Remote, Yes, But Is It Always Feasible?
Written in the height of the pandemic, Gustavo Razzetti, founder and CEO of Fearless Culture, wrote Remote, Not Distant. As an author, speaker, and leadership consultant who has served many companies and nonprofits worldwide, this leadership book is a timely read on many fronts. Razzetti’s opening line says,
Welcome to the beginning of the end of the workplace as we know it. Normal is gone. The culture that got you here won’t get you there.[1]
Given the radical changes we have experienced worldwide in the workplace, the question begs to be asked: Can meaningful connection and culture be created and maintained in the remote workplace? According to Razzetti, “You can work remotely and still be connected. You don’t need an office to feel like you’re part of the team.”[2] The book is broken down into five steps to help promote connection in the new workplace. They are:
Step 1 is to reset your culture.
Step 2 challenges the idea of alignment.
Step 3 focuses on belonging.
Step 4 is a deep dive into the six modules of collaboration in a hybrid workplace.
Step 5 covers how to increase speed, adaptability, and decision-making.[1]
There are several essential concepts that I would like to highlight from the book:
- Regarding culture and systems, Razzetti gives a nod to Schein who “likes to say that culture is dynamic, not static. It’s constantly evolving, yet stable and strong. It can be shaped but not changed… it’s a living ecosystem that’s constantly changing.”[1] Razzetti argues that culture is an interconnected system that demands more than a set of core values, but also purposeful intentionality to devote time and attention to building culture.
- Trust is more important than ever in the remote work context. Razzetti states, “In most companies, you must earn trust over time to earn benefits, but in a remote environment, you don’t have the luxury of time. A hybrid workplace demands that organizations take trust to a new level.”[2] However, the challenge within this framework is the level of trust that must be demonstrated toward one’s employees. Razzetti states, “Engagement alone doesn’t guarantee exceptional work – autonomy is actually more effective for driving innovative, groundbreaking behavior. Giving employees more control results in great work.”[3] While I agree with this, I also see the challenge of this as an employer. If an employer doesn’t trust their employees to this degree, why not? Is it that they are unfit for that role, or that the employer has difficulty entrusting responsibility to their staff, or both?
- Building good culture demands a good example from leadership. Razzetti states, “Model the right behavior and inspire others to follow suit. Walk the talk. Let your actions, not your rewards, define your culture. What you reward and punish requires drawing a line – how far are you willing to go to protect your culture?”[4] Good culture starts from the top and works its way down.
- The book provides some great tools and general principles to keep in mind that transcend any work context. For example:
- In providing better feedback to employees, Razzetti believes that there is value in shifting from an annual performance to regular feedback, from giving feedback to receiving it, from top-down feedback to peer-to-peer feedback, and from revisiting the past to designing the future.[5]
- In managing feedback remotely, Razzetti suggests that employers should “assume positive intent, manage conflict in the open, take a break, just listen, establish a buddy system, and set regular one-on-ones.”[6]
- Razzetti state, “Globally, nearly seven in ten respondents said hybrid is their preferred work environment. People want flexibility, not just in where they work but also when.”[7] I am challenged by this statement as there are some sectors in which remote work is not possible, such as hospitals, schools, and, I would argue, the nonprofits I have led over the past two decades. In certain settings, physical presence and proximity are of utmost importance and cannot be fulfilled by a remote presence.
- Effective remote leaders do things differently. The author states, “The truth is, we don’t need heroic leaders. We need human beings who take care of people.”[8] He further suggests that these leaders trust employees more, focus on culture (and let the employees focus on the work), are empathetic and engaged with their employees, and embrace the unknown (even when it may appear risky).[9]
As stated in the introduction, this book was a timely read for me as I transitioned into a fully remote workplace role at the beginning of the year. Stepping out of the community development world where proximity (and physical presence) was everything, I look forward to applying these principles to my new role as a consultant with The FOCUS Group (TFG). TFG is headquartered in St. Augustine, Florida. However, most consultants are scattered across the United States and work remotely, except for in-person meetings with clients. Recently returning from our annual symposium (an in-person conference), I was greatly encouraged by the culture and connection I have already experienced with the team at TFG. However, I am challenged to consider how the principles communicated by Razzetti apply (or not) to the nonprofit context from which I recently exited. Is it possible to allow greater flexibility to nonprofit leaders and staff, allowing for greater freedom and independence while not compromising the mission? And how are these principles transferable to local schools and hospitals, if at all? These are the questions I will continue to mull over in the coming months.
[1] Ibid., 16.
