How do you develop and maintain trust and rapport with your employees, especially in a virtual environment?

Whatever channel you use, you should always focus your communications around the audience’s WIIFT - What’s In It For Them? Everyone focuses on that more than what you want to say. The longer it takes you to spell it out for them, the more likely you will lose their attention.

When virtual it is easy for your team to think they can’t contact you the same as they would face to face. I find it best to set up different options for communication needs. From more structured meetings that are booked in to using IM or WhatsApp for a quick question. You don’t communicate in the same way F2F so why do it virtually!

It always helps me to understand that it's genuine. "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."

It's a time of learning for us all. Different people and generations want to be communicated in different ways. But, truly, the best way to find out how someone wants to be communicated with is asking them. That's how you will find out (quickly) what is working or not working.

Connections and relationships grow when you: 🔅 Use people’s names often 🔅 Watch your facial expressions - smile 🔅 Ask them to contribute and then appreciate the contribution. 🔅Frequently ask questions like: What is getting in your way of doing your best work. 🔅Listen to what is said and unsaid 🔅Know what they are struggling with - everyone is struggling with something. 🔅Ask: How can I best support you frequently and then act on it. Relationships and connections are built day by day and conversation by conversation. Managers and leaders must demonstrate that they truly care about the employee and want to support them through these tough times.

Forging relationships actually makes work easier. When you form a personal rapport with your colleagues, there’s less tension and friction and more feelings of camaraderie and support. Trust and mutual respect are the key to make this happen.

This should always be number one. If you don’t get to know your team first you will never achieve any other steps. I have always started this with virtual chats over coffee - this really helps make it feel more natural and focus just on them as people first.

As a leader, show your team that you have bad ideas too. As a manager or director you're not to be the person with all the brilliant ideas, your role is to spark the conversation, set goals and provide the vision. During creative brainstorm sessions I try to always reinforce that all ideas are welcome and that my ideas are probably the most crazy, silliest, dumb ideas. But, there may be one tiny piece of my idea that combines with the second persons ideas, and the third persons ideas, which results in the ultimate solution in the end.

Co-creation means building an idea together as a team. It doesn’t have to be face-to-face, either. Asynchronous brainstorming sessions can be really beneficial. One simple approach to co-create with a virtual team is to all collaborate in a Google Doc—simply open and consolidate on each others’ ideas.

Leaders must have the conviction to report any corruption or a routinely dishonest employee to your higher-ups. Look at the bright side; your peers will appreciate and reward your honest decorum.

In a traditional office, there's a water cooler where employees hang out during breaks. It can be an effective approach to substitute the kitchen, coffee pot, or any number of other locations in your typical office. Regardless of what it is, team members that are there are getting to know each other, networking and collaborating in ways you don't in a standard meeting. Creating a digital water cooler is something that can be considered.