How can you develop resilience in a remote team?

In my experience of being the manager of a remote team, in a different time zone to HQ, the most important factors are clear lines of communication with your own management, clear parameters for local decision making and good systems support. If (as in my case) you are also responsible for recruiting the remote team, then reliable local contract support will be necessary. Local employment legislation and practices may be very different and local knowledge is invaluable in navigating through this. It's almost certain that your local team members will know more about their rights than you do, so some form of local support helps with this too.

1. If the team is small in size (2-8) doing 1:1 session with each individual will give more detailed and deep understanding of the team members’ resilience and dynamics. 2. Pairing up a senior and junior engineer in a challenging project would help to understand how they react and thrive in different situations and would also help in identifying which team members need more support and guidance. 3. Also host engaging retrospective meetings to understand how team is doing self-reflection. For a new Engineering Manager, first three months are crucial to understand team’s capability to handle stress.

La herramienta de innovación del "mapa de empatía" podría ser muy interesante en un contexto en el cual queremos obtener una foto real o casi real de la capacidad de resiliencia de nuestro equipo. Fijar el contexto del proyecto o servicio que se va a prestar y por otro lado cruzar las diferentes capacidades que tiene el equipo ( duras y blandas ) para poder evaluar que rendimiento se va a poder dar y como hacerlo crecer en el tiempo. A partir de este ejercicio de completar un mapa de empatía, podemos fijar y agendar sesiones 1:1 con los diferentes integrantes del equipo para ir alineando el objetivo. Esto implica decisiones drásticas, económicas y de recursos a pivotar o a incorporar. Seguro que el grado de satisfacción 260o mejora.

Crie uma cultura de apoio: As equipes remotas precisam criar uma cultura de apoio para que os membros da equipe se sintam conectados e apoiados. Promova a comunica??o e a colabora??o: A comunica??o e a colabora??o s?o essenciais para o sucesso de qualquer equipe, mas s?o ainda mais importantes para equipes remotas. As equipes devem investir em ferramentas e processos que facilitem a comunica??o e a colabora??o, como videoconferência, chat e software de colabora??o. Estabele?a expectativas claras: é importante estabelecer expectativas claras para os membros da equipe, tanto em termos de desempenho quanto de comportamento. Isso ajudará a evitar mal-entendidos e frustra??es.

In his book titled "Resilience", Eric Greitens talks about the necessity of accepting and understanding vulnerability. By encouraging open conversations about fears and uncertainties within their team, leaders can encourage a culture of psychological safety where everyone supports each other through adversity. This enables the team to embrace adversity as a learning tool and an opportunity to grow.

Una clave para fomentar una cultura de apoyo es establecer sesiones técnicas donde el equipo se reuna pero donde no participe el management, pero que tengan su foro y espacio. Disponer de herramientas que faciliten la comunicación es clave y que sean horarios cómodos para los integrantes del equipo y para el servicio que ofrecen al cliente final. Por ejemplo, tener sesiones de revisión de documentación generada por las tardes..., cuando les viene bien y no impactan en los horarios de máxima producción.

A supportive culture is key. That’s why a team is greater than the sum of its parts. Because true teammates have each other’s back especially when it gets tough. As a manager it is important to create such a supportive culture with each interaction: - 1-to-1s: Support peer-to-peer collaboration. Praise team members that unblock others and support them deliver their work. - Team meetings: Normalize the ask for help. Make plans together, adjust them together. Encourage everyone to raise their challenges. Praise proactive communication of problems. Incentivize others to support. And highlight the resulting team win. - Reviews / Retros: Win and fail as a team, learn and fix the environment together. There is no blame especially of individuals

Here's what I did to build resilience in my remote team. Every quarter, we'd kick off with super clear goals, making sure everyone knew what's up and how their work fits into the bigger picture. Weekly one-on-ones were like quick catch-ups to iron out any issues and keep everyone on track. I made sure everyone felt like they owned their part – it's like "Hey, this is your gig, you've got this, but I'm here if you hit a snag." And whenever someone nailed it, we'd give them a shout-out in our team calls. Simple but worked like a charm to keep everyone motivated and resilient.

What really worked for us was making learning a key part of our routine. We started with setting goals that not only pushed the project forward but also let each person level up a skill. It's like, "Okay, you're good at this, but let's see you tackle that too." In our weekly one-on-ones, instead of just talking shop, we'd also chat about what new thing they're learning, any roadblocks, or cool stuff they found. Made it more about growth than just ticking boxes. I also encouraged the team to share resources and take online courses. We even had this cool thing where once a month, someone would do a mini-presentation on something new they learned. It kept the vibe fresh and everyone on their toes, always growing and adapting.

At an individual level, resilience stem from having a positive and resolute mindset. One of the greatest lessons of resilience is the Stockdale Paradox, which teaches us to have faith that you will prevail at the end while being cognizant of the brutal reality that you may be confronting. As a leader, building faith in each team member that the team will prevail in the end, and helping them cope with current adversities is the best possible way to turn a challenging situation in to an opportunity for growth.

As a leader, it is your role ensure that your team is working their best, even when deadlines are looming - that means helping to shift work when possible, providing a safe space for conversations, respecting boundaries and working with the team to both deliver projects and help form a strong team bond.

During the COVID period, building resilience in my remote team meant keeping everyone connected and supported. Regular virtual meetings and check-ins helped maintain a sense of team unity. I prioritized flexibility, understanding each member's unique situation, and emphasized the importance of mental health and well-being. Offering online training resources allowed for continuous skill development. It was about fostering a supportive and adaptable team environment, helping us stay strong and cohesive through the challenges.