The Long-Distance Teammate

Stay Engaged and Connected While Working Anywhere

Kevin Eikenberry, Wayne Turmel

• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781523090327
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Operazioni di cambio
• Index: Business

What does it mean to “go to work” when you don't actually leave the house? This is the ultimate guide for remote workers who want to stay engaged as team members, maintain robust work relationships, and keep an eye on their long-term career goals. Even before the coronavirus hit, remote work was growing at nearly 30 percent per year, and now it's just a fact of life. There are many millions of people who once worked at a central location every day who now find themselves facing an entirely new way of working. Written by the founders of the Remote Leadership Institute, this book is the most authoritative single resource for helping remote workers get work done effectively, build relationships that are both productive and satisfying, and maintain a career trajectory when they are not in constant close contact with their leader, coworkers, or the organization in general. The Long-Distance Teammate tackles three important issues: navigating the personal and interpersonal, growing the skills to be productive, and communicating effectively—all from a distance. In short, there is a big difference between working at home and being an effective member of a team. This practical guide describes that difference and allows you to be a great remote teammate.

Part 1

You as a Remote Teammate

Allison is a contractor working on a project team based in Chicago, even though she lives in Denver. This isn’t her first remote assignment, so she knows some days are better than others. Sometimes she’s motivated and active; sometimes it’s all she can do to get through her to-do list. There are a few people on the team she’s gotten to know well enough to joke with, and those are the people she goes to when she needs information or just human contact. Most days she’s positive and ready to go; other days it can be isolating and a little lonely.

By definition, a team is “a group of people with a full set of complementary skills required to complete a task, job, or project.”¹

Whether you are a full-time remote worker or just do it a couple of days a week to get things done and off your list, you know the importance of being part of a team. When you work in the same location as everyone else—or even just some of your group—it’s easy to feel like you’re not alone in the world. People chit-chat in the break room, or you see people three cubicles over (and sometimes hear them, which is one of the reasons you like working alone!) and can ask questions or get information in a hurry.

There is a palpable energy to the traditional workplace that isn’t there when you work at a distance. On one hand, that energy can sometimes be overwhelming—too much noise, chatter, gossip, and too many distractions. That’s why many of us enjoy working somewhere quiet. On the other hand, when you toil alone you are your own energy source.

Yes, it’s quiet and you can get work done, and that’s great, at least for a while.

The tricky thing is that when you are by yourself, you are your own energy source, and your mental batteries are called on to generate a lot of energy. If you’re not careful, those resources can be quickly drained.

Maybe you’re already feeling this. Some days you feel isolated and alone. You seem to be working harder than ever and not getting the right things checked off your task list. Other days you bang the work out and still have time to walk the dog before it’s too dark. Some days you’re getting all the information you need and you’re able to respond immediately to requests for help. Other times your cries for help go into a black hole, or it takes you forever (and you might even forget completely) to respond to a request for information.

Some of us require a fair amount of human contact or we go crazy. Even introverts who prefer to be left alone much of the time (in fact, that’s how they recharge their batteries) can’t get everything done without other people and can’t be truly great teammates without being available and helpful to others.

That’s the paradox of remote work. You spend a lot of time alone and on your own. You control your time, you choose what you get to work on, and you are responsible for doing the work the way that works best for you. The bad news is that you have to make good choices and get the work done even when you’re unmotivated or you aren’t sure what you should be working on, and some days you don’t even know how to begin tackling all those tasks in front of you.

To be effective as a remote teammate:

■You need to get your work done so they continue to pay you.

■You need to be able to plan your work effectively.

■You need to be able to prioritize tasks that match what your team requires.

■You need to build solid relationships with your coworkers and manager to ensure work gets done.

■You need to avoid distractions.

■You need to adjust your communication style and behavior to the fact that you’re not face-to-face.

■You need to motivate yourself on days when you’re just not feeling it.

In this part, we’ll start with a model that will help you with every part of your life as a remote worker. Then we’ll look at the mindset it takes to be a great remote teammate. After that we will get super practical—addressing some of the challenges you face every day: how to stay motivated, manage your time and productivity, and build routines that will support your success.

Chapter 1

The 3P Model for Remote-Work Success

Alice has worked in the main office for five years and has great relationships with her coworkers, her manager, and people throughout the organization. Six months ago, she moved to another city and was able to retain her position. Everything was going great—until lately.

While she began working with people she knew, there have since been additions to the team. She doesn’t know these people as well and doesn’t go to them for assistance like she does her long-time colleagues. Last week, a new project was announced, and for the first time, she wasn’t approached about being part of the team. More than that, it seems there are more meetings than ever, and they seem to accomplish less. As a remote team member, she doesn’t know when to give her input—or if it is even wanted.

Even though she is doing her job, she feels less motivated to go the extra mile than she used to. She told a friend, “I’m just not as connected to the job as I used to be.”

What Alice is going through is not unusual. When we begin working remotely, we are often energized. No commute! We can work in our Led Zeppelin T-shirt! We can take the kids to school and get so much more done when they’re not there!

