High Performing

Remote Teams
PLAYBOOK
HOW TO USE THE STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY OF GOING
REMOTE TO PREPARE YOUR WORKFORCE FOR THE FUTURE

connect@luman.io #CreationLeadership
REMOTE
WORK
is here
to stay
How do we continue leading when our team is
not at a physical location?

How do we support better meetings,

innovation and continuous work in times of
uncertainty?
KEEP
CALM
AND
CREATE
FUTURE
 This moment asks that leaders take
responsibility for creating the
Psychological Safety required for a
Culture of Learning and Innovation.
Remote We built this playbook to support you in
developing the necessary capacities, and
Leadership & practice to lead your team remotely.
Facilitation You’ve got this! We’ve got you!

Please send your feedback and requests

for support to connect@luman.io
Opportunity for Cultural Transformation

While it is not true that the By investing in building the These new times require the
Chinese character for Crisis is capacities, culture, and same as remote teams:
the same as the one for agile mindset that drive
Opportunity, as often said high performance, remote Purpose as a north star for all activities
among leadership coaches, it teams are much happier,
People with the capacities to thrive
is true that every crisis also more transparent and more amidst transformation
presents an opportunity. productive.
Processes that support productive
It is possible to leverage this The current situation brings collaboration and co-creation
moment to develop higher with it the opportunity for a Platforms and Systems to ensure
levels of adaptability and massive culture shift that reliability, integrity and accountability
delivery in your team. would have been difficult in
Planning in new ways that honor
“normal” times - a shift long-term and super short-term
Well-run remote teams are toward a new way of
even more effective than their working, which will serve Propagation of these new ways of
office-based counterparts. being and working
team long past this crisis.
 REMOTE TEAMS Aligned and clear direction
Value Focus
Key Factors for Success
Urgency
PURPOSE Enrollment / Alignment
Distributed Decision-Making
Self-Organization
Making it the new normal:
How do you bring these new New mindset unlocks new
ways of working to the rest of PEOPLE capacities:
the organization? Self-Reliance
PROPAGATION
How do you use Self-Expression
this opportunity to Self-Regulation
create long term shift? Self-Organization

High Performing
Responsive Planning for REMOTE TEAMS
multiple Futures: Enabling Processes:
Kanban, SCRUM etc. CSFA -meeting process
Agile planning FeedForward
VUCA Planning PLANNING PROCESSES Acknowledgement
Scenario Planning Rituals of Celebration

Collective “Truth” Systems

Tools like Zoom, Asana, Trello,
Slack, CRM etc. with clear processes
Short messaging or chat vs email PLATFORMS &
and co-created artifacts SYSTEMS
PURPOSE
PURPOSE =
Meaning + Impact
 Purpose is defined as “the reason for which
something is done or created or for which
something exists”, and as “a person's sense of
resolve or determination.”

Its origins lie in the Old French of the late 14th century,

What is and stems from Anglo-French purposer "to design,"

Old French porposer "to intend, propose," variant of
proposer (see propose). It is about putting forth
Purpose? something with intention.

Purpose is something that has personal meaning,

in order to create the sense of resolve and
determination, and something that has impact, a
result you want to see in the world.
PURPOSE
> Aligned and clear direction
> Value Focus
> Urgency
> Enrollment
> Distributed Decision-Making and
Self-Organization
1 Purpose creates Aligned
Direction for the team: 2 Purpose creates
Value Focus:
When things are aligned, be it mechanical or relational Purpose has a benefactor. Someone will profit - in the
they feel right. When they are not aligned, our desire for original sense of the term of “may it be forwarding”.
symmetry, harmony and congruence is not met and
there is tension. This means, there is a clear value that has to be
delivered for success to occur.
It is easy to identify alignment in the physical world, but
what does that mean in a team or an organization? Through being clear on your purpose for any activity,
you also automatically focus on the value you are
Alignment occurs when we are heading in the same creating for the recipient, the customer.
direction. If the organization has a clear purpose and

3
your purpose is aligned - then you will bring all of your
genius and creativity to bear. You will have an increased Purpose creates
willingness to work past challenges and setbacks. If you
are not aligned with the organization's purpose then you
Urgency:
experience anxiety, resistance and conflict.
Having a purpose creates urgency and allows people to
work on a different timeline.

