Do you believe that remote teams can succeed?

"𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝?"

This is one of the first questions we ask in our workshops on creating thriving remote, hybrid, or distributed work cultures (delete as applicable- there are a lot of nuances!).

My experiences shape my beliefs about remote work. I’ve led a fully distributed team, been a remote employee, and now work almost entirely remotely as a freelancer and small business owner. I've also spent many years working from an office five days a week.

Working remotely has opened up many more opportunities for me and continues to do so. But creating a productive, trusting, and collaborative remote culture takes work! It requires intention, thoughtful design, and a new set of skills and tools. I’m convinced these teams can thrive, and yes, I believe there is still a place for in-person meetups.

Our beliefs shape our actions. When working with leaders on developing hybrid cultures, I don't start with tools, productivity, or team building. 

Instead, I first seek to understand their own beliefs and mindset about remote work:

1️⃣ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤?

2️⃣ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤?

3️⃣ 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤?

4️⃣ 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥?

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐬, 𝐢𝐟 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭.

While questions about tools, productivity, trust, belonging, and team building are crucial (and we always address these too), I believe the first question you must tackle is: 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐞𝐝?