Authority in the Wild #139 - How to Run a Remote First Business w/ Eric Dingler
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Eric Dingler has spent over 30 years building and leading teams, and his approach to remote team leadership cuts through the noise. In this episode, he reveals why good managers often run businesses into the ground while great managers succeed because they refuse to change—and what that counterintuitive principle actually means for your team.
Eric breaks down the invisible mechanics of recruiting and operating a remote team, drawing from five years of transitioning his leadership expertise from in-person to distributed work. This isn't about remote work tips or productivity hacks. It's about the fundamental leadership skills required to build a team that functions without constant oversight.
The hiring framework that separates adults from people who need constant management determines your operational capacity and reveals why leadership isn't about getting it right, but about making adjustments—a reframe that changes everything about decision-making. Eric brings clarity to leading remote versus in-person teams through team laboratories where he experimented with different approaches to recruiting, training, and leadership, uncovering why talented managers can become organizational liabilities and whether you're building systems or just managing activity. If you've struggled to scale your team, wondered why your hiring process keeps producing the wrong people, or questioned whether remote work can actually deliver results, this episode deconstructs the systems that work—no motivational content, no philosophy debates, just field-tested principles for building authority through operational competence.
🟪 About the Guest
Eric Dingler - Leadership expert with over 30 years of experience in team building, recruitment systems, and remote operations. Spent five years transitioning leadership frameworks from in-person to distributed teams.
🟪 Timestamps
(00:00) Introducing Eric Dingler
(01:26) Is the Future Remote?
(02:12) Differences Between Remote and In-Person Leadership
(04:28) Building a Remote Team Culture
(10:23) Recruitment and Onboarding Strategies
(16:21) Ensuring Remote Team Performance
(20:40) Balancing Flexibility and Accountability
(21:45) The Role of Leadership vs. Management
(24:57) Principles of Remote Work
(27:01) Remote Work in Various Industries
(29:13) Hiring Strategies for Remote Teams
(35:41) Project-Based vs. Hourly Work
(37:55) Personal Journey and Purpose
(43:29) Best Ever Advice Eric Got
🟪 Key Topics Discussed
- Why "hire adults, not babies" is more than a hiring slogan—it's an operational framework
- The leadership skill that matters more than getting decisions right
- What separates remote team success from remote team chaos
- Why great managers succeed by refusing to change (and what that actually means)
- The recruitment and training systems that produce self-sufficient team members
🟪 Connect with Eric Dingler
- Website: https://ericdingler.com/inthewild
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Until Next Week,
Pura Vida!