Leading successful hybrid and remote teams in the charity and not-for-profit sector

Jun 11

2 min read

Sharing my experience and insights

I recently shared my experience and insights on leading successful hybrid and remote teams in the charity and not-for-profit sector in a webinar for the Cranfield Trust on 15 May 2025, as part of their 'management month'.

Busting myths

I busted some of the myths we see regularly shared about this way of working, both positives and negatives.

These included:

the idea that offices are the ultimate collaborative hive of activity
that managing a team remotely is the same as managing in person
that this way of working is a passing phase
that working hybrid or remotely is much less productive for organisations
that leaders report that they cannot trust their staff to deliver without supervising them in a physical environment
and that working from home provides the perfect work/life balance for everyone

The benefits of hybrid and remote working

I covered the benefits as I see them, with the caveat that of course this way of working needs to be planned, led, managed and continually iterated to glean the full range of benefits.

Hybrid and remote leadership is still a work in progress for charity and not-for-profit leaders, one where many fail to recognise the differences to managing in a physical environment and therefore the effort that should be made to learn, enhance and develop the leader's skills and approach. It is an area that has been chronically underdeveloped to this point.

My hints, tips and strategies for leading successful hybrid and remote teams in the charity and not-for-profit sector

I shared my hints, tips and strategies from my experience in leading successful teams and developing remote and hybrid leadership approaches. You'll need to watch the full recording (available below) to hear more of my insights and experience.

Among the factors I discussed were the following key takeaways for attendees:

Culture - this must start with purpose in mind and focus on outcomes delivered, not how team members go about achieving them. Focus on the big picture!
Trust is fundamental to leading successful hybrid and remote teams.
Connection must be meaningful and deliberate.
Communications must be purposeful - sharing is crucial within and across the organisation.
An underpinning and sustainable framework for working hybrid and remotely must be in place and regularly updated and refreshed - this includes policies, procedures and digital tools.
Review and iterate the approach and the tools together - shared ownership to building, enhancing and reviewing is critical to both embedding and success.