If you care about the value you want to bring into the
world, why waste any more time?
 5 Purpose allows for
Self-Organization:
Another benefit of shared purpose is that it can create
aligned action at a distance and across hierarchies and

4 Purpose creates Enrollment: silos.

Having a clear purpose allows for distributed decision

Purpose allows enrollment, getting someone on board. making on all levels of the organization.

From the first follower to teammates and superiors and A shared purpose serves as a guiding principle, which
potential sponsors in the organization, you will need to any team member can test their actions against to see if
bring a lot of other individuals on board. they are aligned with the overall interests of the team
and the organization.
Being able to clearly articulate your purpose and
express it in an enrolling integrative narrative vision, Having a clear shared purpose allows for the freedom to
which allows the other to see their aspirational self in it, act knowing that you have the interests of your team
allows you to make them part of your team. and organization at heart.
PEOPLE
 PEOPLE
need new
CAPACITIES
CAPACITIES

> Self-Reliance
> Self-Expression
> Self-Regulation
> Self-Organization
 Working in remote teams requires new individual
capacities.

The good news is that these capacities are also those

required to thrive in a volatile and uncertain future.

We define capacities as collections of Mindsets and

Capacities? Behaviors that enable you to produce a certain
Outcomes, reliably.

If we want to create different results, we need new

behaviors. New behaviors become available when we
shift how we look at the world - when we adopt a new
mindset.
 THREE BUILDING BLOCKS OF
SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP:

MINDSET BEHAVIORS OUTCOMES

Our mindset determines our Behaviors are the way in which a Measuring outcomes lets us
fundamental filters and how we person responds to a particular know if mindset and behaviors
view the world. situation or stimulus. are leading to the outcomes we
desire.
Global leaders need to cultivate Global teams require an effective
growth, inclusion and invitation. cadence of communication and On virtual teams, everyone is in
repeatable structure for meetings. ownership of the results the team
collectively creates.
 CAPACITY MINDSET

Self-Reliance > If it’s to be, it’s up to me

Self-Expression > My and every voice matters
Self-Regulation > I am responsible for my well being
Self-Organization > I put ship in leadership
1 SELF-RELIANCE:
Part of being an adult lies in the capacity to hold paradoxes.
One of the key paradoxes of being human is that of being
separate, while being part of an underlying unity.
2 SELF-EXPRESSION:
As separate beings, everyone is unique. Everyone has a
unique perspective, a unique combination of gifts and talents
to bring to the team.
The German Psychologist Erich Fromm said “Paradoxically,
the ability to be alone is the condition for the ability to love.” Creativity requires diversity. We need diverse perspectives,
Similarly, in remote teams (and life), we get to learn to and sometimes even conflict, to create forward motion.
overcome the romantic delusion of expecting someone else
to make us whole, or fix it when things go awry (“not my job” When in the same room, harmonizing as a group - in the least
phenomenon). out of politeness - is easier. In virtual teams, the negative side
of diversity can easily be amplified because we are separated
We get to fully rely on ourselves for the job to get done.
by space - and sometimes time (think of trolling online, and
That also means to ensure the team functions well. how most trolls would never dare to behave like that in
person).
We cannot do anything alone.

We need to rely on each other to create. It is key to honor everyone’s uniqueness and give everyone
the respect and consideration one would want for one’s own
This requires the behaviors and tools to connect, create self-expression.
psychological safety, make clear agreements and consciously
relate with each other. That starts with actually listening to each other with deep
intent (hint: teams with equal relative talk time tend to be more
successful at solving challenges).
3 SELF-REGULATION:
Each of us has multiple intelligences, ways of experiencing
and affecting reality: We have a body, emotions, and a mind.
Ideally, they function in concert to optimize what the moment
requires - from intense activity to active rest.

