leading without seeing: managing distributed teams

Managing a Distributed Team LEADING WITHOUT SEEING

@justlikeair #remotemgt

Hi, I’m Shane & I run a 100% DISTRIBUTED company.  

(some people call them clients) A COUPLE OF OUR FRIENDS

www.shaneandpeter.com

CHALLENGES FOR DISTRIBUTED TEAMS •  Leadership •  Accountability •  Synchronicity •  Trust •  Culture •  Isolation •  Balance

1.  The Future of Teams 2.  Building the Right team 3.  Rhythm 4.  Relationships 5.  Communication & Technology 6.  Conclusion

DISTRIBUTED TEAMS REQUIRE

A UNIQUE APPROACH

The Future of Teams

1. THE FUTURE OF TEAMS

A team of people using technology to work on the same stuff from different places.

DISTRIBUTED TEAM

Team Structures

Co-located

Co-located part time

Remote offices

Distributed w/ overlapping hours

Distributed w/ different hours

Increasing Distribution

50-FOOT RULE Teams on separate floors (more than 50 feet apart) actually talk less than a distributed team.

Distance Probability of collaboration Same corridor……………………………………. 10.3% Same floor………………………………………... 1.9% Different floor……………………………………... 0.3% Different building………………………………….. 0.4%

Study by Bell Labs & University of Arizona 1988

ADVANTAGES •  Talent •  Productivity •  Diversity •  Minimal infrastructure •  Cost savings •  Ecological •  Work - life balance •  Individual control

•  The future of work •  Highly productive •  Major benefits •  Significant challenges •  Calling all leaders

FUTURE OF TEAMS REVIEW

2. BUILDING THE RIGHT TEAMS

THE RIGHT PEOPLE •  Talented •  Happy •  Helpful •  Curious •  Accountable

TALENTED 1)  Normal interviews often don’t work 2)  Remote interviews certainly don’t 3)  Try before you buy 4) Hire slowly and fire quickly

PERSONALITY MATTERS MORE THAN TALENT When it comes to Distributed Teams:

HAPPY

HAPPY

HELPFUL

HELPFUL

CURIOUS CURIOUS

ACCOUNTABLE

get multiple contracts Not everyone is going to be the perfect fit

* In 2010, we tried 43 contractors of which 15 have multiple contracts (good year)

1 OUT OF 3 *

•  Failures are inevitable, plan for them •  Try before you buy •  Figure out YOUR culture •  S&P’s: Happy, Helpful, Curious, •  Accountable

THE RIGHT TEAM REVIEW

Can anyone succeed as a valuable member of distributed team with the right training and support? Do people have specific predispositions that make

them more likely to succeed?

CHALLENGE Break  into  groups  and  discuss  the  following  ques6on:  

3. THE RHYTHM: OFFER CONSISTENCY

I can predict the long-term outcome of your success if you show me your daily habits. John Maxwell

“

How do I win? If your team can’t answer this right off the bat, stop what you are doing.

You are about to loose a lot more money.

•  What’s next?

•  Why, who, how and when

•  Why more Is less

ARE YOU MANAGING THE QUEUE?

•  What did you do last?

•  What will you do next?

•  What is in your way?

•  Do you need a meeting?

We  call  it  a  “Scrum”  THE REGULAR STANDUP: SCRUM

Everything has an

Just because you asked for help or for someone else to collaborate does not relinquish accountability. It is yours until it is done.

OWNER

Clear Feedback is Not Optional The only true measure of feedback quality: WTFs / Minute

Adapted froman OSNews.com comic

MEASURE PERFOMANCE NOT HOURS We should focus on what people get done, not how many hours or days worked. Just as we don't have a nine-to-five day policy, we don't need a vacation policy.

From the Netflix “Reference Guide on our Freedom & Responsibility Culture”

“

Flex time is contingent on availability

within communication patterns.

OPEN DOOR OFFICE HOURS

It’s your call, just be available

OR

Help your team with scheduling. Even our PMs need this.

It’s not out of sight if it’s in your calendar!

Every time I break rhythm

MY TEAM LOSES DAYS.

Rhythm Review •  Create regular habits

•  Make sure everyone knows how to win

•  Manage the queue artfully

•  Run a regular standup meeting

•  Everything has an owner

•  Provide clear and explicit feedback

•  Figure out a consistent communication pattern

•  Measure performance not time

•  Help people with their time management

•  Respect personal load and priorities

A couple times a year, one of our highest performers will simply vanish mid-sprint. No explanations, no warnings, no call-backs. 98% of the time we can count of him, but those time he disappears are

painful. The cause is burnout. How do you monitor your distributed team’s mental health? How is it

different with a remote worker?

CHALLENGE Break  into  groups  and  discuss  the  following  ques6on:  

4. RELATIONSHIPS IN THE VOID

Hello?  

