Resources for Managing Remote & Offshore Teams
We share our expert experience and knowledge to get the most from your BruntWork team.
Trust & Cultural Intelligence
Adam from BruntWork discusses the keys to successful remote work, emphasizing that it lies in addressing cultural challenges, not just technical problems.
Strategies such as creating a “working with me” profile, running micro-surveys, and implementing a “right first” model for decision-making to build trust and clarity with remote teams, while maintaining accountability without excessive oversight.
Strategies such as creating a “working with me” profile, running micro-surveys, and implementing a “right first” model for decision-making to build trust and clarity with remote teams, while maintaining accountability without excessive oversight.
- Micromanagement is inefficient, leading to 30-60% of leadership time being wasted on checking and rechecking work.
- The self-managing flywheel of clarity, ownership, outcomes, and trust is more effective.
- Cultural intelligence is key for remote leadership, not just technology. Understanding time orientation, communication styles, and motivations is crucial.
- Creating a “working with me” profile builds vulnerability and trust with new staff.
- Micro-surveys on communication style, hierarchy comfort, and preferred channels help tailor management approach.
- Reframing meetings as decision-making events, not just discussions, improves punctuality.
- The “right first” rule of documenting ideas before discussion reduces communication barriers.
- Weekly “culture swap” sessions humanize remote relationships and improve retention.
- A decision log tracks accountability and prevents costly disputes.
- Addressing the “iceberg” of hidden fears and cultural norms is key to successful remote execution.
Accountability Without Micromanagement
Strategies for building trust and accountability within remote teams without resorting to micromanagement or lowering standards.
Part 2 highlights the value of providing growth opportunities, transparent performance tracking, and a consequence ladder to address missed targets, all while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and early issue escalation.
- Outcome-based OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are crucial for defining and measuring success in roles.
- The 30-60-90 day onboarding blueprint helps new hires learn, take on small projects, and contribute meaningfully.
- A “Results Only Work Environment” (ROWE) provides flexibility, but requires daily “wins” reporting for visibility.
- Weekly “traffic light” meetings identify and address any yellow or red flag issues early.
- Considering “meeting fairness” by adjusting schedules for global teams can boost loyalty.
- Providing clear career progression paths is a powerful retention strategy.
- A transparent consequence ladder (coaching, action plan, role change) ensures accountability.
- Monthly meetings for continuous improvement, including rewards for best process suggestions.
- Key steps: set outcome-based OKRs, implement daily wins reporting and weekly traffic light meetings, and provide career progression.
- Effective communication with remote teams is crucial for scaling, to be covered in the next session.
Elite Communication & Continuous Engagement
Strategies for separating good remote leaders from elite ones, focusing on building effective communication systems that respect cultural differences, particularly in the developing world.
Part 3 introduces a “communication charter” to define protocols for different types of communication, a “hierarchy pyramid” approach for cross-cultural collaboration, and various productivity-enhancing tools like AI meeting assistants.
- Implement a communication charter to reduce digital noise and improve cross-cultural communication, including response SLAs and emergency protocols.
- Develop a “hierarchy pyramid” with 4 levels of communication – shared documents, threaded discussions, loom videos, and live calls – to cater to cultural preferences.
- Introduce AI meeting assistants to capture action items and follow-ups, saving executives 1 day per month.
- Create cultural connection channels like food pics, pet show-and-tells, and playlists to build relationships.
- Implement a “lessons learned” program with monetary rewards to shift the cultural fear of admitting mistakes.
- Conduct quarterly pulse surveys on 6 key areas (clarity, tools, recognition, communication, belonging, growth) to identify and address cultural conflicts.
- Introduce “2-person skill pods” where team members teach each other valuable skills, building relationships and eliminating shame.
- Implement “failure retros” and “daily success snapshots” to increase speed and productivity by 26%.
- Organise in-person team meetups to build loyalty and cultural connection, even for remote teams.
- Advise to start slow, implement one tactic at a time, and build cultural trust gradually.
