Summary
You'll come away knowing How to collaborate without borders — workflows and tools to successfully execute high quality designs (Dropbox, Sketch, Figma, etc) Management techniques for remote leaders and how to establish trust and goals. Best practices for team alignment, particularly when you’re not in the same office or time zone. What work-life balance means to Ana, particularly now that WFH is the global norm.
Key Insights
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Trust is fundamental and is more effective than tracking software or online presence indicators.
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Flexible work hours increase productivity by allowing employees to align work with their personal rhythms.
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Asynchronous communication prevents notification overload and supports global teams across time zones.
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Building custom communication tools tailored to company values can solve common remote work challenges.
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Meetings should be minimized, purposeful, and used mainly for brainstorming and relationship-building.
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Documenting every feature, specification, and decision shared publicly encourages cross-team knowledge sharing.
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Open conversations about burnout and mental health normalize vulnerability and improve team cohesion.
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Evaluating output and results rather than hours worked leads to higher retention and job satisfaction.
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Deep focused work time, protected from notifications and meetings, drives real progress.
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Starting with default trust in employees tends to yield responsible behavior and reduces managerial overhead.
Notable Quotes
"Remote work is totally different from working from home during a pandemic."
"We expanded our regular work cycles by 50% without expanding the scope."
"We don’t track work hours or computer screens; we evaluate the work, not the hours."
"Everyone designs their own schedule that works best for them."
"Asynchronous communication allows us to communicate on our own terms and frees time for deep work."
"Meetings are for brainstorming, catching up, and one-on-ones, not for decision making."
"Almost all channels and leadership discussions are public to avoid blame and improve transparency."
"Burnout happens, and we make it public to remind everyone we are all vulnerable."
"We document everything so that anyone—from support to marketing—can understand the work."
"Start with implicit trust, and most people won’t disappoint you."
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