Leading Remote Teams

Meetings aren’t for updates - they’re where your culture is being built… or broken. In distributed, remote, & hybrid teams, meetings are key moments where team members experience culture together. That makes every meeting a high-stakes opportunity. Yet most teams stay in default mode - using meetings for project updates instead of connection, ideation, debate, and culture-building. Fixing meeting overload isn’t just about having fewer Zooms. It’s about rewiring your communication norms: ✔️ Do we know when to communicate synchronously vs. asynchronously? ✔️ Are we using async tools that give transparency without constant live check-ins? ✔️ Have we aligned on our team values and expected behaviors? 💡 3 ways to reduce meetings and make the remaining ones count: 1️⃣ Co-create a Team Working Agreement. Before you can reinforce values, your team needs to define them. We’ve spent hundreds of hours helping teams do this - and have seen measurable gains in team effectiveness. Key components: ✔️ Shared team goals ✔️ Defining team member roles ✔️ Agreed-upon behaviors ✔️ Communication norms (sync vs. async) 2️⃣ Begin meetings with a connection moment. Relationships fuel trust and collaboration. Kick things off with a check-in like: “What gave you energy this week?” Or tailor it to the topic. In a recent meeting on decision-making norms, we asked: “Speed or certainty - which do you value more when making decisions, and why?” 3️⃣ Make team values part of the agenda. Create a ritual to recognize teammates for living into the team behaviors. Ask the question: “Where did we see our values or team agreements show up this week?” And check in on where could the team have done better. Culture doesn’t happen by accident - especially when your teams are spread across time zones, WFH setups, and multiple office sites. Your meetings can become a powerful tool to build culture with intention. Excerpt from the Work 20XX podcast with Jeff Frick

Remote work challenge: How do you build a connected culture when teams are miles apart? At Bunny Studio we’ve discovered that intentional connection is the foundation of our remote culture. This means consistently reinforcing our values while creating spaces where every team member feels seen and valued. Four initiatives that have transformed our remote culture: 🔸 Weekly Town Halls where teams showcase their impact, creating visibility across departments. 🔸 Digital Recognition through our dedicated Slack “kudos” channel, celebrating wins both big and small. 🔸 Random Coffee Connections via Donut, pairing colleagues for 15-minute conversations that break down silos. 🔸 Strategic Bonding Events that pull us away from routines to build genuine connections. Beyond these programs, we’ve learned two critical lessons: 1. Hiring people who thrive in collaborative environments is non-negotiable. 2. Avoiding rigid specialization prevents isolation and encourages cross-functional thinking. The strongest organizational cultures aren’t imposed from above—they’re co-created by everyone. In a remote environment, this co-creation requires deliberate, consistent effort. 🤝 What’s working in your remote culture? I’d love to hear your strategies.

Communication is the glue that holds teams together, but even the smallest cracks can lead to major fractures if left unaddressed. Imagine trying to build a strong, sturdy wall without noticing the hairline cracks forming—those tiny issues eventually compromise the whole structure. The same is true for communication within teams. Here’s why communication cracks happen and how to address them before they break the team dynamic: 1️⃣ Clarity Over Assumptions One of the biggest causes of communication cracks is the assumption that everyone is on the same page. Leaders often believe their instructions are clear, while team members interpret them differently. The solution? Prioritize clarity. Spell things out, confirm understanding, ask for play backs from your audience and encourage team members to ask questions. It’s far better to over-communicate to get it wrong. 2️⃣ Build a Culture of Openness Fear of speaking up is a silent communication killer. If team members feel like they can’t ask questions, provide feedback, or share concerns, cracks start forming. Leaders must actively create an environment where openness is celebrated. Foster trust by inviting feedback regularly and responding with empathy and action. 3️⃣ Don’t Let Digital Overwhelm Human Connections In today’s workplace, we rely heavily on emails, chats, and virtual meetings. While these tools are convenient, they can dilute the human element of communication. Misinterpretations happen, and nuances are lost. Incorporate more face-to-face (or virtual face-to-face) conversations for clarity and connection. Sometimes, a 5-minute chat can fix what a dozen emails cannot. 4️⃣ Active Listening is Non-Negotiable Effective communication isn’t just about talking—it’s about listening. Leaders and team members alike need to practice active listening. This means not just hearing words but understanding intent, emotions, and the bigger picture. Active listening makes people feel valued and prevents misunderstandings from growing into bigger issues. 5️⃣ Address Conflict Early Unresolved conflict is one of the most visible cracks in team communication. When issues are ignored, they fester and grow, creating divides that are hard to repair. Address conflicts as soon as they arise. Create an environment where disagreements can be discussed constructively and lead to solutions, not resentment. Take Action Before It’s Too Late Communication cracks, if ignored, don’t just affect a single project or conversation—they compromise trust, productivity, and the overall health of the team. Proactively addressing them ensures your team remains aligned, resilient, and effective. What’s one step you’ll take this week to strengthen communication within your team? Let’s start the conversation below. 👇 #CommunicationMatters #TeamSuccess #ConflictResolution #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #RuthOnLeadership

