We now live in an always-on, ever connected society.  We chat as easily with friends on the other side of the world as we do with those in the next street.  And yet when it comes to business there are some who feel that they are unable to ‘lead’ a team unless they are in the same room.  One of the problems, I suspect, is that where society leads, business can be slow to follow.  So whilst Twitter and Skype and other media are commonplace in the home, they are still viewed with suspicion in some organisations.

Being realistic, the time of employees being tied to fixed desks is virtually over.  Multi-site businesses, flexi-working and even hot desking are all conspiring to scatter teams away from central hubs.  Add in an increasing emphasis on cross-department collaboration and outsourcing and it is highly likely a leader may never see all of their team together in one place. 

Is that a cause for alarm?  Well, no, not really as long as leaders make the best use of technology to stay in touch.  Let’s be honest, as teams have scattered, the means to hold them together have grown almost exponentially.  Conference calls and webinars are only the start.  How about setting up internal chat rooms to help remote teams bond or organising online group mentoring or training sessions?  And if you are worried about workflow there are plenty of programmes available which monitor the flow of tasks from start to finish.

At heart, no matter what the level of technology available, whether you are comfortable with remote working may well come down to whether you are a leader or a manager.  Managers dictate, control and like to stay close to the workflow.  Leaders empower, they model the way and then they inspire and enable others to act.  Learning to lead means learning to let go; not simply ignoring employees, but leveraging everything in your power, including the power of technology, to help your team to maximise their potential.  If that means them working in the office, in a remote site or at the top of a mountain then so be it. 

As a leader you have the power to control or to influence, to engender trust or to sow discord.  And you make your mark on your team with every action and every interaction.  Remote contact via technological links or face to face little matters; it is how you communicate and the message which you send out which leads to success.

If you’d like to learn more about leadership development and The Leadership Challenge then feel free to get in touch at www.questleadershipdevelopment.com.