Contents
- Hey, Welcome Back!
- Featured Guest
- You Might Have Missed…
Ninety-nine problems but remote work isn’t one, says this week’s expert guest. Andrew chats with Laurel about who’s really behind the issues faced by distributed teams. Hint: It’s not who you think!
Hey, Welcome Back!
What are the biggest challenges facing distributed teams?
Companies, the media, and even Silicon Valley CEO’s claim there are so many issues with remote work that it’s impossible to permanently adopt.
💥 Remote work pro Laurel Farrer returns to bust these myths wide open!
You might remember her from our Predictions episode ‘What’s Next for Remote Work? back in October last year. Laurel was a LinkedIn Top Voice, a prodigious Forbes contributor, and is one of our favorite thought leaders in distributed work.
Don’t forget her storied past at Gitlab, and the fact that she founded and runs Distribute Consulting (an epic firm that focuses on workplace mobility and consults for HubSpot, Forbes, Gallup and HBR to name a few).
💿 Laurel’s back this week and together we’re going to set the record straight.
According to Laurel, there’s only ONE problem at the heart of distributed team challenges.
It traces back to this singular root cause - the real reason why remote work becomes frustrating and problematic for teams in certain environments.
There are all sorts of justifications for return-to-office mandates. And they never sound plausible…because they’re not.
Things tech executives love to blame on remote work:
👇 A drop in team or individual output and productivity
👇 Team members feeling disengaged and cut off from each other
👇 Teams feeling like they don’t really belong or fit in the company
Ludicrous, when you consider the forgotten issue at play: Management.
Laurel joins me to crack into the actual reasons distributed teams slip into these patterns. And it’s not the style of working to blame, it’s the company.
👨💼 More to the point - it’s the way people are managed!
We need to rethink what really causes problems in distributed teams.
“It feels so infantile to be having these conversations with some of the top executives in the world. They're saying, well, how do you know if workers are working, if you can't see them? I don't want to make [them] feel stupid, but I don't know how to not do that right now.”
- Laurel Farrer, 2024
In episode 62, Laurel and I uncover why distributed teams keep running into the same problems. They’re not as innate as you’d think.
And while it's tempting to blame remote work, the deeper problem is recognizing where to truly focus for meaningful change.
🤝 Laurel wants you to seize change with both hands.
To feel confident in your value and in what the future offers. Remote work is what you make it.
Will you keep avoiding the hard stuff or are you ready for the truth?
Be the agent of remote change in your company.
📽️ This Week on Episode 62:
🛠️ Join Laurel and I as we tear down outdated arguments about remote work
🏭 Dip into the surprising history behind today's remote management woes
👔 Unravel the mess in management that's been dragging down your remote team
✨ Transform team dynamics with the 4 key elements of remote management
🤖 See how AI will revolutionize your role as a remote leader
A big thank you to Laurel Farrer for being our first repeat guest ever, and for sharing her wealth of knowledge with our community. Management is the path to better remote work.
🌟 Distributed work reveals problems, but it doesn’t create them.
Watch this week’s episode for expert insight into what you need to change as a remote manager, to solve the problems in your distributed team.
⚡ Enjoy!
Embrace change -
Andrew
Featured Guest
Laurel Farrer is a remote work expert who specializes in people operations. With her forward-thinking strategies, she's redefining the workplace for companies from startups to Fortune 500 giants, making "work from anywhere" a vibrant reality.
Beyond being a thought leader in Forbes, The New York Times, BBC and Fast Company – she also consults for brands like Zoom and Microsoft.
Did we mention she made the 2024 Top 150 Remote Influencer List?
Find her on LinkedIn, Instagram, or on her business website here.
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