❓ What are some best practices for leading a virtual project team? Virtual teams can present unique challenges. How do we keep everyone aligned and engaged when our only connections are remote? Here are some practical tips for leading a virtual project team: 📢 Set Communication Ground Rules: Don't leave communication to chance! Is it Teams or Slack for quick questions, email for formal updates, or a project management platform for task assignments? Specify which tools to use for what types of communications. You should also encourage team members to share their working hours and availability to help manage expectations. 🎯 Optimize Virtual Meetings: Long, rambling virtual meetings can kill engagement, so ditch the round-robin status updates. Instead, use your meeting time for brainstorming, problem-solving, and decision-making. To create space for open discussion and feedback, share agendas ahead of time and incorporate interactive elements like breakout rooms and shared whiteboards. 🧩 Encourage Team Member Collaboration: Suggest that small groups of team members meet outside of regular team meetings to tackle specific tasks or problems together. These working sessions can help build trust and individual bonds. 👋 Schedule Individual Check-Ins: Schedule short, regular meetings with each team member to check in on progress, address challenges, and offer support. These meetings help to cultivate connections but also allow us to catch obstacles and potential delays early. Leading a virtual team requires intentional effort and clear communication. By implementing these best practices, you can foster a more collaborative environment, no matter the distance. #projects #projectmanagement ________________ 👋Hi, I'm Jami, a project management and planning consultant for mission-driven organizations. I write about my work and share strategies and advice for leading more impactful projects, teams, and planning. Follow me 🔔, comment 💬, and reach out ✉️ to keep the conversation going.

I made a HUGE mistake when our team went fully remote. (It almost cost me my top talent) I love working from home. So when we rebuilt Flash Pack as a remote-first company, I assumed everyone else would too. I was wrong. What I didn't anticipate: 👉🏽 Young team members feeling isolated 👉🏽 Managers struggling to read virtual room energy 👉🏽 Mental health challenges going unnoticed 👉🏽 Team bonds taking longer to form But the biggest lesson? What comes naturally in an office must be DELIBERATELY designed in a remote world. Today... We're a thriving team of 70 people, across 15 countries. Here's how we fixed it: ✅ Robust remote-ready assessment in recruitment ✅ Intentional connection-building systems ✅ Regular IRL meetups and co-working hubs ✅ Comprehensive manager training Remote, flexible working can be life-changing. But it's not for everyone. And that's ok! Agreed? ♻️ Repost to help leaders building remote teams. _ 👋🏽 I'm Radha Vyas, CEO & Co-Founder of Flash Pack, connecting solo travelers on social adventures. Follow for daily posts on the journey!

5 powerful ways to build psychological safety in remote teams: Remote work isn't just about tools, it's about TRUST. Psychological safety is the glue that holds remote teams together. Without it, team members hesitate to: - speak up - creativity suffers - and performance tanks. Here are 5 ways to build psychological safety into your remote team's DNA: 1. Make Safety a Visible Priority ↳ Leadership should emphasize psychological safety isn't optional   ↳ Start team check-ins with “How’s everyone really doing?”   ↳ Share your own mistakes to normalize vulnerability 2. Reward Questions, Not Just Answers ↳ Shift from blame to curiosity—“What can we experiment with next?”   ↳ Praise team members who ask insightful questions 3. Dare to Disagree (Respectfully) ↳ Normalize constructive debates. ↳ Disagreement isn’t disrespect—when done right, it fuels innovation. 4. Make Feedback Feel Safe ↳ Start feedback with “Here’s what’s working really well”   ↳ Frame feedback as part of a collaborative improvement process 5. Turn Failures into Case Studies ↳ Hold “What We Learned” meetings after major projects   ↳ Failure is a learning opportunity, not an endpoint Remember, silence often means fear, not agreement. Invite participation by asking questions like, “What haven’t we considered?” Psychological safety takes effort to build but unlocks your team’s potential. You'll see better ideas, stronger connections, and lasting trust. Psychological safety isn’t just a perk, it’s a superpower for teams! P.S. So what’s your #1 tip for building trust in remote teams? – ♻️ Don’t keep this post to yourself, REPOST to help your network build psychological safety in their teams! ➕ Follow Sandra Pellumbi for more.🦉

