Leadership Business Management

The Long-Distance Leader: Rules for Remarkable Remote Leadership (Summary)

by Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel

Why do so many remote leaders fail? They try to digitally replicate the office, demanding constant check-ins and 'green status lights' to monitor activity. But this isn't leadership; it's digital babysitting. The most successful long-distance leaders ignore monitoring presence and instead focus on something far more powerful: coaching for outcomes.

Leadership Isn't About Location, It's About Outcomes

Effective remote leadership requires a fundamental mental shift from managing activities and time to coaching for results. The goal isn't to ensure people are 'at their desks,' but to ensure they are achieving their goals.

A leader might be tempted to use software to track how many hours a remote employee is logged in. A Long-Distance Leader, however, ignores login times and instead co-creates a clear 'definition of done' for a project, then focuses their 1-on-1s on coaching the employee through obstacles to reach that defined outcome.

Stop Using Technology to Replicate the Office

The biggest mistake remote leaders make is using technology to recreate physical office interactions, like open video calls for 'presence.' Instead, technology should be used intentionally to achieve specific communication goals, not just to mimic being together.

Instead of a mandatory, all-day 'open Zoom room' to simulate an open-plan office, a skilled leader uses asynchronous tools like shared documents for collaborative work, targeted video calls for complex problem-solving, and one-on-one calls for coaching and relationship-building.

Beware the 'Proximity Bias' Trap

In hybrid or remote teams, leaders naturally and often unconsciously favor the people they see in person. This 'proximity bias' can lead to overlooking the contributions and career potential of remote team members, creating an unfair environment.

A manager needs to assign a high-profile project. Their instinct might be to give it to Jane, who sits in the office next to them and with whom they chat daily. A conscious long-distance leader recognizes this bias and instead systematically reviews the skills and recent performance of all team members before making a decision.

You Can't Manage Remotely, You Can Only Coach

Traditional management tactics like 'walking the floor' don't work remotely. Leadership must evolve into a coaching-centric model, focusing on asking powerful questions, providing clear feedback, and empowering team members to solve their own problems.

Instead of telling a remote employee how to solve a problem in an email, a long-distance leader gets on a brief call and asks questions like, 'What have you tried so far?', 'What are the biggest obstacles you see?', and 'What resources do you need to move forward?' This builds capability rather than just providing a quick fix.

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