Debugging work in a remote world (part 1)

This is part one of a series on debugging work in a remote world that I am publishing throughout January and February. You can read them as they are released on the Debugging Work newsletter or later when I post them on LinkedIn. Either way, I suggest reflecting on the topic of each short piece for at least a few days and evaluating how your own organization is succeeding or failing in that area.

Although we are seeing concerted efforts in many companies to swing the pendulum back to more in-person office work, all that toothpaste is not going back in the tube. Individual contributors, managers, and executive teams must rumble with the reality of an ever-evolving blend of hybrid teams with varying levels of in-person time. The companies that take this seriously will nurture highly productive cultures and gain an important competitive advantage.

I’ve worn a lot of hats over the years, including software architect, developer, engineering director, trainer, writer, business owner, entrepreneur, and CTO. The majority of that time has been in some form of distributed or hybrid team. I’ve been colocated with my immediate team while other colleagues were in different locations. I’ve also been completely remote without ever seeing my long-time collaborators in person.

Every working arrangement comes with costs and requires processes, structures, and norms to enable people to be effective at their jobs. If a company invests in physical facilities and amenities that get used 40-60% of the time for colocated work (e.g., a two or three day return-to-office mandate) but doesn’t make comparable investments for the times when teams are inevitably working remotely, the company is not equipping its workers to be as effective as possible.

I’m not saying there is simple math here nor that this is obvious and easy. There are a lot of variables such as industry, type of work, average commute times, cost of labor, and long-term liabilities such as real estate commitments. Identifying and considering those variables is the job of a leader.

If you don’t plan for effective remote or hybrid work, you’re leading your team toward mediocrity.

I believe there are several ingredients we must intentionally mix together to create the right conditions for effective and fulfilling long-term success with distributed teams and remote workers. These ingredients are not the exclusive domain of executives nor line managers. Everyone can take relatively simple actions to have a positive impact. And the more people who do, the more awesome things get.

These not-so-secret ingredients are trust, connection, and a sense of urgent intensity. Over the course of this series, we will unpack each of these ingredients.