend

Software like Slack and Trello make working with remote teams much easier. These are just two of the many software services available to remote businesses that Koen Vanpraet recommends.

He also believes that as the years roll by and as remote work becomes more prominent, we will see more remote tools pop up, so it is important to always be on the lookout for new tech that will make remote teams easier to manage and more productive.

You MUST Communicate Properly

Koen Vanpraet attributes his love for strong communication to Gary Vaynerchuk and Simon Sinek’s books. He believes that communication’s importance is only amplified remotely. 

There’s no way to come in and check on a team member like you’d be able to do in person. This means you have to master being able to communicate your expectations clearly so that your team members know what they are expected to do and in what time frame. 

It is also extremely important to be able to listen to your team members and their concerns. Koen Vanpraet says one of the biggest mistakes he sees remote managers make is that they do not give proper feedback and instead just pump out assignments one after another.

Remember you’re Managing People

Playing off the last point, it is important not to forget the person on the other side of the screen. Just like your in-person team, every remote worker has their own strengths and weaknesses and will respond to different types of managerial styles. 

Get to know your team members, and do not work them too hard just because you cannot see the stress that they are under. 

Flexibility is Appreciated

One of the main benefits of remote work is that it is much more flexible than in-person work. There is no office to come into, and depending on the work being done, team members may not even need to work at the same time. 

This is fantastic and an excellent opportunity to allow your team to be more productive, according to Koen Vanpraet, since some people work much better during the night while others work great during the day. Some people can work for 8 hours straight, while others work better in short bursts. 

If it is possible, Koen Vanpraet recommends allowing flexibility in schedules for your team members. Let them work when and how they are the most productive, as long as they still meet deadlines and get the work done. Of course, this isn’t possible in every business, and it’s up to you to decide whether you can make flexible hours work.

Remote Doesn’t mean Isolation

Finally, just because everyone is working from home doesn’t mean they have to be socially distant from each other. Promote discussion, host virtual pirates, etc. 

It can be as simple as posting a daily question in a group chat and letting your team members discuss and relate to each other’s interests.

Koen Vanpraet

managing a remote team

managing a hubrid team