Sam Saideman, Co-Founder and CEO of Innovo Management, LLC. Janeen Gelbart, CEO and co-founder of Indiggo

GREENWICH, CT, USA, June 30, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Fotis Georgiadis, owner of the blog by his namesake, is a branding and image consultant specialist with a robust background and is a visionary interviewer. With a knack for pulling out a well-rounded interview, not only covering cutting edge technologies and corporate directions but also bringing out the personal side of the interviewee.

While remote work has been continually building, with more companies offering a split between office and remote hours, the advent of COVID-19 thrust many who were not ready, right into remote work or no work. It didn't take long for many to learn how to connect remotely, run meetings remotely, etc. It isn't as simple as log-in and get to work or fire up Zoom or MS Teams to get a video conference call going. Managing the remote people, connections, interactions, delegations, etc has also been a new road for many. Fotis Georgiadis is helping bring this new 'era' of business administration to light with two recent interviews, excerpts below. Not only is he helping expand the reach of the two interviewees, he's able to assist you and your company/product with image and brand building or rebuilding as the case may be. Reach out to him at the below contact methods so he can help you.

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Sam Saideman, Co-Founder and CEO of Innovo Management, LLC
Some companies have many years of experience with managing a remote team. Others have just started this, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Can you tell us how many years of experience you have managing remote teams?

Well the first few years of the business we had part-time staff that would go home for summer breaks and had to work remotely. We don’t love it because some of our best ideas come from being in an office together and breaking out into brainstorms, things that are frustrating us, etc. Up until recently, my Assistant has been remote as well. I always want to give people the freedom and flexibility to do those things, but it’s always a little bit harder to get the ancillary things done. I also find as a boss that I don’t delegate as well when I’m remote. I tend to just handle things rather than having to type out a whole explanation.

Managing a team remotely can be very different than managing a team that is in front of you. Can you articulate for our readers what the five main challenges are regarding managing a remote team? Can you give a story or example for each?

I touched on this a bit above, however I’d say the biggest is keeping the energy levels and enthusiasm as high as in-person. I’m blessed with a team now that I know will get the work done wherever they are, because they’re awesome and they truly believe in the mission of putting musicians first. I’d say some other struggles of managing a remote team include delegating effectively, staying in constant and close contact, and making sure that any internal frustrations are met and chatted about. It’s a lot easier to see how people are doing when you’re in an office together. Things tend to brew more behind the scenes when working remote for extended periods of time.

Based on your experience, what can one do to address or redress each of those challenges?

Check in with your staff frequently. Set up weekly check in calls and take the time out of your day to make sure staff have the right work on their plates and don’t feel underutilized or overworked. The complete interview is available here.

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Janeen Gelbart, CEO and co-founder of Indiggo
Some companies have many years of experience with managing a remote team, while others have just started, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Can you tell us how many years of experience you have managing remote teams?

I’ve had to collaborate closely and drive results with remote stakeholders from the onset of my career.

Managing a team remotely can be very different than managing a team that is in front of you. Can you articulate for our readers what the five main challenges are regarding managing a remote team?

Many of these are challenges that already exist in non-remote teams. Lack of alignment, lack of shared clarity, lack of focus, misunderstanding or misinterpreting information, missed goals, and lack of the human side of interaction. I think that we were already flying blind before the massive shift to remote work and that these have just been accentuated by remote work.

Can you give a few suggestions about how to best give constructive criticism to a remote employee?

Don’t do this in writing until you have had a conversation. Provide specific examples to ensure shared understanding. Brainstorm together on how to improve the issue, but also be ready with a few concrete suggestions in mind. Acknowledge what they are doing well to begin with (the recommended ratio is three positive aspects to each area of improvement). Give context to explain why this improvement matters. Ask them what they think, where disconnects may have been created and how to put in place structures to succeed better moving ahead. Agree on specific next steps with clear ownership. Always follow up in writing.

Can you address how to give constructive feedback over email? How do you prevent the email from sounding too critical or harsh?

Don’t do it.

Can you share any suggestions on effective leadership styles/actions for teams who are used to working together on location but are forced to work remotely due to the pandemic? Are there potential obstacles one should avoid with a team that is just getting used to working remotely?

Don’t schedule too many meetings to compensate for being remote. Find a happy medium by having regular, brief scheduled video huddles to keep the human connection and see how they’re doing. Regularly align on the few vital areas of focus to ensure you’re not overloading them with too many demands. Strategically include time proactively to brainstorm and have conversations that may have happened more organically before. Read the full interview here.

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About Fotis Georgiadis
Fotis Georgiadis is the founder of DigitalDayLab. Fotis Georgiadis is a serial entrepreneur with offices in both Malibu and New York City. He has expertise in marketing, branding and mergers & acquisitions. Fotis Georgiadis is also an accomplished VC who has successfully concluded five exits. Fotis Georgiadis is also a contributor to Authority Magazine, Thrive Global & several others.

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