This short book is a survival guide for individuals, teams, and organisations thrust into a new way of remote working by the global coronavirus pandemic. It is not intended as a set of instructions, or a clear set of answers, but rather as a map with certain landmarks high-lighted to indicate that we should take time to visit them on
the journey. It is intended to give you a lens through which to see this challenge, and to take practical action.
On this journey, we will look at three things:
- The Individual Journey into Remote Work - how we can set
ourselves up to thrive
- The Leadership Perspective - how we lead, and are led in,
virtual teams
- The Cultural Experience - how our culture stretches into
remote spaces, and how we find trust
The metaphor for this book is an expedition: we look at what we need to pack, we think about navigation and how we find our way, we consider where and how to set up the campsite and build the fire, and finally, we sit around the fire and share our stories of the day.
Much of what I say in this work will be obvious, and I encourage you to ignore those things you already know or can figure out for yourself. But one message I want to carry on this expedition is important for us all: as we find our way, as we thrive, for what may be a long haul, remember that not everyone is as safe as you are: some people carry extra weight, some will fall silent,
and some will fail.
Our responsibility is not to make it to the destination alone, but rather to ensure that everyone makes it. Our responsibility is not to make the journey at any cost, but to ensure that the cost is fairly shared, and paid responsibly. At the end of this, we will have to ask ourselves if we have carried forward the culture that we deserve, or have built the culture to which we aspire.
