Neither confidence nor intelligence - an interview with Silvina Moschini

We are pleased to share with you the recent article based, in part on an interview with Silvina Moschini, a co-founder, Chairwoman and President of TransparentBusiness, published in Business Insider (Spain), with English translation:

Business Insider

Neither confidence nor intelligence: the qualities that a good boss must have in times of teleworking are productivity, efficiency and organization

Marta Pachón Diaz
Sep 15, 2020

Although a boss has leadership qualities, that does not guarantee that he will be a good online leader.

A study published in June reveals that productivity, efficiency and organization are the ideal qualities to lead these teams.

"We are virtually influenced by personality less, and we can more accurately assess whether that person has leadership," explains Radostina Purvanova, associate professor at Drake University (Iowa, United States).

Current circumstances due to the expansion of the coronavirus have caused teleworking to spread and, with cases on the rise, the situation is expected to remain the same in many companies in the coming weeks.

"Remote work, which started as a contingency plan, is becoming the new norm and it is urgent to become aware of the aspects that involve the effective implementation of this change," Silvina Moschini told Business Insider Spain by email.

In addition to the difficulties that come with working in a pandemic, bosses are joined by others such as the responsibility of keeping employees motivated and managing effectively, for example.

"The greatest challenge falls on team leaders who, accustomed to having filled chairs in an office, are forced to manage with new paradigms, new protocols and new tools," says Moschini.

And it is that, although a boss has good leadership skills, that does not mean that he will be a great virtual leader.

"I had a boss who was a good person and a good leader, but he drove me crazy when it came to communicating. He was incredibly slow and not decisive," says Steven Charlier, manager at the University of Georgia (United States), in statements collected by the BBC.

According to a study published in June, qualities like confidence, intelligence and being outgoing, until now considered ideal for leadership, do not apply to remote work. "Good online bosses are individuals who help other colleagues with their tasks and keep the team focused on their goals," says Charlier.

The investigation studied 220 teams before the pandemic to see who emerged as leaders in face-to-face, hybrid or online situations. As expected, the face-to-face teams chose leaders with the aforementioned qualities, while those of the online mode highlighted efficient and productive leaders who planned, were aware of their colleagues and future tasks and, above all, worked well.

"Virtually we are less influenced by someone's personality and we can more accurately assess whether they really have leadership. People are seen for what they do and not for who they are," explains Radostina Purvanova, associate professor at Drake University in Iowa. (U.S).

However, the teams are not usually always online or face-to-face, so the researchers argue that this study can open the door to others on the behavior of leaders and their interpersonal relationships.