How to Build a Happy and Productive Remote Team
“How to Build a Remote Team”- Interview with Ben Congleton, Olark.com CEO and CoFounder Last week I received an amazing set of responses from readers …
“How to Build a Remote Team”- Interview with Ben Congleton, Olark.com CEO and CoFounder
Last week I received an amazing set of responses from readers like you on the topic of Handling the Anxiety that Accompanies Ambition. Don’t worry I will continue to write more on the topic!
I appreciate those of you who opened up by emailing me and leaving comments about what you had been through. Supporting each other definitely helps, and is a necessary component to staying creative and innovative!
Yesterday I shot a live pilot episode of FemgineerTV on: How to Build a Happy and Productive Remote Team. My guest was Ben Congleton, the CEO and Founder of Olark.
Ben shared how he and his co-founders have built an amazing remote team of 30-people, which spans San Francisco to Europe.
It ain’t about the Benjamins baby…
While a lot of people talk about the financial benefits of a remote team, that’s actually NOT the reason why Ben and his team decided to build a remote team. You’ve probably also heard over and over again the importance of company culture, but Ben actually breaks down what him and his team at Olark do to build a strong company culture!
During the show we covered the following 3 misconceptions people have about remote working:
1. Employees won’t be as productive and progress will stagnate
2. Communication between employees and teams will break down
3. A remote team will be devoid of culture
In the pilot episode of FemgineerTV Ben and I tackled each of these misconceptions.
One of my favorite takeaways from this episode was Ben sharing how the Olark team puts into practice its core values of assume good faith and practice empathy:
“If there’s something you want to talk about, you should talk about it. You shouldn’t feel bad, you shouldn’t feel judged. Also it’s on the listener to practice empathy, and really try to understand what someone is saying. Finally, if you’re having doubts about the motivation behind something that was said, assuming good faith is a really good way of framing things in your mind.” – Ben Congleton, CEO & Co-Founder of Olark
If you’re keen on building a remote team, and want a step-by-step process, I highly recommend checking out this guide from from Hubstaff on called Remote Work is the Future.
Finally, what was your favorite takeaway from the episode? Let me know in the comments below!
