Your Remote Work Cheat Sheet

A big thanks to Uncommon Elite for keeping this newsletter free.

I know many of us have a business coach, or need one.

When you work one on one with the coaches at Uncommon Elite, you work with the best.

They are all former Navy SEALS, Green Berets, or Night Stalkers and also lead successful small businesses.

Imagine having someone like that on your side, 24/7. You’ll have weekly calls with them, and they’ll help you perform better than your “A” game.

Remote work is a hot topic. A quick Twitter question a few weeks back led to 73 replies + a dozen DMs.

Some love it. And some hate it.

From “this saves me 10 hours a week of commuting (talking to you, Dad!)” to “save me from this dystopian sh*t”.

But like I said last week, it might not be remote work that you dislike. It’s probably the way your company does remote work.

So how do you do remote work right then?

Trust, process, and tools.

My consulting business is 100% remote, and I’ve tried a lot. Both for myself and with clients.

Let’s get practical!

The three core problems with remote work

One of the best replies I got to last week’s newsletter was this:

This made me laugh so hard that I spilled my coffee. But I’ll forgive Jenn for the occasion.

While it’s funny and sad at the same time, it’s also true. It highlights that remote work is fundamentally different from working in an office and that we have to manage three core issues:

1. Social bonding

2. Mental health

3. Collaboration

Note how this list does not include “micromanage to make sure everyone works 8 hours”. This is the biggest mistake some companies make. We pay for outcomes, not for presence.

The best comparison is unlimited paid time off in some startups. Everyone was afraid people would abuse it and just spend half the year on the beach.

In reality, people rarely took a day off because they didn’t feel like they had to use their days. The same goes for remote work: you should be worried people work too much, not too little.

It’s your job as a leader to help them create boundaries.

Adjust how you lead people

If you’re been reading this newsletter for a hot minute, you know I’m a team-first kind of guy. And when you run teams remotely, you have to change how you lead.

You’ll miss those random moments at the coffee machine, where you may spot that Rob is sulking in a corner instead of the normal center of the conversation.

As a leader, you need to put effort into creating these moments remotely. Your scheduled 1:1s are your first line of defense. Outside of that, block 30mins in your calendar twice a week and randomly reach out to people.

Just check in, ask how they’re doing, or give them a genuine compliment on recent work. Ask something appropriate about their personal life. Don’t overthink it - just be human. It goes a long way in making people feel seen, and feel part of the tribe.

You’re probably not a therapist, and going remote doesn’t mean you have to become one. But it does mean that you have to put in a little more effort in keeping everyone on board.

Get the basics right

In the office, you spend serious money on desks, chairs, lights, keyboards - the lot. But as soon as people work remotely, most companies think it’s cool to hunch over a laptop for 9 hours at the kitchen table.

It’s not.

Set a policy and give people a generous stipend. Encourage them to create a space where they can work, so they can also “leave work” in the afternoon.

Encourage people to get an ergonomic setup with a good chair, or a standing desk (big fan!). Invest $50 in a good light so you can actually see them on camera. And of course, a proper laptop with a webcam, keyboard, and a big screen.

Don’t think like this from a consumer perspective. Spending $3K to get someone set up properly pays itself 10x if they feel better and stay healthy, plus it’s the right thing to do for your team.

My 15 top tips for remote success

In no particular order, here are 15 things that work great for me and/or some clients. Even if you just steal one of them, it may make a big difference for your team.

• Have a routine for “going to the office” and leaving again. Some people take a walk around the block before & after their day or have a ritual about making their favorite coffee before starting up.

• Have a laugh. Business is serious, but please don’t take yourself too seriously. Get an ugly Christmas sweater, either planned or out of nowhere. Deliver a cake for someone’s birthday. Pull their kids into the plot and make them sing during your morning huddle.

• Speaking of kids: embrace disruptions. We’re all human. When a dog, partner, or kid walks in - say hello! People will feel embarrassed, but the conversation has been disturbed already. Ensure them it’s ok, and make a nice moment out of it.

• Set guidelines for what tools are used for which kinds of work or processes. We use Gmeet for calls, Slack for this, Jira for that, and this kind of stuff goes here. Async & remote don’t work if stuff is spread across tools.

• Plan meetings of 25/50 mins so people can take a bio break or can make a coffee.

• On that: start recurring meetings at a weird time. It increases the odds that everyone is there and gives you a few minutes before to have a conversation you’d otherwise have in the hallway. Example: Daily huddles start at 8:41, put people trickle in from 8:30 for a chat.

• Remote is not the same as from home. Encourage people to switch it up. Some work from the library, airport terminals, or a cafe - their call.

• Encourage everyone to take a proper lunch break and go outside. A few minutes of daylight, even in bad weather, does wonders for your mood.

• Set guidelines with your team when you meet, and when you work. Many companies are introducing “no-meeting” blocks or even days when people can work uninterrupted.

• Try online coworking sessions. Sounds weird? Give it a shot. People dial in and go back to work. The feeling that you’re not alone in the room really works for some people.

• Try other meeting formats. A great example is the leadership AMA at big tech companies, where nothing (appropriate) is off-limits. Get a weird question? Take it with stride, and show that you’re human.

• Create zones or places for certain types of work. Example: I write newsletters on Monday, first thing in the morning, from my standing desk. After that, I take my laptop to the couch and catch up on my reading lists & email. Your body & mind start connecting activities to places, and you’ll slip right into the flow.

• Reply in a DM to something personal said in a bigger conversation. It shows people that you picked up on it and that you care. This sounds so simple, but it’s huge.

• Organize a lunch cook-off or something silly at least once a month. Give everyone an hour and then showcase their lunch on camera. Everyone’s lunch has a story, and it’s great small talk.

• I hear you. What tools? Give us the tools! Of course, you need a PM tool to make this work, along with something for document collaboration. What else? It all depends on your team’s context. If you want me to do a deep dive into my personal tech stack, reply “tools”!

A month ago, I decided to try sponsorship to cover the costs of this newsletter. We’re now sold out until mid August, and the responses have been great so far.

Want to secure one of the last ad slots in August before the introduction price goes up? Reply “sponsor” and I’ll get back to you with the details!

The remote cheat sheet

If remote work is not working as smooth as you’d like, this is where troubleshooting starts:

1. Is communication set up transparent and async-first?

2. If everyone working in the same way/tool for the same activity?

3. Did you explicitly ask/screen/hire team members for remote work?

4. Are the basics in place? Good wifi, proper workspace setup, espresso?

5. Are you actively addressing the three core issues?

   1. Social bonding

   2. Mental health

   3. Collaboration

6. Last but not least: when was your last 1:1? Probably too long ago…

This topic could fill a newsletter for months, but let’s keep it at that. If you have any questions, please reply and I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction.

That’ll do for this week!

Cheers,
Jasper