Did you know? There are over 60 definitions for CRO. There could be more but that’s not the point of this article. Stay with me…
I’m going to write about the role of a Chief Remote Officer — a position that companies are all rushing to introduce to their organization structure.
In the marketing world, CRO could stand for Chief Risk Officer, Chief Revenue Officer, or Conversion Rate Optimization to name a few.
Among those, Conversion Rate Optimization is the most common nowadays. You’ll see digital agencies offer CRO services — where digital experts conduct a series of tests with the goal to improve your website’s conversion rate.
So why on earth am I talking about a CRO rising like a phoenix? WHAT!?!?!
I am going for the analogy here — humor me, will you? Perhaps the analogy makes it dramatic.
It’s not a fad.
As of writing this article, Facebook has already started to hire for a chief remote officer, and LinkedIn is already populated with articles about tech companies adding remote executives to their ranks.
But are the big companies late to the game? 100%! Remote working has been going on for a while. Don’t take my word for it.
I started searching for posts and comments about remote working and work from home and found many companies and entrepreneurs who have been remote for years before before COVID-19.
2016! And Saravanan would be correct to say that they are not the anomaly.
Introducing Your New CRO (Chief Remote Officer)
What is not exaggerated is what a CRO could mean for your organization post pandemic. With companies shifting to a remote-first approach, virtual interviews, and WFH policies, a new type of leader must be put in place to help companies navigate through the turbulence of a major shift in work culture.
We will see more Chief Remote Officer roles emerge in the coming weeks and months.
I’ve already seen job openings show up on LinkedIn where companies are looking to hire CROs to beef up their remote working organization.
Chief 2.0 Officer — The Remote Executives
Since the emergence of new executive roles in the past few years, it’s no surprise we will see a remote executive rise in the ranks. After all, the org structure of an organization is a fluid living document.
It’s not any different than the role of a Chief Culture Officer, Chief People Officer, Chief [FILL IN THE BLANK] Officer.
There is but one difference, this new executive role of remote chief is borne out of an unfortunate series of events caused by the pandemic (COVID-19) to be specific. The snowball effect from shutdowns, layoffs, and lockdowns are forcing companies (especially the larger ones) to rethink their work environment.
As the workplace evolve and companies find a need to adapt to dynamicity in their industries, more chief roles will be created. There might even be a day when we see a Chief Décor Officer or a Chief Entertainment Officer, you get the idea.
Seems like many are guessing what a CRO’s duties are. Of course, it’s in the title, right? “Remote” is the functional word for this executive role.
But what does it take for someone to fill the shoes of this role? I will explore this further along in this article.
But for now, let’s take a look at some search data.
Increase in Google search for chief remote officers
A quick search in Google for “Chief Remote Officer” brings up heaps load of Google suggestions. Companies are jumping on this like it’s going out of style, before it’s even gotten a chance to mature.
What Does Google Trend Say About the Remote Work and It’s Chief?
I can’t turn back time, but Google Trend could shed some light on this for us. In the last 5 years, interest around remote work has been steadily increasing.
WFH, the acronym for “work from home” or “working from home” is more telling of when this started to get serious.
But we would have never thought about creating an executive role to manage remote teams had it not been for the pandemic – let’s be honest here. Throughout my career, I have never heard of a remote working protocol that was enforced…it was quite loosy goosy.
Our ol’faithful, Google Trends is very helpful! According to trends, data for Chief Remote Officer has not really caught up yet — but from the graph below you can tell that the interest in that search term is increasing, frequency is higher, and timeline is more compressed.
Let’s dig a little deeper into this hot new emerging role of a CRO.
So what does a Chief Remote Officer look like?
When I got my first job 20 years ago after I graduated college, the only executive roles that existed was a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), and a Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Now they must also consider designating or hiring a Chief Remote Officer to make remote work work.
Understanding what makes for a successful chief remote officer is vital because the effectiveness of CROs (or the ranking officer in charge of remote work) is critical to companies pivoting to this new way of work.
