Care and Feeding of a Remote Team

The moment you have a single team member who is at remote, you are now
a remote team.  The management of this team and working within this
team, can change in subtle to drastic ways.  Responsibility for care
and feeding is really in the hands of the entire team.  Guidelines,
good practices, and such can only carry you so far.  Your every
collaboration may need to change, but once new methods are learned,
they become second nature and handier, handier in the modern world.


= the problem scope =

Either within your team or without, you are collaborating across time,
cultural, and language barriers.  Each tool in your hands is a
double-edged sword, including that simile, which might not translate
well to all languages.

= the solution scope =

Each team member is accountable for:

• Watching out for people as if they are not present
• Watching out for herself/himself as if not present
•


Enabling tasks
• Learn new skills constantly (see below)
• Be bold, be brave
• If ever in doubt, pick up the phone
• Fill out your CommStyle matrix, own it
• Refer often to other's CommStyle matrices

== the CommStyle Matrix ==

Insert your communication preferences, from most to least preferred.
Note which communication style you need help stretching in to, and if
there are any you have psychoses around.  Also note if there is a
different scheme you use for within your team(s) and without.

= the skills to learn =

These are useful for team leaders and mates.  Managers have a special
onus to think ahead and show the team how by doing.

The comms stretch:

  * Force yourself and others to work at the edges of your least
    favorite communications media.  Save this for lower priority items
    at first.

The power move:

  * Regularly take the chance to work from remote, (home, coworking,
    etc.).  When you do, save a task to work on that has global reach.
    Feel the electricity of making a power move from your dining room
    table.

The shoes swap:

  * Occasionally take a conference call entirely by yourself, even if
    there other people on the call who are physically near you.
    Challenge yourself to explain everything to all callers with only
    your telepresence.

  * Use IM or IRC to carry on communications with the people
    physically near you, rather than walking over to their desk.

    - Do this in a group chatroom (IRC) to draw in other people to the
      discussion

  * Collaborate with a colocated office mate entirely via
    telepresence.  Bring the discussion to the group mailing list to
    draw exposure to activities.