James Dooley: Today I’m joined with Mads Singers and today’s topic is managing staff in office versus remotely. So what things do you do differently here, Mads, with regards to office and remote setups?

Mads Singers: The key difference is communication. In an office there is a lot of natural communication that happens whether people try to do it or not. You walk in, you say hello, you ask about the weekend. Even a poor manager ends up communicating more in person than remotely.

Remotely that natural communication disappears. Many people say remote teams are harder to manage. I disagree. Strong managers get good results in both environments. Weak managers struggle more remotely because they rely on casual interaction instead of structured leadership.

The biggest gap is structured communication and team connection. The core processes I focus on are one to ones, team meetings and feedback. These happen naturally in offices. Remotely you must design them intentionally.

If you are an individual contributor in a remote company, you often sit alone and mainly speak to your manager. If you only speak to your boss once a month on Zoom, that is almost no communication. Even introverts need consistent connection to perform well.

Managers talk to many people all day. They assume everyone is communicating enough. They are not. That is why weekly one to ones are critical. Thirty minutes per week with each direct report. No skipping levels. Just your direct team.

Focus on three things in those meetings. First, personal connection. Build the relationship. If your team does not feel connected to you, they will not care about the business.

Second, performance. Talk about results. Sales numbers, targets, output. If someone is below target, ask what they are doing to improve. Performance must be discussed consistently.

Third, the future. If someone is underperforming, discuss how to move them back to performance. If someone is performing well, discuss career progression, ownership and growth.

Use a tool to track whether managers are actually holding these one to ones. We use HeyRamp, but many tools exist. Tracking consistency is important.

James Dooley: If someone has in office staff and feels confident managing them, but now hires remote virtual assistants globally, do managers need additional training to handle that shift?

Mads Singers: Yes. Being an entrepreneur does not mean you are a good leader. Many managers do their best, but they have never been trained properly.

If you have not had leadership training in a corporate setting or elsewhere, you will likely benefit from it. Most managers speak 95 percent of the time in meetings and then ask if anyone has questions. That is not leadership. That is a monologue.

Remote teams need deliberate structure. People want to feel valued, informed and connected. They want communication from their boss.

When someone moves from being an individual contributor to a manager, they often continue doing the same work that got them promoted. If they were good at SEO, they keep doing SEO. That is a mistake.

Management is different. Once you manage a team, your personal output matters less. What matters is the team’s output. Without training, this transition can take years. With proper training, it accelerates dramatically.

James Dooley: You do business coaching and leadership training. If someone wants their leadership team to improve, how can they contact you?

Mads Singers: Go to madsingers.com or search my name on social media. Many companies invest in sales and customer service training but neglect leadership training. Investing in managers makes a massive difference.

James Dooley: For anyone watching, do you manage in office or remote staff? Have you had leadership training? Leave a comment and share what has worked for you. Appreciate having you, Mads.

Mads Singers: Cheers, mate.