It’s difficult to pinpoint the kinds of environment within organizations where CROs will thrive. First, the role of a remote officer is still in its infancy, second, there is still much ambiguity on the exact job description, and last but not least, how does one become a chief remote officer to begin with?
Cross examining the role of a Chief Remote Officer
The CROs will remain somewhat a mystery for a relative time — it’s structural, strategic, social, political — and extremely situational.
Say what, Derek!?!?!
That’s right. The role of a remote chief is complex because no one has really done it before, trained for, or prepared for. But it’s a role that requires experience in many areas of organizational architecture and operational prowess.
Is it too soon to require so much from a new chief role? Perhaps. But time is not a luxury companies have if they want to survive the pandemic and emerge stronger on the other side.
Your company is probably moving to remote work, or you know someone who is working remotely.
Unless you are talking about healthcare, grocery and drug stores, delivery, manufacturing, and public-safety, remote work is redefining the way companies operate by becoming remote-first.
So, if the shift to remote-first is inevitably becoming permanent, then the need for an executive who can deliver the success is required.
7 Areas of Focus for a Remote Chief
Remote teams impacts many areas of business. And the distance adds a new level of complexity when it comes to operations.
1. Hiring remote employees
Expanding the hiring footprint allow companies to broaden their talent pool. But it also adds to the complexity of onboarding, training, and management.
2. Diversity and Inclusion
Building a diverse workforce is increasingly important. Being inclusive and equitable must be on the forefront of the hiring process. Companies who hire remotely will be held to the same high standards.
3. Technology
The right technology for collaboration, productivity, and reporting is of utmost important for remote teams to thrive. Setting protocols and standard operating procedures is necessary to ensure consistent communication and quality of work.
4. Cybersecurity
Having a small team work remotely like Fullmoon Digital is must easier to manage, relative to the tens of thousands of employees companies like Twitter, Tesla, or Disney must coordinate the sharing of data across public networks. Having the highest level of corporate security to protect company secrets and intellectual property is of utmost importance.
5. Sales and Business Development
The traditional way sales and business are done is to meet face to face with potential clients. But things have changed, dramatically. There’s no more wine-and-dining, no more meeting for coffee to discuss proposals, and certainly no more visiting offices to meet the team.
Videoconferencing will be the new normal.
Pro tip: When you are talking to a prospect, make sure you video is turned on for the video conference. I lost an opportunity to close a client because of that. I’m not joking. You may think it’s minor, but it is a sign of respect and your prospects and clients deserve that.
6. Workflow Improvements
Remote migration is uncovering A HEAP LOAD of inefficient workflows. Companies are seeing how much money they have been wasting right before their eyes — the finance guys are probably having cold sweats and nightmares…or are they vindicated 🙂
When you are stuck within a rigid structure of in-office requirements, you start to drink the koolaid of corporate governance.
7. Culture
I’ve said this many times before. Not everyone can cope with working remotely as a permanent setup.
Most humans need the physical interaction that they are accustomed to. Will the remote chief drive this shift at companies, or will it be employee-led?
A strong foundation — emotional, social, physical, and mental — must exist for remote companies to thrive. The connection between peers, managers, and executives needs to be strengthened by making work more enjoyable and efficient.
What An Ideal Chief or Remote Looks Like
I’m not going to pretend to know. Even though Fullmoon Digital has been functioning at 100% remote since our inception, I am still learning what it takes to be an effective “remote chief.”
I hate to say this, but advocating for a remote-first voice within a large organization will be challenging.
This structure goes head-to-head against many legacy structures and protocols that will threaten the old-school way of thinking.
But what we’re going to see is one of the fastest and necessary shift to new ways of working — pandemic-fueled — unlearning the habits and comforts of in-person work.
World’s largest home working experiment has begun. A plea for a Chief Remote Officer.
Final Word
Finally, there is no single agreed-upon description of what the job entails. But it is definite that the chief of remote must have be part visionary part executioner — to navigate the pandemic and create a comprehensive remote strategy and policies that are sustainable.