[2] Ibid., 45.
[3] Ibid., 235.
[4] Ibid., 90.
[5] Ibid., 142–145.
[6] Ibid., 148–154.
[7] Ibid., 195.
[8] Ibid., 276.
[9] Ibid., 277–280.
[1] Ibid., 16.
[2] Ibid., 45.
[3] Ibid., 235.
[4] Ibid., 90.
[5] Ibid., 142–145.
[6] Ibid., 148–154.
[7] Ibid., 195.
[8] Ibid., 276.
[9] Ibid., 277–280.
[1] Ibid., 6–7.
[1] Gustavo Razzetti, Remote, Not Distant: Design a Company Culture That Will Help You Thrive in a Hybrid Workplace (Highland Park, IL: Liberationist Press, 2022), 1.
[2] Ibid., 3.
11 responses to “Remote, Yes, But Is It Always Feasible?”
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Eric, I appreciate how you distilled some key principles from the book. It is also interesting to hear your professional shift and the differences between the two “worlds” in which you serve(d). A question about this statement: “Trust is more important than ever in the remote work context.” Maybe I am just an “old dog” who agrees with the need for trust but wonders how you build trust when you spend less time together? In your current remote role, how do you build trust beyond the recent gathering you experienced?
Good question. For me in my new role, there are still levels of accountability. I still log hours, I have a number of hours/month that they want to be considered ‘billable’, and I have responsibilities within the work of ‘team.’ For example, if we are doing a $10MIL capital campaign, there will be 3-4 of us working with that client, plus their team, plus our backend staff that help with memos, research, etc. All that said, I think the principle is still the same… you earn trust by doing what you say you are going to do, but that initial step requires that my employer put a lot of ‘trust’ in me to hire me in the first place. Make sense?
Eric, in what ways might you compare and contrast this subject of trust between your inclination toward trust and what Razzetti says? What do you see as the dynamic between trust and an anxious system?
Yes, Eric, it does make sense. As Razzetti said, “Hybrid is here to stay” so we better adapt. My son is a part-time gamer and talks about his “friends” in South Korea that he regularly joins as a team. He’s never met them in person and probably never will, but to him they are real friends. “Old dogs” like me have a hard time fully grasping that, but we need to learn what it means in every sphere, including the church and online engagement. In my reading, I read about digital natives and digital immigrants. I am an immigrant, new to this hybrid world. I speak with a digital accent. Those of us who do need to lean in to those who speak “native” digital language.
Hey Eric: I would be interested in talking with you about your remote-work experience in the coming months. As I read Rezzetti, I thought his principles are applicable to all industries, including the non-profit sector. The job I applied for with GFU part-remote.
Sure. Happy to chat. I am really impressed with how TFG is doing it. Just yesterday I spend the whole day with the CEO of the company in ID. That kind of facetime in a growing firm typically wouldn’t happen, but they model they have created truly curates that kind of culture.
Eric, I greatly appreciate your insights into Razetti’s book. I agree with you about how challenging it is to try and pursue non-profit work remotely. The question is in the event of another pandemic what would be your advise to the non-profit sector? Is there a way remote work can be done, even if its not as efficient as a face-to-face approach?
I might be the wrong person to ask regarding another pandemic:) Though my wife is a medical doctor, my personal take is that we (the Church) have a tendency to be too timid. Of course, in this there is balance. We did not really shut down or go remote during Covid… I think we might have been out of the office 1-2 weeks, but that is all. Of course, it did change things, such as with donors, being in schools, etc., but much of what we did was still present and much needed – recovery home for women, tutoring and caring for kids, providing housing, building, etc.
Eric, I really like the way you have presented the essential concepts in the book. You have highlighted the importance of providing good feedback to the employees where it shifts from annual performance to regular feedback, from giving feedback to receiving it, from top-down feedback to peer-to-peer feedback, and from revisiting the past to designing the future. How is this being done in your new place of work, especially now that you’re working remotely.
Eric: As I was reading your post, I found myself considering the possibility that perhaps nonprofits were some of the most equipped for the pandemic considering the large flexibility that is often embedded. In my experience with community development, there was a lot of trust on the onset, with the ability for people to work in a variety of areas outside of the office. While the social distancing and lockdowns inevitably provided new levels of challenges, it will be interesting to see how the various sectors survive/thrive when looking at 5- and 10-year post-lockdown data.
Eric, well written post. I thought of you while reading this book, especially as you embark in this new remote role. I’m curious what skills do you foresee needing to develop in this transition from an in-person ministry to a remote?