Welcome back to The Sales Leader Show, where we bring you the best of the best in sales leadership. And boy, do we have a treat for you today! Our guest is none other than Wayne Turmel, co-author of the amazing book, “The Long-Distance Team: Designing Your Team for Everyone’s Success.”
Now, we know that creating a long distance team can be a daunting task. There are so many things to consider, like communication, collaboration, trust, and accountability. But fear not, my friends! Wayne has got us covered.
Instead of giving us a long list of best practices to follow, Wayne shared a series of best questions to ask ourselves before we go about creating a long distance team. And let me tell you, these questions are pure gold!
First up, Wayne asked us to consider why we want to create a long distance team in the first place. Is it to save money on office space? To access a wider talent pool? To improve work-life balance for our team members? Knowing our motivation for creating a long distance team can help us make better decisions about how to design it.
Next, Wayne urged us to think about our team members’ needs and preferences. Do they prefer working from home or from a co-working space? Are they comfortable with technology, or do they need extra training? What kind of communication and collaboration tools do they prefer? Understanding our team members’ needs can help us create a long distance team that works for everyone.
Wayne also encouraged us to consider our team’s culture and values. How do we create a sense of community and belonging when our team members are scattered across different locations? How do we ensure that everyone is aligned with our mission and goals? How do we maintain accountability and trust? By answering these questions, we can create a long distance team that feels like a cohesive unit, even if we’re miles apart.
And finally, Wayne reminded us to be flexible and adaptable. Creating a long distance team is an ongoing process, and we need to be willing to experiment, learn, and adjust as we go. We need to be open to feedback from our team members and willing to make changes when things aren’t working.
So there you have it, folks! Some of the best questions to ask yourself before creating a long distance team, courtesy of the amazing Wayne Turmel. We hope you found this episode as helpful and insightful as we did. Tune in next time for more great content on The Sales Leader Show!
