Managing Virtual Teams

The world is changing. Companies around the world changed their perspective on how they operate. Instead of having their local teams working from the office, they would rather expand internationally by relying on virtual teams from all across the world.

After the global pandemic, companies were forced to work remotely and virtual teams became normalized. Companies have now realized that managing virtual teams is not as hard as people may have thought, plus hiring talents from different places around the world is a big advantage.

Agile Cloud Consulting is a remote company and Sharif Shaalan has always been managing his team remotely. We asked him a few questions about his experience with managing his team.

Tell us about your experience being the CEO of a company that has employees from different places around the world and how you manage your team? 

We have always been a remote company. My experience has been to trust my team and not micro manage. Everyone knows what they have to do and when it should be done, as long as we hit our timelines we all manage our workday as we please. I found this to be the best approach when managing a remote team.

What’s the best & worst thing about managing your team virtually? 

The best thing is that everyone has the freedom to do what they please with their time, so they are really intrapreneurs, running their own business within a business. There is no need to check in if you have a doctor appointment or need to get an oil change, just manage your time and communicate with clients. The worst thing is not seeing the team in person as much, which is always fun.

What are the challenges that you face?

Honestly there are not many challenges if you trust your team. The key is open communication all around.

We couldn’t find a better person than Sharif Shaalan to give us some tips for working remotely and leading a virtual team!

Tips for working remotely: 

1- Keep a to do list

2- Communicate often

3- Try to find the work life balance and disconnect when needed.

4- Ask for help when you need it.

5- Take an afternoon nap!

Tips for successfully leading a virtual team

1- Trust your team.

2- Do not micromanage!

3- Set clear expectations

4- Know your team and how to resource the team effectively to complete your project. Every person doesn’t have to know everything, put people in a position to do what they are good at doing.

June 29th, 2020

By Sarah Al-Qersh