Leading a startup company is an exhilarating experience. You encounter a fair share of trials and tribulations along the way, but weathering the storms and navigating complex situations is what makes my job as the CEO of Prezent such a rewarding position.
Being a totally remotely-operating company has not been easy to say the least. Leadership dynamics are always shifting, and require necessitating innovative strategies in order to spark engagement, maintain efficiency, and keep the culture thriving across varied time zones.
However, constantly pivoting and coming up with ways to keep the company flowing is what has propelled Prezent into continued success through our employees' virtual workspaces. Building culture requires plenty of consistent effort, and at Prezent we go about it in the following ways:
1. Hiring the right people: In my experiences as CEO, I have found that the first step towards amplifying remote work culture is selecting the right team. It goes beyond just assessing an individual’s skills and qualifications. You must find someone that truly adheres to and resonates with the company’s core values. A team that is unable to win together, take ownership of their roles, act swiftly, obsess over customers, and embrace learning is bound to fail. Prezent makes it a point to emphasize these values from the get-go so everyone that is brought on board is not only the right fit for their role, but the team as a whole.
2. Some face-to-face interaction: While shared values may seem to be enough to unite a team, it’s not enough to hold a team together. Without any face-to-face interaction, members of an organization can drift apart. It’s for this reason that we make it a point to hold in-person meetups on a quarterly basis where the team can bond and get to know one another. You heard it right. 4 times a year, twice in India, and twice in the US. These get-togethers present team members with the opportunity to merge serious business discussions with light-hearted bonding activities. Even though we live in a digital age where technological communication is at an all time high, the value of shared physical space and human interaction is immeasurable.
3. Close, constant collaboration: As well as our in-person meetings, we are very intentional in the way we collaborate with one another. Through the use of digital collaboration tools like quick, check-in calls, document, safe password sharing, and detailed messages, we are able to bridge miscommunication gaps via thorough messaging. Leading from the front, I prioritize staying highly involved, and model the level of engagement I aspire to see across the team. At the end of the day, it’s always about setting an example, and I understand that expecting my team to act in a way that is contrary to my leadership is unrealistic, and unachievable.
4. Investing in employee growth: Engagement and communication is only part of the picture that makes Prezent so great. As a company, we are deeply committed to the growth of our employees from a professional level. When working remotely, this ultimately makes a huge difference, because young professionals on our team may not have the opportunities to develop soft skills as they would in an office environment. To combat this issue, we emphasize professional development initiatives as a core attribute of our work culture and company values. My goal with Prezent has always been to align my team’s professional development with our company’s needs. This way our employees are always accounted for and understand we are equally invested in their future as well as their contributions to making Prezent a great place to work.
5. Full transparency: Transparency lies at the heart of a company's work culture. When working conditions are completely remote, it is easy for employees to feel isolated, or uninformed about company decisions and direction. To keep all of our team members in the loop, I make it a priority to explain every detail behind our decisions, inviting all employees to know the ‘why’ behind our specific actions. At Prezent, it’s not solely about following directions. We believe in order to achieve the highest results, you must contribute to the vision and underlying goals of the company. Given our employees know how their work impacts the grand scheme of Prezent’s success, they are all the more motivated to produce the best quality work and achieve better results for the entire team. At the end of the day, it’s not my direction, it’s not your direction. It is OUR direction and we must be in alignment to make our direction reach new heights.
Our mission statement and company values serve as our guiding light, helping us navigate the challenges and opportunities that come our way. They are not solely words on a page, but rather the principles that navigate us to continued success every day. But even as we honor our existing values, we understand that a vibrant company culture is not static. It must evolve with our team, our customers, our industry, and the wider world. We continue to adapt to changes in our work environment and pick up on more practical strategies to cultivate a better work culture. So, we In the end, fostering a thriving culture in a remote team is not just about overcoming logistical challenges.
It's about building a community. It's about creating a sense of connection and shared purpose that transcends geographical boundaries. It's about empowering each individual to bring their best to the table no matter how many miles separate us. It's a journey of constant evolution and adaptation, but one that brings immeasurable rewards in terms of engagement, productivity, and fulfillment.
So, as we continue this journey, I encourage you to reflect on your own experiences. Whether you lead a team or are part of one, ask yourself: how do you foster culture in your remote team? What strategies have you found most effective? What lessons have you learned along the way? By sharing our insights and experiences, we can all grow stronger together. And ultimately, isn't that what a great team culture is all about?