2 areas effective project managers spend more time on than schedules 👉 Risks 👉 Relationships New PMs think success means keeping a schedule on-track. Timelines? Nailed. Tasks? Checked off. Reports? Flawless. But Senior PMs realize the real work isn't in the schedule. It's in the uncertainty around it. So they don't spend time obsessing over it. Instead they: → ID hidden risks before they become real → Navigate cross-functional politics/team dynamics → Align leadership on priorities when the project shifts → Have tough conversations that others avoid When you're operating at a senior level, you're not just managing a plan. You're managing people, change, AND the unknown. Here's how to shift your focus: ✅ Make risk management a superpower Anyone can report delays. Leaders forecast, mitigate, and build trust. Regularly review risk logs with the team. Escalate early. Offer options, get decisions, and outline/communicate next steps. ✅ Build influence, not just status updates Trust isn't built by having perfect charts or reporting dashboards. It's earned by showing up calm, driving clarity, and making a plan when things go sideways. Proactively meet with stakeholders and share what MATTERs. Connect project risks to business impact and get leadership alignment. ✅ Focus on relationships that move the work forward You can't "task manage" you way to success in complex projects. You need people aligned, informed, and empowered. Invest in 1:1s. Understand what stakeholders really care about. Don't chase, connect. Timelines don't get you promoted. Trust does. Prioritize risk management and relationships to succeed in your projects and get you where you want to go next. 🤙

For many, having a remote team is THE setup. But underneath it all, it's also challenging. It's comfortable in the sense that: Your team doesn't have to commute. You don't need to pay for an office space. It sounds like a dream setup. And in many ways, it is. But being remote comes with real challenges: People get siloed. You can't "read the room" on Zoom or Slack. Delays happen because of timezone differences. So this makes it hard to: Get aligned. Gain momentum. Have consistency. Build connections. But it's not impossible. You just have to be intentional. Here are some of the things I've implemented: Complete communication ➝ When you message, give the full context. ➝ Include links to files or websites if needed. Over-communicate  ➝ Be transparent about what's going on. ➝ And ask them to do the same. Make time for team building ➝ 5-minute meeting mood boosters (We do this on Mondays). ➝ Schedule a virtual Christmas party. Meet up in person once a year ➝ Host an annual retreat or team meetup. ➝ Even a simple dinner goes a long way. Clarify response time expectations ➝ Don't assume people know when to reply. ➝ Define what "urgent" means in your team. Use async and sync tools—intentionally ➝ Async is great for deep work. ➝ Some things need a real-time call. Communication isn't harder in a remote team. It's just different—and requires more intention. Helpful?  ♻️Please share to help others. 🔎Follow Michael Shen for more. #RemoteTeamManagement #ManagingRemoteTeams #Communication

If you're in the business of leading projects, then at least 10% of your time should be spent on identifying and planning around risks. At least, this is what I was taught in my first PMI project management course years ago. And while reasonable people can disagree on the specific amount of time needed, the point is solid - one of the major roles anyone in production or program management type roles is assigned to take on is risk assessment and mitigation. Unfortunately, for a lot of producers in the game industry, this isn't something they were formally trained on, particularly if you came into the role from another discipline in games (such as QA or Design) or if your only formal training came from a two day Scrum course. I saw the subject come up in the Building Better Games Q&A call and I was actually excited when Aaron Smith brought up the same techniques I was trained on years ago and have adopted (and adapted) ever since. It's the way I teach my own teams and while it requires dilligence and consistency, it's not hard to pick up (it's easier than the rules for the board game "Risk"). 1 - Identify risks On a regular basis, you should be asking your team what are the risks they see. Every time a decision needs to be made, a story is written, or a feature is spec'd, you should think about what could go wrong. Those are your risks. 2 - Document Keep the risks written down in a doc everyone has access to (Gdocs, Confluence, etc). The way I prefer (and what I saw Aaron advocating) is a spreadsheet. Each risk gets a line item and a category (if the risk happens, what would be impacted - costs? security? people? players?). 3 - Impact You should also track the potential impact - how bad is this risk if it happens? Is it a trivial risk or a catastrophic one? Would it involve some work to reboot a service or would it potentially take down your entire data center? Assign these risks a score. I prefer 1 to 5, Trivial to Catastrophic. 4 - Probability You should score out how likely each risk is to occur. Is it highly unlikely or nearly certain? Score these out also on the same scale, typically 1 to 5. 5 - Prioritize Multiply the Impact and Probability to come up with your score, somewhere between 1 (something trivial that is highly unlikely) to 25 (a nearly certain, catastrophic event) and then sort or at least color range your spreadsheet accordingly to show your risks in a way that prioritizes your attention. 6 - Action Plans The last column I make sure to include is what type of plan is in place to address the risk. Something with a minor impact may be something we just accept where something more serious may require a full mitigation plan. The value here is that you've documented these risks and can communicate them out (as well as what needs doing). You're addressing risks before they become real problems in this way. #production #risks #gamedev #bettergames