issue 21 - week of january 22, 2024

Editor’s Note

Remote and hybrid work is here to stay.

I’ve encountered some weird takes from “remote friendly” companies.

As someone who has been on remote and distributed teams for over 15 years, I’m going to give y’all some tips and tricks that helped me.

My 🌶 spicy take of the week - kids are welcome on conference calls. If your client doesn’t like it, they are part of the problem. If we can deal with cats, dogs, and cool plants - how much more the tiny humans in our lives?

Covid changed things forever. When we could no longer hide everything, it opened up a different mindset towards authenticity and remote work. And for the record, the gentleman in the gif above received all the global love as his babies did what all babies do. Hang with the coolest people in their lives.

This issue will also share:

• An app to create full presentations in seconds.

• How to use praise to create resilience in your teams,

I appreciate all of you on this journey with me.

Until next Wednesday,

Phedra, Founder at HCPM

this week’s picks

recs for your delivery goals - uncommon sources with nuggets of wisdom

1. 📺 Watching: Difficulty means “not yet”. What a mindset! I came across this video as a mom, but couldn’t help but think about the application of this mindset on a team level. I’ll have to do a deep dive so I can find more ways to praise process and strategy vs the result. Imagine the way you commend and recognize creating resilience and perseverance in your teams. #sheesh I’m adding her book to this year’s reading goals.

2. 🎧 Listening: Have y’all seen the movie Interstellar? Excellent film. HAVE YOU LISTENED TO THE SOUNDTRACK? It’s not quite the frequency bandwagon, but this soundtrack unlocks something in my brain. If you struggle with focus, turn your phone on airplane mode, grab your fav headphones, and listen.

3. 📚 Reading: How do we ensure people feel seen? Especially in remote working environments? When you do finally meet in person, what are the things you can do to foster a genuine connection? I’ve relied on my personality for a very long time. How to Know a Person delves into the psychology and neuroscience of human connection. Only a few chapters in, but deeply insightful.

4. Trying out: Y’all remember the days of taking hours to make a single presentation? What kind of life were we living? And it’s ok if you’re a slides or PowerPoint champion, but www.gamma.app might have changed my life. AI generated slide decks, predesigned, and with boiler plate - mostly usable content? All.Of.This.Please. The free tier is legit (until you run out of credits), but look at your company policy and see if you can get them to comp it. #freegame

Have a recommendation? Send it to: [email protected].

feature: success when wfa is all the rave

Remote work is here to stay.

Some of y’all may go into an office, but I guarantee you that probably over 50% of your meetings are still on Zoom.

You couldn’t tell me the last team your entire team was in a single conference room (or building) at the same time.

I’ve been working remotely or in a hybrid fashion since 2012 (before it was cool). I can’t tell you how many times I practiced asking my then-boss for permission to be the only program manager not in the office any day of the week. 😬 I was relocating and I didn’t want to lose my job. In the end, it worked out. I moved out of state and got a provision to work remotely.

And I’ve made every mistake in the book.

• Answering the front door, phone not on mute LOL.

• Colleague sharing screen and all DM’d messages being shown to the client. 🤦‍♀️

• Forgot I was sharing my screen, proceeded to read email. Whew chile.

• Camera not off - you get the picture.

The painful lessons are the ones that build character. Remember that!

How do you ensure your team is set up for success? How do you ensure people know who you are, what you’re doing, and how your team delivers?

It’s hard out here, even if you still wear pajamas and house shoes from the waist down.

Here are some tips and tricks:

For You

1. Turn on your camera. You know you want to show off your new houseplant. The best way to foster human connection remotely is to show your face. If you want to keep your camera off, just go back to using phones for meetings. #thinkaboutit It’s called video conferencing for a reason.

2. Look into the camera. It’s fine to pretend you’re a stock trader with 12 screens going concurrently. However, whenever people are gathered (virtually) and you need to look engaged, don’t multi-task with your eyes all over the place. It’s ok to have a few side glances (let’s not be dogmatic) but pay attention by looking into the camera - not screen number 4.

