How to manage a distributed team

MY TAKE:

Distributed teams are critical to accessing global talent pools while acknowledging the challenges of remote work.

• Why it matters: Deel reported a clear increase in global hiring from 2022 to 2023. And despite what we see in the news, 1 in 5 workers in the U.S. worked remotely at least one day a week, meaning remote work is still very much alive and well. This underscores the critical need for effective distributed team management in our interconnected tech world.

Being a leader of a distributed team isn’t quite the same as being the leader of a team in the same office or even the same time zone. I speak from experience! While other teams work a hybrid model at our company, Engineering remains geographically distributed: so much so that my team actually spans from California to India.

So what’s required if you’re running a distributed team?

First: You must learn the culture(s) of where you’re hiring, and you can’t expect everyone to adopt your local culture.

• One of the biggest reasons I see distributed teams fail is because they try treat a global team like a local team through culture, communication, and work ethic. It’s just not the same.

Second: You must treat even a partially-distributed team like everyone is working remotely.

• Even if you have some workers in the office or geographically close to you, you operate like your team is fully remote. Why? If you unknowingly start to favor your local team (more interesting projects, after-work drinks, context from face-to-face conversations that isn’t carried over to the internet), your global or distributed teammates will feel that physical separation, killing morale.

Third: Large-scale success in distributed teams rarely results from one person's effort.

• What this means is you may lead the team, but you need to get your peers on board too. Anyone who works closely to you—be it your manager, a project or product manager, another colleague interfacing with your team—needs to communicate in the same above way. This requires effort on your part.

Here's how to lead distributed teams effectively:

1. Build trust and communication: Regular video check-ins, live team meetings, and intentional relationship-building efforts.

2. Set clear goals and expectations: Use shared OKRs, project timelines, and engineering scorecards for full visibility.

3. Manage time zone differences: Be intentional about pacing work and finding sync times that work for everyone.

4. Create a remote-first culture: Treat all team members as remote, regardless of location. Organize virtual team-building events.

5. Share knowledge effectively: Ensure international team members have access to key information and decisions.

Bottom line: Leading a distributed team effectively requires a mix of the right tools, clear communication, and a strong emphasis on culture. It requires intentional work, but a successful distributed team means limitless opportunities for bringing in the right talent no matter where they're located.

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SOMETHING EXTRA:

😩 Are you a workaholic? You’re not alone—prevalence is as high as 15% of all workers.

• Ars Technica put out a fantastic article on workaholism, its signs, and what you can do about it.

⌨️ A DIY typewriter! I love DIY projects, and Cassidy Williams always has something fun to show off. Check out her digital typewriter.

• Micro Journal is an open source project by Un Kyu Lee.

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