| My team (me + 3 others) are distributed around the world, everyone is in a different time zone, and most are opposite me. A few simple rules makes it work: Only hire “self starters” who you trust to get the job done. This is most important. Then small operational stuff:
Don’t ask to ask. Don’t ask to call. Everyone has Skype open, if you have a question, just call. If you can’t take the call immediately IM back straight away, or call back straight away. Everything in trello. Everyone has a “downtime” card in trello. These are tasks that you can go on to if a clients work is waiting on something, or you’re held up. These are kind of like your 20% time things. Can include non-coding activities (swimming, biking, whatever) I’m gonna push you to grow, that means you get autonomy, mastery and purpose, but I expect excellence in return. Give me the best of you, and in return, I will help you grow and achieve whatever life goals you have. Have fun! We joke and laugh a lot. |
The one thing I would say is that everyone worked the clients hours, for the most part, with at least a 4 hour overlap. That meant that I would often find myself checking and answering chat messages around the clock because a single question could easily lead to a 24 hour delay. I would do my best to clear whatever roadblocks came up as soon as they did to avoid this. I also think we all became better at thinking through the work we had scheduled since it meant we would identify the issues upfront when possible.
The last bit about having fun was the most rewarding for me. I made a few good friends and we spent a lot of time laughing over Skype as we faced down the pressures of software delivery.