Page 109 - Managing the Mobile Workforce

88 � mAnAgIng the moBIle workForCe

communication is going to happen. I find that more trust happens in
scheduled distance meetings than in just running them unscheduled,
and it is easy to run them unscheduled.”
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During a virtual business review meeting, McKay says, you can
sit at your computer during the conversation; write down decisions
made, issues discussed, and follow-up items; and then send some-
thing in writing immediately following that discussion to everyone
involved. “It increases follow-up, connections, efficiencies, and all of
those things,” he says.
Performance evaluation should occur often and be used as an op-
portunity to keep people on track. If you do it regularly it is less omi-
nous and more business as usual. Also you’ll know much more quickly
when things are going off track. The spirit of evaluation should be one
of support and desire to help workers succeed.
The more difficult it is to observe behavior, the more important
it is to give objective, high-quality feedback so workers understand
the basis for evaluation. To really build trust, consider asking your
workforce to evaluate you occasionally too—and give them a chance
to do it anonymously. How you react to their feedback—by changing
your behavior, if needed, or by acting defensively—will either build or
erode your trust with them.

start getting to know each other personally early
One of the most important ways for people to evaluate whether they
want to trust another person is by getting to know him or her socially.
People want to know about others’ lives—what they’re interested in,
what their families do, what they care about, and other information
about them. Strong, high-performance teams find that their personal
relationships often last longer than the team itself.
Start your online meetings with introductions and personal up-
dates, and ask people to share non-work-related information about
themselves. Ask them to post their pictures or short movies. The idea
is to build interpersonal connections that are not directly work related