It is commonly said that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The same statement can be applied to a group of people working on a common project.
Over the years, a broad research has been done around the concept of teamwork and the most well-known benefits are:
– Improved creativity
– Extended perspectives
– Increased productivity
It has long been known that even the most talented person achieves much more by working in a team than on their own. However, team collaboration can also present many challenges, especially when goals are unclear or there is a lack of commitment or talent differences in the group, when team members are not supporting each other and so on. Technological problems can also lead to poor performance and create high levels of stress in the team.
My recent conversation with Ewelina Grabowska, Gold Manager at the Polish company Livioon operating the MLM system, confirmed that telecommuting is the key to effective teamwork and greater productivity.
Building teams in the MLM (Multi Level Marketing) system is currently a very popular way of working globally. Developing your own MLM business is a great opportunity to create passive income by developing and managing teams, mainly remotely.
Ewelina lives in Warsaw but the team leaders she cooperates with on a daily basis live elsewhere in Poland so when I asked Ewelina how she works, she said that since the Covid pandemic, her work has been done mainly online. She has email on her phone, which gives her more flexibility, but of course, sometimes she has to spend more time on the big screen and this is when she fires up the laptop for convenience.
Ewelina’s vision is “to create a better life by creating and developing teams based on innovative technological trends.” Achieving this vision requires close cooperation with people at different levels of the hierarchy at Livioon as well as with the teams she builds and manages from anywhere.
“The beauty of online team collaboration is the ability to conduct meetings, training and presentations through accessible platforms such as Zoom, Messenger or StreamYard from anywhere in the world. I work from home, restaurants, cafes or various places in Poland, I have also worked from Cape Verde. Working remotely gives me control of my time, making it easier to manage my income and help my team members at different levels.”
So what’s the secret of effective remote collaboration?
Remote collaboration can be a challenge, so clearly defined goals and expectations, trust and communication, as well as access to reliable technology are what you need to succeed, whether you run an office or work remotely, work in the cosmetics, technology or construction industry, or if you manage remote MLM teams, just like Ewelina.
SET CLEAR EXPECTATIONS
Your main goal is to create efficient and productive teams of people who work well together without too much oversight. Make sure you are clear about your expectations from day one. Team members should know that:
– There are common goals and a common vision
– There is a culture of mutual appreciation
– Help and support are available
– Everyone is accountable to the team
– Great achievements are only possible if we work together
EFFICIENT TELECOMMUNICATIONS
You are a good manager and a great leader, you care about your team and you certainly do not want to leave anyone with unanswered questions. There are many communication tools you can use to work remotely. You can use a combination of video, audio, chats and emails. Establish a communication hierarchy and inform your employees about it.
I believe that video is the most important medium for team communication, followed by audio, chat and email.
- Video makes conversations more natural, and if you want to convey information quickly and effectively, this should be your first choice. If you’re on a tight budget, you can use Skype or the free version of Zoom for video conferencing, but if you can afford to spend a little more, choose Microsoft Teams.
- If for some reason you can’t have a video conference with your team and the communication is urgent, make a phone call and use OneNote at the same time.
Microsoft’s OneNote is one of the best note-taking apps. It allows you to take handwritten notes and convert them later to computer text. You can highlight what is important. It’s easy to download content from anywhere, even if you’re offline. You can start your thoughts on your laptop and finish on your phone, then share them with your team. The bottom line is that OneNote keeps your notes private because the individual tabs in your notebook can be encrypted with a password.
- Chat creates an excellent opportunity to communicate with your team on an ongoing basis in an informal and friendly way. It helps in building relationships.
TRUST AND FLEXIBILITY
Remember that your remote team members work from anywhere (just like you) and may be involved in other activities at the same time, so be as flexible as possible. Have confidence in your remote team but remember that it is important to keep track of their efforts. You need to be able to measure how much time they spend on a task and what results they get when they do that particular job. Clockify is a great time tracking program that allows you and your team to track working hours across projects.
Summary
Remote collaboration is a challenge, but if you set clear expectations, trust your team, benefit from effective and honest communication, and have access to reliable technology, your team of consultants, designers, architects, or engineers can collaborate effectively, even if they are scattered across the country or even the world.
The importance of effective teamwork cannot be overestimated because together we can do more.
T.E.A.M. – Together Everyone Achieves More.
Need to learn more about your technology options? Talk to me, I will be happy to help.
Kamila