Anyone  there?  

LOVE

Where is the ?

BE ARTFULLY

It is the natural state of things to be disconnected from a distance. It takes additional effort to create

camaraderie through commonality.

INTRUSIVE

D   I  

S  C  

Outgoing  

Reserved  

Task   People  

Dominant  Driving  Do’er  

Inspiring  InteracDve  InteresDng  

SupporDve  Stable  SensiDve  

ConscienDous  Competent  Careful  

Social HR does it when hiring, shouldn’t you?

Online “Water Cooler”: life.shaneandpeter.com

Dear  Bullies,  You  made  me  cry   Painted  Pelicans  on  My  SurKoard  

Ladybug  Family  on  Halloween   New  Floors!!  

Brandon  &  Alaire’s  Puppy  

Serenity  Walks  on  Her  Own!  

Dan   Peter   Brandon  

Shane   Reid   Shane  

CO-WORKING: ALONE TOGTHER

COMING TOGETHER Meeting people builds trust

S&P Trip: Panama 2010

HIT SOME HOME RUNS

Motivation & trust comes from hitting home runs.

You pitch to hit their bat.

©  Ed  Yourdon  via  flickr  

WAIT FOR ME! It is incredibly easy to become disconnected. As a leader, you might want to pause and see if anyone is following you. Ask your team “How can I be a better manager”?

I’m your leader!

6TH SENSE Working with people you can’t see is like surfing in the dark.

Relationship Review •  Be open, honest and nosy •  Pay attention to personality •  Hit home runs •  Engage using social media •  Create online social spaces •  Check out Co-Working •  You can’t replace face to face •  Intuition & self reflection

CHALLENGE What are good ways to reward remote workers?

I want to give a small reward to my developer for accomplishing a goal, such as taking them to lunch. However, we are a remote team, so I cannot take them to lunch. Yet, it seems like just sending them a gift card or something doesn't convey the same sense of gratitude. In other words, it isn't about the money...it's the thought that counts. ”

“

Question from Quora: http://b.qr.ae/eWqvEg

Break  into  groups  and  discuss  the  following  ques6on:  

5. COMMUNICATION & TECHNOLOGY

THE PROBLEMS FOR WHICH WE USE TOOLS

•  Communication •  Community •  Meetings •  Track Work / Accountability •  Knowledge Tracking •  Source Control •  Collaboration

SYNCHRONOUS vs ASYNCHRONOUS

COMMUNAL vs PRIVATE

Avdi Grimm, Wide Teams

The more universally captured, visible, and searchable communication mediums you use, the better.

“

Your systems should fit into a user’s habitual workflow. The less they have to change, the higher the rate of adoption.

WORK COMFORTABLY

Adium

One Duck to rule them all WORK COMFORTABLY

Email   RSS   Web   API   Mobile  

Get your tasks & comments in any way you like

WORK COMFORTABLY

One-on-One Meetings

Group Meetings •  Conference call : iPhone & freeconferencecall.com

•  Conference suites : Go to Meeting, Adobe Connect

•  Group chat : Campfire / ICQ / Skype

GROUP MEETINGS

Getting an idea across •  Files & screen shots : CloudApp

•  Doodles and notes : Skitch

•  Screen-casts and audio : Jing

•  Screen sharing : Team Viewer, Skype, iChat, join.me

•  Code : Jsfiddle, Pastebin

Group Meetings GETTING THE IDEA ACROSS

EMAIL: TOOL OF LAST RESORT •  Not transparent •  Not accountable

ASSET MANAGEMENT What happens when you can’t get a hold of a file from a key person?

BAD Source  

GOOD

You  Team  

Team  

Team  

You  

Team  

Team  Team  

Team  

Control the Source •  Dropbox •  SVN / GIT •  Shared drives •  Google Docs, Open Office •  Documentation (Wikis)

CONTROL THE SOURCE

Try things •  Be agile with your systems •  Have reviews and elicit feedback from your

whole team. •  Ask people: “What do you know about our

team & tools that I don’t see?”

Synchronize your watches Control the Source TRY THINGS

S&P Tools Chest

•  Be agile with your systems •  Synchronous vs asynchronous •  Work comfortably •  Email is the last option •  Control the source •  Collaboration is easy with the right tools •  Review for feedback

Technology Review

PEOPLE

PATTERNS COMMUNICATION

6. CONCLUSION

If you ask most people, they love the idea of working from home, and would gladly leave your company for the opportunity.

This is not a fad

Be On Scope, Budget & Time No matter where you work from

Find the Right People To accomplish your goals while having a great time!

Set them up to win Provide the information, support and consistency they will need to succeed fabulously.

Bring people together The art of management is in transforming a group into a team.

Use the tools and find the ones you are missing.

And in the famous words of Bobby McFerrin

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

@justlikeair shanepearlman.com