We can regulate how our body functions, e.g. by drinking

enough water, eating in supportive ways, and keeping our
body in shape. Similarly, we can regulate our emotions - not
by suppressing them, but by actively engaging with them and
4 SELF-ORGANIZATION:
Leadership is now everyone's job.

processing them appropriately - and by being aware of the Leadership is the agency of taking responsibility for what you
emotions we create in others through our presence. become aware of, and stepping into ownership over oneself,
the outcomes one delivers, and ultimately one's reality.
On a mental level, it is about becoming the "masters of our
thoughts rather than its slaves," as the Buddhists say. Leadership is a focus on creating solutions, rather than
Becoming aware of our own cognitive biases, how we reacting to challenges.
process information, and what information we choose to pass
on. This requires being willing to expand and grow and try ever
new approaches, while being aware of the impact of our
Extreme performance requires extreme self-care. This means
creations. It requires integrity (fulfilling agreements with self),
making time to take care of body, emotion and mind - and of
and accountability (fulfilling agreements with others). And it
course also the higher aspects of ourselves - and ensuring
requires new processes and systems of collaboratively
our team does the same.
creating value.
 WHAT KIND OF MINDSET DO YOU HAVE?

FIXED GROWTH
MINDSET MINDSET

I am either good at it or not I can learn anything I want to

When I’m frustrated, I give up When I’m frustrated, I persevere

I don’t like to be challenged I want to challenge myself

When I fail, I am no good When I fail, I learn

Tell me I am smart Tell me I try hard

If you succeed, I feel threatened If you succeed, I am inspired

My abilities are key My effort and attitude are key

 As a leader, you are accountable for your team
members’ sense of safety and their engagement level.

PSYCHOLOGICAL Psychological safety is required for creativity, risk

taking and even asking potentially challenging
questions.
SAFETY Here is a terrific Harvard Business Review Article to get
you started.
 > INTENTION - Start with actually deciding who you want to
COMMUNICATION be in the meeting. What would be your best version of
yourself?

> ATTENTION - Give everyone your full attention when they

are speaking. What if they were delivering the most important
message ever (even if it might not seem like it)?
When in doubt -
communicate often > COMMUNICATION - Ensure you complete the loop of
Sender → Receiver. Allow others to finish and wait before
jumping in to talk. Decode. Think. Then Respond.
and even over-communicate!
> RETENTION - Practice Active Listening. By paraphrasing
what others have said, you actually retain that information
(be mindful of the right conversation via the right channel)
much better.

> EXPANSION - Make sure whatever you have to say is

actually building on what has been said before. Don’t get
stuck on defending a point, but always look for the next best
understanding.
AGREEMENTS
Now is a good time to iterate on how we work
together. Answers to these questions form the
foundation of our agreements:

> How are communicating?

Agreement is a contract that has > How do we manage the project and deadlines?
> How are we creating accountability?
a defined who, what, and by > Who are the project leads?
> How do we define success?
when. In high functioning teams,
Breakdowns happen. Commitments are broken. In
the how is left to the individual order to clean up a broken agreement:

creator. > Take ownership. I failed to ...

> Acknowledge. The impact that had on the team
was...
> Recommit. You can count on me to...
ALIGNMENT

Why is Team Alignment Important?

Alignment is a continuous
> Improved productivity
process. Leaders need to daily
> Improved performance
align their teams and
> Decreased friction
organizations to keep moving in > Motivation and moral
the same direction. This means > Engagement and retention
continuously checking for > Decision making
understanding of purpose, > Adaptability

vision, task, and process.

 CONFLICT & CLEARING

When working remotely, Remote teams need a practice of

miscommunications and clearing to maintain trust and
missteps that result in productivity.
emotional harm are easier to
ignore. But small slights can
Clearing is a process that brings out emotional
compound over time, harm and misunderstandings and clears it out in a
resulting in information simple, efficient, and durable way. Our tendency is
to ignore or sidestep issues which just causes
withholds and breakdown in them to fester and multiply.
collaboration.
 Step 1: Get Permission
CLEARING This step comes first when you want to have a clearing conversation outside of the context of a training. It’s important
to ask permission to have the conversation first before diving in. Even though they look available to talk, they may not
Step 0: Prepare for the Conversation be emotionally available. You never know what is happening inside a person until you ask. By asking permission to
have the conversation, you allow the other person to be at choice as to when the conversation happens.
When you know you want to have a clearing conversation, do
not come to them with a list of transgressions. Choose one 1. Approach the person when they look open and available.
situation/past conversation to work with. You might be surprised 2. Tell this person that you’d like to have a clearing conversation with them. Make sure you tell the person why
to find that the other stuff melts away once you reach having the conversation is important to you. Ex. I want to feel at ease when I’m around you and imagine you
understanding and come to a new fresh commitment. might want that too.
3. If they are not available now to have the conversation, ask them if they’d be up for scheduling on another day
and time to have this conversation.

