Managing a Distributed Team LEADING
WITHOUT SEEING @justlikeair #remotemgt

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

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

CHALLENGES FOR DISTRIBUTEDTEAMS • 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 DISTRIBUTEDTEAMS REQUIRE AUNIQUEAPPROACH

The Future ofTeams 1. THE
FUTURE OFTEAMS

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 OFTEAMS REVIEW

2. BUILDINGTHE RIGHTTEAMS

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

PERSONALITYMATTERS MORETHANTALENT 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? CHALLENGEBreak 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 AREYOU MANAGINGTHE 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
MYTEAM 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? CHALLENGEBreak into groups and discuss the following ques6on:

4. RELATIONSHIPS INTHEVOID Hello?
Anyone there?

LOVE
Where is the
?

BEARTFULLY 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

SocialHR 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:ALONETOGTHER

COMINGTOGETHER 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 vsASYNCHRONOUS

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 MeetingsGETTING THE IDEAACROSS

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) CONTROLTHE 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 watchesControl the SourceTRYTHINGS

S&PTools 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
PATTERNSCOMMUNICATION
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 PeopleTo accomplish
your goals while having a great time!

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

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

Use the toolsand find the
ones you are missing.

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

@justlikeair shanepearlman.com