1. Managing a Distributed Team
LEADING WITHOUT SEEING
@justlikeair #remotemgt

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

3. (some people call them clients)
ACOUPLE OF OUR FRIENDS
www.shaneandpeter.com

4. CHALLENGES FOR DISTRIBUTEDTEAMS
• Leadership
• Accountability
• Synchronicity
• Trust
• Culture
• Isolation
• Balance

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

6. The Future ofTeams
1. THE FUTURE OFTEAMS

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

8. Team Structures
Co-located
Co-located part time
Remote offices
Distributed w/
overlapping hours
Distributed w/
different hours
Increasing Distribution

9. 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

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

11. • The future of work
• Highly productive
• Major benefits
• Significant challenges
• Calling all leaders
FUTURE OFTEAMS REVIEW

12. 2. BUILDINGTHE RIGHTTEAMS

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

14. 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

15. PERSONALITYMATTERS MORETHANTALENT
When it comes to Distributed Teams:

16. HAPPY
HAPPY

17. HELPFUL
HELPFUL

18. CURIOUS
CURIOUS

19. ACCOUNTABLE

20. 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*

21. • 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

22. 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?
CHALLENGEBreak
into
groups
and
discuss
the
following
ques6on:

23. 3. THE RHYTHM: OFFER CONSISTENCY

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

25. 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.

26. • What’s next?
• Why, who, how and when
• Why more Is less
AREYOU MANAGINGTHE QUEUE?

27. • 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

28. 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

29. Clear Feedback is Not Optional
The only true measure of feedback quality: WTFs / Minute
Adapted froman OSNews.com comic

30. 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”
“

31. Flex time
is contingent on availability
within communication patterns.

32. OPEN DOOR
OFFICE HOURS
It’s your call, just be available
OR

33. Help your team with scheduling. Even our PMs need this.
It’s not out of sight
if it’s in your calendar!

34. Every time I break rhythm
MYTEAM LOSES DAYS.

35. 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

36. 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?
CHALLENGEBreak
into
groups
and
discuss
the
following
ques6on:

37. 4. RELATIONSHIPS INTHEVOID
Hello?
Anyone
there?

38. LOVE
Where is the
?

39. BEARTFULLY
It is the natural state of things to be disconnected
from a distance. It takes additional effort to create
camaraderie through commonality.
INTRUSIVE

40. D
I
S
C
Outgoing
Reserved
Task
People
Dominant
Driving
Do’er
Inspiring
InteracDve
InteresDng
SupporDve
Stable
SensiDve
ConscienDous
Competent
Careful

41. SocialHR does it when hiring, shouldn’t you?

42. 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

43. CO-WORKING:ALONETOGTHER

44. COMINGTOGETHER Meeting people builds trust
S&P Trip: Panama 2010

45. HIT SOME HOME RUNS
Motivation & trust comes
from hitting home runs.
You pitch to hit their bat.
©
Ed
Yourdon
via
flickr

46. 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!

47. 6TH SENSE Working with people you can’t see is like surfing in the dark.

48. 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

49. 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:

50. 5. COMMUNICATION &TECHNOLOGY

51. THE PROBLEMS FOR WHICH WE USE TOOLS
• Communication
• Community
• Meetings
• Track Work / Accountability
• Knowledge Tracking
• Source Control
• Collaboration

52. SYNCHRONOUS vsASYNCHRONOUS

53. COMMUNAL vs PRIVATE

54. Avdi Grimm, Wide Teams
The more universally captured, visible,
and searchable communication mediums
you use, the better.
“

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

56. Adium
One Duck to rule them all
WORK COMFORTABLY

57. Email
RSS
Web
API
Mobile
Get your tasks & comments in any way you like
WORK COMFORTABLY

58. One-on-One Meetings

59. Group Meetings
• Conference call : iPhone & freeconferencecall.com
• Conference suites : Go to Meeting, Adobe Connect
• Group chat : Campfire / ICQ / Skype
GROUP MEETINGS

60. 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 MeetingsGETTING THE IDEAACROSS

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

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

63. BAD
Source
GOOD
You
Team
Team
Team
You
Team
Team
Team
Team

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

65. 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 watchesControl the SourceTRYTHINGS

66. S&PTools Chest

67. • 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

68. PEOPLE
PATTERNSCOMMUNICATION
6. CONCLUSION

69. 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

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

71. Find the Right PeopleTo accomplish your goals while having a great time!

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

73. Bring people togetherThe art of management is in transforming a group into a team.

74. Use the toolsand find the ones you are missing.

75. And in the famous words of Bobby McFerrin
Don’t Worry, Be Happy

76. @justlikeair shanepearlman.com