Step 2: Step 3: SCAN Step 4: FOCUS

CONNECT Observation - Listening and Validating Responsibility

Feelings
a) Person A: Describe yourself and your perception. Do not describe the other person(s). a) Acknowledge your own role in contributing to the fight or
Again, avoid attack and blame. Try to identify what needs you might have been trying to regrettable incident. Specifically, what do you regret and what
Share how you felt.
meet. Describe your perceptions like a reporter, giving an objective, scene-by-scene was your contribution to the incident?
Do not say why you felt that
description. b) What do you wish to apologize for?
way. Avoiding blaming and
b) Person B: Summarize and then validate the other person’s reality by saying, “It makes c) If you accept your partner’s apology, say so. If not, say what
commenting on the other
sense to me how you saw this and what your perceptions and needs were.” Validation you still need.
person’s feelings. On the
does not mean you agree, but that you can understand even a part of your partner’s
other side is a short list of
experience.
feelings that may be useful to
c) Switch
you.
d) Do both partners feel heard? If yes, move on. If no, ask, “What else do I need to hear to Step 5: ACT
see your perspective better?” After summarizing and validating, ask your partner, “Did I get Constructive plans
it?”
e) Share any experiences from the past that this is connected to and what might have set you Plan together one way that each of you can make it better next time.
up for this to escalate.
PROCESSES
 How to have
BETTER MEETINGS
PROCESSES

> CSFA - Good meeting processes

> Ritual: Roses > Thorns > Buds

> Feedback/ FeedForward

> Acknowledgement
 Determine key
CFSA CONNECT stakeholders and
create rapport

Decide on concrete Review the pertinent

next steps to iterate ACT SCAN spectrum of
information

Identify leverage
points for greatest FOCUS
impact
 Meeting SCAN FOCUS
Template
Take a wide view. What is everyone’s priority? Add items from the scan to this column that you
want to prioritize for the meeting. Determine how
CONNECT 1) Scan the room for discussion topics and create a much time you want to spend on each topic
clear agenda. Look out for items that need their
It is important to create safety and own separate meeting or are not a current priority. By honing in on each item in SCAN, everyone in the
empathy. Take a few minutes for 2) Have someone write that agenda down room becomes informed and we stay on topic.
everyone to feel seen. 3) Steer clear of discussing the agenda items,
If your group is big, connect can be instead, define the outcome of each topic: decision If another agenda topic pops up while in FOCUS,
done in pairs or reduced to a single needed (D), brainstorm together (B), or inform (I). add it to the SCAN and review it at the end of the
word answer. If your group is
items you have already agreed to focus on.
remote, this is even more important.

Find a question that everyone can

relate to and give everyone a clear
amount of time to share.

SOME GOOD QUESTIONS: ACT

How was your weekend?
What are you excited about?
Once actionable items have been discussed, assign, date and record the action steps into an accountability system
How was your morning?
that everyone utilizes. This system is referenced often by individuals and teams. Action items need a who, by when,
What are you learning?
What challenges are you facing? and conditions of fulfillment. No action is too small to be recorded. Some teams take a few minutes at the end of the
meeting to clear out action items that can be dealt with quickly and immediately.
Record the participants in this
column of the worksheet.
RITUAL:
Roses > Thorns > Buds practice
Simple retrospective - (good to do on Fridays):

> Roses: What worked > Thorns: What didn’t > Buds: What can grow?
well this week? work well this week? What are we excited about?
What can we do better?
RITUAL:
Roses > Thorns > Buds practice