Over time, though, studies show that our productivity, the quality of our relationships, and our overall engagement may begin to decline. Some of that is the natural result of the novelty of a welcome situation wearing off. After the honeymoon phase, you’re left with the day-to-day reality of working without regular social interaction, knowing what is going on, or having access to the boss or your coworkers whenever you want it.

In working with managers and remote workers around the world, we have spent a lot of time asking what makes someone successful when they work apart from everyone else. This was a trickier question than we thought, because what does it mean to be successful?

■Is success getting your work done every day? Does it stop there?

■Does success mean you are getting promoted regularly?

■Does success mean you are satisfied with your work-life balance?

■Do you have satisfying work relationships that make your day enjoyable?

There are almost as many definitions of success as there are people. So we asked ourselves, Is there a common thread among workers who, regardless of the work they do, are engaged, productive, and satisfied with their work?

There is.

The 3P Model of Remote-Work Success

We have identified three factors that impact the overall quality of remote work. Three areas that, if you give them the attention they deserve, can greatly enhance the quality of your work, enhance your relationships with others, and help you create the kind of workplace and long-term success you desire, even when you don’t work in the company’s headquarters or right under your boss’s nose.

This model introduces the concept of the 3Ps (see figure 1). Here’s our definition of each factor:

Productivity

Not surprisingly, “Productivity” is the top of the model. That seems simple enough. After all, getting the job done is typically the prime factor in whether you keep a job, regardless of where you work. This is the question most organizations ask themselves when considering remote work: Will we get at least as much quality work from someone if they don’t work alongside everyone else?

Figure 1. The 3P Model

If you started working from home so you could get work done without constant interruptions and the day-to-day craziness of the office, this might seem like a no-brainer. But getting tasks accomplished is not the same as being productive.

By definition, productivity is the measure of work yielding results, benefits, or profits. It is about outcomes, not activity. So while it isn’t unusual for remote workers to be busy, the question isn’t so much “Are you working?” as “What are you working on?” “How’s it going?” and “What does it bring to the team’s goals and outcomes?”

A team member focuses on their work and tasks. A teammate considers not only how to be personally productive to get the most and best work done in the time allotted, but how to help the rest of the team and organization meet its goals.

You probably know that remote workers work plenty of hours. But working hard and putting in lots of hours isn’t the same as being productive. Face it, your work is always within arm’s reach and calling your name. It’s hard to disconnect. You hear, or say, things like:

■I’ll just work a little bit more after the kids go to bed.

■Instead of watching TV tonight, I’ll just catch up on my email.

At the end of the day, real productivity is about getting more of the right or best things done—not how much time you spent doing it.

In the rest of the book we’ll examine the mindset, skills, and habits we can develop to help us maintain our productivity, even when we’re uninspired, uncertain of what we’re doing, or just plain exhausted.

Proactivity

Perhaps the most surprising thing we uncovered in our research was the one word that both managers and workers agreed best described a great remote teammate. That word was proactivity.

The technical definition of the word proactive is “acting in anticipation of future problems, needs, or changes.”¹ Translated to our work, that means thinking longer term and bigger picture. Being proactive is the opposite of being reactive.

Here’s a simple example. The best and safest drivers are proactive by looking further down the road. They notice what’s right in front of them while adjusting to what is further ahead. They drive straighter, drive more smoothly, and are far safer. Reactive drivers are looking barely past the hood of their vehicle. A ride with them will be far less enjoyable, jerkier, and likely less safe.

It makes sense that managers want team members who think bigger and into the future. Proactive teammates don’t wait to be told what to do and ask the questions that could help them be more productive. But there are several not-so-obvious ways that proactivity is especially valuable when working remotely.

When we think of someone being proactive, we usually think of the motto “If you see something, say something.” A good teammate will offer suggestions if a colleague is struggling. They’ll speak up in a meeting if a point needs to be made. If a task must be completed, they will offer to help. That behavior is obvious and highly valued.

But when we dug behind the answers, we found a different form of proactivity that was neither as obvious nor as common. It isn’t just about tasks, it’s also about your mindset.

When you have a question about your work, do you ask for clarification immediately or do you just try to work through it? In coaching conversations, do you accept that your manager isn’t talking about your personal development plan or do you raise the subject yourself? When that meeting is running long, do you speak up and try to get the team back on track or do you sit back, roll your eyes, and go answer your email instead?

Both managers and team members say that the thing they look for most in a teammate is that kind of initiative. It requires bravery, trust, and engagement but may be the single most important component in your long-term success as a remote worker.

Potential

Finally, do you consider the long-term implications of your work and the choices you make? This is perhaps the most difficult thing about working remotely, and often contributes to our feelings of isolation and disengagement over time.

By putting your head down and focusing on your own work, have you taken yourself off your manager’s radar for future assignments?

Perhaps you are so focused on completing an assignment that you have appeared rude or pushy to others. Have you considered what that snippy email m...