3.  A kanban board is your friend. A lot of requests will come your way in a remote environment. You need a way to actively prioritize and figure out which are the highest leverage tasks to maximize both relationship and performance capital. This also helps with delegation or automation decisions.

4. Prioritize relationships and networking. 1:1s are your friend. Schedule them often in remote/distributed environments. Have a pre-determined agenda and work on your personality. If possible, in-person events are still the plug. There’s a lot to a handshake, looking people in the eye and vibes. It doesn’t matter how talented you are if no one knows who you are. Also, don’t let a performance review catch you slipping. Ask for feedback and create a perception management plan.

5. Fixing Org Problems is a Cheat Code. Yes, it’s your job to be aware and create stretch goals for yourself. Take notes of inefficiencies. Add value beyond your day-to-day tasks. Taking initiative means a lot to your leadership team. What can be automated, improved, and reimagined? How do you get more visibility? How can you help your boss look good?

6. Take Care of Yourself. Eat well. Move your body. Go outside. Get fresh air and sunlight. Reduce screen time - especially after context switching every 30 minutes for 8-9 hours a day. Get massages. Prioritize your mental health.

For Your Team

1. Make things fun. There are so many services to help virtual teams connect. If the budget is tight - use icebreakers in meetings. Have themed days. Use themed virtual backgrounds. Have virtual happy hours. The effort goes a long way. If there is a healthy budget to invest in virtual experiences, here are a few sites that will help you organize top-tier fun:

   • withconfetti.com

   • https://www.offsyte.co/company

2. Invest in the right tools. I’m a Gsuite girlie. I’m an Atlassian girlie. I’m a Zoom girlie. I’m a Miro girlie. I’m a Slack girlie. I’m a Canva girlie. I’m an Okta girlie. However, between Airtable, notion, GitHub, Monday, Zapier, etc there are a zillion cloud-based Saas tools in the world. Don’t be a cheapskate. Optimize for team productivity. Prioritize information sharing (wikis, knowledge repos) & collaboration tools.

3. Default to async collaboration. Most companies employ a global workforce. If you need synchronous working time, allow the team to create working agreements, norms, and core working hours. I’m a fan of maxing out core working hours at like 4 hours. But pressure test that - could it be 2? Otherwise, empower people to work when they can bring their best selves. Think of the new mom (it me) who can only think straight when everyone in the house is sleeping. I can crush through 8 hours of work in 2 hours if it’s on my time. But if you force ppl to be their best selves after waking up at 5 am, dressing two humans, and a daycare shuffle . . . well.

4. Take care of team mental health. Have some situational awareness. How much are people truly working? Are operational processes sound? Or are people beating their heads against the wall? Some companies go as far as to offer health stipends for gyms, massages, etc. Have a mechanism to both check in but also monitor how much people are working so you can ensure equitable workloads. Encourage people to take PTO and to log off.

5. Recognize and Reward Good Work. Recognition can be as simple as a shout-out during a meeting, or as snazzy as virtual awards and rewards. It’s all about making your team feel valued and seen. Pro-tip: Praise processes and strategy over results! #growthmindset

6. Adopt a Flexible Mindset. Look - it’s always gonna be something. Never be dogmatic about a process. Flexibility is the new black. Be open to different working styles, schedules, and ideas. This adaptability not only helps in managing a diverse team but also paves the way for creative and innovative solutions.

7. Regularly Assess and Improve Processes. Keep your processes under a microscope. Regularly check in to see what’s working and what’s not. Be open to feedback and make improvements. It’s like tuning a guitar (or any other stringed instrument) - you always have to do it.

8. Stay Updated with Remote Work Trends. Keep your finger on the pulse of remote work trends. Whether it's new technology, evolving best practices, or changes in remote work policies, staying informed can help you stay ahead and make the remote working experience even better for your team. There’s a direct correlation between your bottom line and employee experience.

tryna help people learn to slack first like

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