How to build trust with your remote team
Tips from our Teams at Work community on how to connect with your team, when all you have is Zoom and Slack.
Hey there,
While most of us are still working 100% remotely - and Spotify announced that it will keep the remote-first mode in place and even allow its employees to work from anywhere in the world - many of us struggle with the question of how to continue to build trust with your team, when all you have is Zoom and Slack.
A real challenge from a real leader:
One of the leaders in our community Melanie Rohat-Meheust (Strategy & Operations at Twitter), has asked this question not so long ago:
The number of actionable tips & advice was overwhelming, here are a few highlights:
Real advice, based on real-life experience:
Merissa Silk (Head of product @fundingport):
Maybe this will sound oversimplified, but 1) over communicate in chat app channels with the right people @-mentioned, and 2) do what you say you’re going to do. If you’re very communicative and also very reliable, it will go a long way to building trust with the team.
As a “bonus” I can also suggest messaging people in the team 1:1 on occasion to ask how their day is or how they found a particular meeting to topic. A brief exchange once a week also helps.
Rachael Ben Hamou (Director of Talent Development @PeopleStorming):
Try sharing a difficulty you’re having and sharing little bits of information about you personally / your home life. When you get vulnerable, others often mirror that and over time it can build trust.
Gabriella Alziari (Leadership Coach @Bunch):
Stay consistent with your written messages as much as possible. Using prompt response times, telling people if you’ll be away and when you’re expected to return, and keeping a consistent tone / use of emojis can actually build trust. Your consistency shows that you’re reliable. It’s never a replacement for 1.1 conversations, but if the team is truly “too busy”, it can be a good stand-in. Also, I’d say it wouldn’t hurt to ask “When is a better time for you? I’d really love to get to know you more!“. And don’t be shy about posting fun messages in team channels. Jokes and stories can go a long way and will help your personality shine!
Joshua Stehr (Content & Design @Bunch):
Also thought about the Givers, Matchers, Takers thing from Adam Grant. When I'm reaching out for people to ask for customer interviews it's often just a framing thing that swings it.
"Hey would you have 30 mins for a call, I'd love to get your feedback on something we're working on"
Unlikely to succeed, starts with a request and it seems like a sacrifice. Taking
"We're working on feature X (that you've spoken about in the past), I'd love to show you to make sure it actually adds value and solves your problem. Would you be up for a call?
Leads with the benefit for them, then makes and a no-brainer request. Giving I'm sure there are ways you could find of showing the benefit upfront in your case too.
A neat way to build trust on Slack for busy people:
I personally really came to appreciate our PPPs + gratitude Slack updates. They really help understand where a person stands, what they focus on and it also shows loads of personality when you use emojis right:
And this is the tip on how to run the PPPs in your team 👇 you can find this and 200+ other tips in your Bunch AI coach.
Hope this helps to continue to build trust with your remote team.
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A) When I source & curate advice online for you
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Have a great week,
Darja