> Use an online tool such as Miro or Mural to have

digital colorful post-it notes

> You can give people up to 5 dots (digital

stickers) to choose which to focus on

> The buds need to be brought into the next week

and implemented
ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT

FEEDBACK FEEDFORWARD

Past Future
Feedforward assumes that people can make positive changes in
the future, whereas feedback tends to reinforce stereotyping,
self-fulfilling prophecies, and feelings of failure.
RITUAL:
Acknowledgement ACKNOWLE
When we thank someone, we let
DGEMENT
them know that we see what they
did for us.
When we acknowledge someone,
we let them know that we see
them for who they are, that we
=
see that they are making an effort. “I SEE YOU”
We make it about them.
We can all use acknowledgement.
PLATFORMS &
SYSTEMS
Remote Work needs
NEW TOOLS
PLATFORMS & SYSTEMS

> Video communication tool (Zoom, etc)

> Chatting tools (Slack, Chatter)

> Project management tools (Teams, Asana, etc.)

> Shared documents and platforms (Box, Google drive)

> Collaborative tools (Miro, Mural, and Mindmeister )

> Presencing technology such as Owl Labs 360

> Virtual Reality office… (already beginning to happen)!

REMOTE WORK POLICY

> Remote Work policy from Workable.

> Working remotely doesn’t change your

existing workplace policies

> If you have a policy, now is a great time

to review it and update language and
references.
COMMUNICATION MATRIX
When channels and systems multiply it can get
confusing which to use, resulting in lost tasks and
inappropriate communication.

A communication matrix supports people in

knowing which channel is appropriate.

For each system and channel determine:

● Frequency or cadence
● Type of communication
● Who should use it
PLANNING
 PLANNING
becomes more
AGILE
PLANNING
The agile approach (which evolved from kaizen, scrum, etc.)
means breaking tasks into smaller deliverables that are
more focused, iterative and manageable.

Adding to that, a cadence of team daily standup meetings

and feedback in short-weekly retrospective meetings will
develop a learning culture and enable managers to resolve
the challenges of remote work.

There are many different processes and tools that can be

used: Agile, Scrum, Kanban are pretty similar, and help to
bring clarity to your team.
AGILE PHILOSOPHY & MINDSET
● Everything is feedback and we are always learning
Kaizen - means ● Different perspectives and diversity makes us stronger
continuous improvement ● Creating is joyful and team work should be fun
and came out of Toyota. ● The pace is sustainable and stress levels stay in the sweet
spot
Agile and other similar
● Adaptability and willingness to evolve is the norm
frameworks have adopted
● Transparency and honesty support us all in developing and
the idea of continuous creating better work
team growth and iteration ● High level of communication reduces friction and increases
on projects. knowledge sharing
● Ineffective but common solutions are recognized and solved
● The 1 Percent Rule. Small differences in performance can lead
to very unequal distributions when repeated over time
PROPAGATION
CREATING
the
FUTURE
PROPAGATION

> Creating a Culture of Learning

and Psychological Safety

> Elements of Culture

PROPAGATION

Establishing a Culture of Learning and Psychological

Safety for your Remote Team will support them in:

● Taking risk and experimenting to drive innovation

● Communicating more freely and across silos
● Supporting the “quiet voices” and introverted workers
to shine more as they might feel safer communicating
online
● Continuous Feedback/Feedforward sessions - to
support your teams one-on-one or in groups
ELEMENTS OF
CULTURE
Archetypes

Values/
Rituals
Beliefs

LUMAN
CULTURE
Culture - “how we do things around here” is at
FRAMEWORK
once ephemeral and - in its force in shaping
behaviors - massively concrete.
Stories and
Symbols
To innovate culture, to consciously craft it Narratives
requires a simple framework to break it down
into its key elements, and design effective
strategies to account for and overcome
Language
existing cultures and inherent resistance.
OUR OFFERING TO YOU
Shifting to Remote Work
90 min Virtual Trainings
Learn all the basics and secrets that allow you to increase your
productivity as you are going remote

High Performing Remote Teams

3 Week online course
Complete a project while entraining the capacities required to work
effectively in virtual teams

Alongside Steward for your Team

Remote Facilitation of Key Meetings
Have a pro to guide and facilitate your team in working remotely - get Prepare your
more done than ever before!
People for the
Strategic Guidance in times of VUCA
We can work with you to use this transitional moment and set a FUTURE!
strategic direction for your future.
 Future.
Culture.
Leadership.

connect@luman.io #CreationLeadership