Tammy Bjelland, Founder and CEO of Workplaceless, shares her insights on leading remote teams effectively. She discusses the shift from a control mindset to building trust and emphasizes the significance of focusing on the 'why' of remote work. Tammy outlines five principles of a placeless mindset to enhance collaboration and productivity. She highlights the need for asynchronous communication to combat Zoom fatigue and encourages leaders to create a clear communication charter for better team dynamics. Her expertise empowers organizations to thrive in a distributed environment.
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insights INSIGHT
Focus on Results
The top hesitation about remote work is the perceived inability to monitor employees.
Focus on work results, not just seeing employees work.
insights INSIGHT
Control Issues
Control is a major obstacle in remote work adoption.
Shift focus from observing employees working to assessing work outcomes.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Placeless Mindset
Adopt a "placeless mindset" to thrive in distributed environments.
This mindset prioritizes location independence, autonomous work, and trust.
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First published in 1980, *Transitions* is a seminal work that explores the underlying and universal pattern of transition. The book takes readers step-by-step through the three perilous stages of any transition, explaining how each stage can be understood and embraced. It offers a simple yet profoundly insightful roadmap to navigate change and move into a hopeful future. The book emphasizes the importance of understanding endings, navigating the neutral zone, and embracing new beginnings to cope effectively with life's changes.
On Good Authority
Anna David
Tammy Bjelland: Workplaceless
Tammy Bjelland is the Founder and CEO of Workplaceless, a training company that teaches remote workers, leaders, and companies how to work, lead, grow, and thrive in distributed environments. Workplaceless is a fully distributed company supporting enterprise, remote, and government clients such as Toyota, GitLab, and the US Department of Commerce.
In this conversation, Tammy and I discuss how leaders can establish a mindset that helps them lead remote teams more successfully. We discuss how to take on a placeless mindset, explore the importance of shifting from how to why, and the best starting points for a communication charter.
Key Points
Five key principles of a Placeless mindset:
Embrace location independence over physical presence.
Empower autonomous work with flexible schedules.
Impact productivity with asynchronous communication and collaboration.
Be open and transparent.
Trust your colleague and employees.
Fear of losing control tends to keep organizations from being able to make useful shifts in mindset.
Leaders and organizations that move beyond the “how” of remote work and focus first on the “why” will have more sustainable success.
Beware of simply trying to replicate what happened in the office. The whole point of remote work is that it is not like the office.
Establish a communication charter. This makes it clear what tools are best — and also how to intervene when things don’t work as anticipated.
Resources Mentioned
Placeless Mindset by Workplaceless
Goplaceless by Workplaceless
Related Episodes
Start With Why, with Simon Sinek (episode 223)
How to Balance Care and Accountability When Leading Remotely, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 464)
How to Lead a Remote Team, with Susan Gerke (episode 465)
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