Need remote work to work? Build a culture that prioritizes the team.
Need remote work to work? Build a culture that prioritizes the team.
On #remotework #work
A few years ago I learned this simple guideline to push work forward, make teams more productive, keep clients happy, and increase profitability. It also makes remote work work.
I was a client-facing technical project manager for a fully remote team. And by “client-facing” I mean I was the point of contact, filter, and bridge to the design and development team. My boss at the time, whom I consider a friend and a mentor, told me early on: “your number one work here is to unblock your team”.
“And what about the clients?” I asked (substitute for “upper management”, “leadership”, “product owner”, etc.). He explained that by prioritizing the team, we were producing for the client, and thus the rest would become more manageable.
Based on the level of success on his three-decade career, there is no doubt in my mind this is the number one secret for remote work to work for the business. That, and my professional experience with the opposite. You know, teams where the priorities are reports, asking “how high” every time the client/sales/other say “jump”, meetings, etc.
Good team communication, awareness of teammates needs, and prioritizing responding to those is one of the main ingredients for remote work to work for the business.
(Photo by @dillonjshook on Unsplash)
Love this, Nando! "My boss at the time, whom I consider a friend and a mentor, told me early on: “your number one work here is to unblock your team”."