I’ve managed remote staff for well over a decade, and it never really occurred to me how different it was to managing in-office staff until the pandemic. I saw managers that had only managed in-office staff have real trouble doing the same with remote staff.
Over the last couple of years I’ve been able to step back and see just how different the two are, and why. In my opinion there are a few standout qualities that really separate the “ok” remote managers from the great ones. While there are certainly more than three, these can make all the difference in the world.
Micro-Understanding
Micro-understanding is the secret weapon of great remote managers. It’s not just about knowing what your direct team does, it’s about understanding how work moves across the company so you can spot problems before they turn into disasters.
As a manager, you aren’t going to be working in the weeds as much as your team is, of course. However, knowing their roles and responsibilities is absolutely essential for managing workload, knowing in advance if you’re going to hit deadlines (or not!), and keeping a pulse on the emotional toll of your team.
In remote work, the organic “water cooler” moments don’t happen, which means managers need to be proactive about understanding how their team’s work fits into the bigger system. If you don’t have a clear grasp of the workflow beyond your own department, you’ll always be reacting to problems instead of preventing them.
The best remote managers don’t just focus on their direct team, they see the whole chessboard. Micro-understanding isn’t about doing other people’s jobs; it’s about anticipating issues before they surface and making sure your team is never the cause of an avoidable bottleneck.
Intentional Communication
Have you ever had one of those “I thought you were handling that” moments? Of course you have, we all have (especially in remote work). Someone assumes someone else was doing an important task, and now the project is on fire? Welcome to the consequences of unclear communication.
Remote work does not forgive vague communication. Unlike an office, where you can clarify things on the fly, remote teams live and die by how well instructions, expectations, and ownership are set. If your team isn’t 100% sure what’s expected, it’s already a problem.
In my opinion, effective communication is the single most important trait of a successful remote team. It’s probably second only to the actual capability and competence of the team. This is true for internal operations, but it also applies externally. For example, consider how job seekers use a cover letter generator to ensure their messaging is clear, polished, and free of errors when applying for roles. If a candidate were to send out an ambiguous, poorly structured cover letter, their chances of making a strong impression would drop significantly. The same principle applies to remote work-when communication is unclear, the risk of failure increases exponentially.
Ambiguity, the opposite communication style in this case, is a big killer of productivity in remote teams. Without the ability to clarify things in passing, vague instructions or loosely defined responsibilities can quickly lead to missed deadlines, duplicated work, major gaps in execution, and a general breakdown in asynchronous work. On top of that, unclear communication creates unnecessary stress for employees who aren’t sure what’s expected of them.
The best remote managers eliminate guesswork by setting clear expectations, reinforcing ownership, and ensuring that nothing is left open to interpretation.
Trust-First Leadership
If you’ve ever worked under a manager who constantly asked for “quick updates” just to make sure you were working, you already know how exhausting micromanagement can be. Some remote managers struggle with trust because they can’t physically see their employees working. This is probably the most common issue I see with traditional-managers-turned remote-managers in the last few years. But the best remote leaders don’t manage by presence, they manage by results.
Trust-first leadership means focusing on output instead of micromanaging the process. Instead of hovering over employees and demanding real-time updates, great remote managers create an environment where people feel ownership over their work and are empowered to structure their day in a way that works best for them. To be clear, this doesn’t mean ignoring accountability by any means. It means setting clear expectations upfront and giving employees the space to meet them.
Keep in mind that both the employee and the manager need to be on the same page with this output first mentality. Just like there are plenty of people that thrive in a remote setting, some employees want and expect that helicopter management style. So much so that they can feel lost if there isn’t someone to keep them constantly on track and provide a roadmap for them.
This is why effective and deliberate hiring is even more important in remote work, in my opinion.
The Remote Manager’s Skillset is Built, Not Inherited
The best remote managers aren’t just good at delegating, they deeply understand how work gets done, can communicate with clarity, and have the trust of their team. They don’t just manage their own team; they understand how their team fits into the bigger system. They don’t just send messages, they plan and predict for team-wide alignment. And they don’t just monitor employees, they create an environment where people can do their best work independently.
- Micro-Understanding prevents problems before they happen by ensuring managers understand the full work ecosystem and the dependencies that go along with that ecosystem.
- Intentional Communication eliminates confusion and keeps every team member aware of exactly what’s expected of them.
- Trust-First Leadership empowers employees to focus on results, rather than feeling like they need to prove they’re working through busy work or unnecessary bureaucracy.
Remote management isn’t about knowing every little detail of what your employees are doing at every moment, it’s about creating the right conditions for them to succeed. If you’re looking for a place to start, pick just one of these three qualities and focus on improving it this week. Small shifts in how you lead can have a huge impact on how your team performs.
