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Narrative
Welcome to Crisis Resolutions PRO, the podcast for professionals who want to learn how to cope with challenging situations and thrive in their careers. I’m your host, and today we’re going to talk about a very relevant topic: flexibility of community.
What does that mean? Well, it means how to build and maintain effective virtual work relationships in a crisis. As you know, the pandemic has forced many of us to work remotely, and that has changed the way we communicate and collaborate with our colleagues, clients, and partners. How can we adapt to this new reality and still foster a sense of community and trust among our teams?
To shed some light on this topic, let me share a quote by Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress: “Work is no longer a place. It’s a state of mind, and increasingly, a toolset.” This quote highlights the shift towards a more flexible and remote work environment, where work can be done from anywhere and with a variety of tools.
That sounds pretty visionary, right? But it also reflects the current situation for many of us. We are no longer bound by physical locations or time zones. We can work with people all over the world from wherever we happen to be. But how do we make that work effectively?
That’s what we’re going to explore in this episode. We’re going to dive deep into the topic of flexibility of community and share with you some practical tips and best practices from experts in the field. You’ll learn how to:
- Establish clear expectations and boundaries with your virtual team members
- Use technology to facilitate communication and collaboration
- Create a sense of belonging and engagement among your remote workers
- Manage conflict and feedback in a virtual environment
- Celebrate successes and milestones with your virtual team
Tips
To help you with that, we’ve gathered some insights from five experts who have extensive experience in working remotely and leading virtual teams. They are:
- Jason Fried, the co-founder and CEO of Basecamp, a software company that has been fully remote since 1999
- Esther Perel, a psychotherapist and author who specializes in relationships and intimacy in the digital age
- David Heinemeier Hansson, the co-founder and CTO of Basecamp and the creator of Ruby on Rails
- Brené Brown, a research professor and author who studies courage, vulnerability, and leadership
- Simon Sinek, a motivational speaker and author who teaches leaders how to inspire action
Here are their top five tips for building and maintaining effective virtual work relationships in a crisis:
- Jason Fried: “The most important thing is trust. Trust that people are working hard. Trust that they’re doing their best. Trust that they’re making good decisions. Trust that they care.”
- Esther Perel: “The key to successful remote work is not just communication, but connection. Connection is not just about exchanging information, but about creating emotional bonds. Connection is what makes us feel seen, heard, and valued.”
- David Heinemeier Hansson: “The secret to remote work is asynchronous communication. Asynchronous communication means that you don’t have to be online at the same time as everyone else. You can work at your own pace and schedule. You can focus on your deep work without interruptions.”
- Brené Brown: “The biggest challenge for remote workers is loneliness. Loneliness is not just about being alone, but about feeling disconnected from others. Loneliness can affect our health, our happiness, and our performance. To combat loneliness, we need to cultivate a sense of belonging. Belonging is not just about fitting in, but about being accepted for who we are.”
- Simon Sinek: “The most powerful way to inspire action is to start with why. Why do we do what we do? Why does it matter? Why should anyone care? When we communicate our why, we create a shared purpose and vision that motivates us and others.”
Studies
To illustrate these tips in action, let me share with you some case studies or examples of how some companies have implemented them successfully.
- Basecamp: Basecamp is a software company that has been fully remote since 1999. They have over 50 employees working from 32 different cities around the world. They use their own product, Basecamp, to manage their projects and communicate with each other. They also have a blog called Signal v Noise where they share their insights and opinions on remote work.
- Buffer: Buffer is a social media management platform that has been fully remote since 2012. They have over 80 employees working from 15 different countries around the world. They use tools like Slack, Zoom, Loom, and Trello to communicate and collaborate with each other. They also have a blog called Open where they share their culture and values transparently.
Conclusion
In this episode, we learned about the importance of flexibility of community when building and maintaining effective virtual work relationships in a crisis. We explored practical tips and best practices from experts in the field, including establishing clear expectations and boundaries, using technology to facilitate communication and collaboration, creating a sense of belonging and engagement, managing conflict and feedback, and celebrating successes and milestones with your virtual team.
We also heard from case studies of successful remote companies such as Basecamp and Buffer, and we invited listeners to join our community at crisisresolutions.com to gain access to helpful content, fun games, and opportunities to make new friends.
In the next episode, we’ll talk about flexibility of systems and how to adapt to changing circumstances in a crisis.
