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I've been working/managing remote for 15-20 years. I agree with the posters, that the skills which make a manager successful can be executed remotely as well as

I've been working/managing remote for 15-20 years. I agree with the posters, that the skills which make a manager successful can be executed remotely as well as in person. Buy "High Output Management" by Andy Grove. Read it. I've read it cover to cover 6 times now and still find gold each time I review it. It is hard to know everything about your situation from you post, but your more emphasized issue is you seem to be missing a 'real connection to real humans'. Yes, of course a manager needs to be connected to the team, and that empathy/earned respect is essential.... but it can be built using remote means as well as in person. You show respect through words and actions, those can be written as well as spoken. Maybe you personally put a lot of emphasis on the immediate feedback of face to face to feel that connection? Truth is, while that immediate feedback feels great and helps you tune your message, it isn't the foundation. The foundation is the thing you are getting the feedback on. If the message is "Team, here is the goal for the week and why it matters", the foundation is that each person sees the goal and how their effort contributes to it. It is great when everyone high-fives around the room, but high-fives without the understanding are a false signal. You are correct that managers are essential to building a winning team. You probably have a list of what roles/jobs/tasks a manager does to achieve this. You could write down that list, and for each item write your current process for achieving it. You could then think about how you can map that process to a remote work framework.

endymi0n 5y ago
> I agree with the posters, that the skills which make a manager successful can be executed remotely as well as in person. I agree as well and just for the record, I wouldn't say I'm ineffective. We 10x'ed our revenue and tripled the team during the pandemic. I'm getting top notch reviews from my peers and I've got a kick-ass team around me that I really like. It's just that my job itself went from an onsite one that I loved to a remote one which I absolutely hate, and I'm at loss about what to do with that or what I'm doing wrong. I'll definitely check out your book suggestion though.
- deagle50 5y ago
  The scorn you read here is not against all management, but against the notion of "we can't manage remote employees effectively". Your results above show that it can be done even when you hate it, which most of us assumed was the case all along and we've been suffering the "back to work" talk track needlessly.
- mellavora 5y ago
  Yes, and my apologies. Your comment made it sound like you were new at this. But I think I found your profile on LI. If so, you are clearly highly experienced, and what you have done is pretty impressive. I'm not surprised that you get top reviews. Also impressive that you have the professionalism to continue this despite your low mood. Wish I could help more with the 'what you are doing wrong' bit. I wouldn't use those words, you probably aren't doing anything wrong. It sounds like you just miss being in the same room as your team. I get that, the human contact is real, and on-line is a thin and stale version of it. You can be an effective leader either way, but yeah, emotionally there isn't a substitute for getting everyone in the same room.

endymi0n 5y ago

> I agree with the posters, that the skills which make a manager successful can be executed remotely as well as in person. I agree as well and just for the record, I wouldn't say I'm ineffective. We 10x'ed our revenue and tripled the team during the pandemic. I'm getting top notch reviews from my peers and I've got a kick-ass team around me that I really like. It's just that my job itself went from an onsite one that I loved to a remote one which I absolutely hate, and I'm at loss about what to do with that or what I'm doing wrong. I'll definitely check out your book suggestion though.

deagle50 5y ago
The scorn you read here is not against all management, but against the notion of "we can't manage remote employees effectively". Your results above show that it can be done even when you hate it, which most of us assumed was the case all along and we've been suffering the "back to work" talk track needlessly.
mellavora 5y ago
Yes, and my apologies. Your comment made it sound like you were new at this. But I think I found your profile on LI. If so, you are clearly highly experienced, and what you have done is pretty impressive. I'm not surprised that you get top reviews. Also impressive that you have the professionalism to continue this despite your low mood. Wish I could help more with the 'what you are doing wrong' bit. I wouldn't use those words, you probably aren't doing anything wrong. It sounds like you just miss being in the same room as your team. I get that, the human contact is real, and on-line is a thin and stale version of it. You can be an effective leader either way, but yeah, emotionally there isn't a substitute for getting everyone in the same room.