If you lead a virtual sales team and you’ve caught yourself thinking,
“It’s just not the same when we’re not in the office together,”
you’re not alone.
Yet that sentence is worth examining because I’m noticing a pattern.
Leaders who were strong at holding reps accountable in the office are struggling to translate that same accountability into a virtual environment.
Historically, much of their personal accountability lived in proximity.
In the office, you could feel when someone was off.
You caught things in passing.
You saw body language.
You heard tone.
When proximity disappears, so does informal correction and celebration.
Remote did not remove accountability. It exposed whether accountability was built into a system or dependent on visibility.
If you lead remotely, ask yourself:
- Do I have a defined weekly accountability rhythm?
- Are expectations clearly written and coached?
- If a new leader was hired tomorrow, could they replicate how accountability works on my team?
If your answer is “it depends,” that is not a salesperson problem. It is a leadership design problem.
In a virtual environment, accountability must be:
- Scheduled
- Observable
- Repeatable
What used to happen naturally now has to be designed intentionally; from your leadership perspective, not the salesperson’s.
Here is one place to start.
Put 30 minutes on your calendar each day, but not at the same time. Look at who you have not heard from. Ping them. Call them. Ask how their day is going.
You’re not to micromanage! You’ve replaced proximity with intentional presence.
Ask yourself: “What part of my accountability system relies on proximity?”
Then build that into your virtual cadence.
And if you are serious about building a stronger virtual cadence this year, I’ll be sharing my thoughts every other week.
Your future self will thank you the next time you think,
“It’s just not the same.”
Lynn