Over the years, law enforcement and associated first responder professionals have weathered many crises ranging from wildfires to terrorist attacks. But never before has the first responder community had to deal with an extended quarantine and shelter in place order while trying to maintain public safety. As leaders, this presents some added challenges when your team is now working from home. Here are a few strategies to successfully leading teams remotely during this pandemic.

A leader needs to show their team they care and understand their situation. Before COVID-19, beginning a meeting would rarely start by asking how is everyone doing or how is their family getting along. Now it’s one of the most important questions a leader should ask at the onset of any online meeting. Everyone on your team is facing unique and challenging situations at home. For instance, those on your teams with children could be challenged with juggling homeschooling and working at the same time.

Those on your teams who are single could be struggling with the isolation. Therefore, being mindful of your teams’ individual situations will go a long way in how you lead and approach organizational tasks. It’s crucial to relay clear and reasonable expectations to your teams, but how and when they achieve those expectations may look different now.

Next, it is essential to explain to your teams that you understand that work hours and days are flexible. Because employees have various home and family situations, their ability to work consistent hours and days will vary. Therefore, leaders need to be mindful that a typical workday could be broken up throughout an entire day and week.

Assigning goals and tasks well in advance and to the right person is essential. Assign cases and tasks to individuals who can complete them when needed. Someone who is balancing homeschooling and work will need reasonable lead time for assignments. While someone with grown children or who is single may be more able to adapt to a time-sensitive task. Remember, your teams still want to do a good job, and allowing them to continue to succeed is very important in making them feel productive and valued.

Another critical aspect of leading teams remotely is to be present by bringing a sense of calm and optimism. Being present remotely means embracing and mastering the technology that facilitates online meetings and communication. Something as simple as sending emails and text messages to your teams and individuals throughout the week to see how they are doing can go a long way. At least once a week, schedule a video meeting with your team. Video and online meetings may seem awkward and uncomfortable at first. Still, the more you use it, the easier it gets. After the quarantine is over, people may prefer video calls compared to regular calls.

As a leader, this is an opportunity to bring a sense of teamwork and connection back to the group. Have a consistent structure for your online meetings to create a new team culture. For example, have everyone go around the “room” and share a personal or professional “win” and “challenge” for the week. Consider posing questions like, who has the best home office set up, who has the best home workout routine, what is the best tech device that has helped you the most, or share your favorite dinner recipe. Bringing some humanity and even levity into the meetings can make everyone feel connected and less isolated.

Lastly, it’s essential to be transparent and keep your teams informed. A lack of mutual knowledge and uncertainty surrounding the organization can be an added stressor. As the command staff passes along information, make sure to convey as much information as possible to your teams during the regularly scheduled online meetings. If possible, invite someone from the command staff to participate in one of your online meetings to show your team that they care and value their commitment amongst the current challenges.

As a leader of a new remote workforce, you will need to be more mindful and understanding of your teams on a personal level. You have to monitor your teams and be aware of any shifts in morale or attitude. Make sure to provide your organization’s EAP information to your teams.

And yes, you still need to hold your teams accountable to the organization’s goals and objectives, but remember leadership is about inspiring your teams to achieve those goals and objectives.

Finally, I encourage everyone to take this opportunity to come out of this situation a better individual and more influential leader. Seek out great books on leadership or enroll in college and take classes online.