In a startup, building strong relationships with your colleagues is imperative to success. You’re in it together, partnering for triumph and survival. As companies begin to thrive (think hiring lots of new people to the team, adding offices, etc.) these relationships become even more vital. However, more people often leads to more silos and factions. While not intended, it’s a reality as people hunker down in their pods to crank out their work. When people are spread out and can no longer solve big creative problems over a cup of coffee or by swinging by a desk, new challenges ensue.
It would be fantastic if the growing team could share the same passion and collegiality as that OG crew who started the company. When we grow and we aren’t able to communicate face to face on a daily basis, things can get lost in translation. Culture, tone, personalities all can get lost in translation when we aren’t physically together. And yet, this doesn’t have to mean we are doomed to miscommunicate with each other. Read on for a few helpful hints to stay connected as your company scales.
CHOOSE VIDEO OVER PHONE
Technology is a beautiful thing but you should use it wisely. When you have solid relationships, phone, Slack, and email are just fine for transactional encounters. However while nothing can replace in-person conversations, video chats are the next best thing as you are building new partnerships. Even if it’s for a short meeting, the opportunity to look each other in the eye, learn each other’s personalities, sense of humor and non-verbal cues can be vitally important. These are meaningful elements in influencing how we react and respond to one another.
THINK BEYOND YOUR OWN TIME ZONE
Sure that meeting might work perfectly for you at 9 AM in Boston, but your teammates in Los Angeles is likely cursing the 6 AM start. Conventional wisdom might suggest that as the host of a meeting, select times that work best for the majority; even if it means inconveniencing yourself a bit. Sometimes, you just might have to be the one who takes the hit on that 11 PM meeting being held in Singapore. You might reside in the main office, but it’s not fair to ask all your other colleagues who are spread out to conform to your schedule. Bottom line: a little sensitivity and careful planning can go a long way in building stronger relationships.
CONNECT PROACTIVELY WITH REMOTE TEAM MEMBERS
Work isn’t always about solving hardcore business problems; commiserating about traffic getting into the office or standing in line together at that incredible new food truck is part of building relationships. When people work outside of the office, they miss out on those casual connection points the rest of us can take for granted. A decent way to include our remote friends on the banter? Take full advantage of messaging systems, chat rooms and quick video catch ups. When you build in those easy back and forth repartee throughout the day, it’s amazing how the walls can come down. In addition, think beyond who is right in front of you. Got a cool idea? Rather than turning to your pod mate, try connecting with someone who works remotely for their insight and input. Not only will you further build the relationship and make them feel more included, but you might just get a different (and valuable!) solution or idea.
MAKE IT SIMPLE TO COLLABORATE
Long gone are the days of a red pen and faxing comments back and forth to each other. Make good use of available technologies to share access, idea development and edits on documents. This doesn’t just apply to final drafts of presentations; think to share notes, lessons learned, etc. Whatever you can do to keep each other on the same page is some organization and collaboration worth investing in.
BREAK SOME BREAD
Everything listed above aids in helping make the most of not being able to be together in person. Nothing, however, replaces the opportunity to get in front of each other and share a meal or some basic human contact. Obviously getting together, especially when you are based in different locations, can be costly and/or inconvenient, but take advantage of those moments you do have. Traveling to a bigger office? Don’t just go to meetings and head back to your hotel room. Enlist some local team members to join you for an after-work cocktail or dinner.
Life is too short to make it ALL about business. A little focus on breaking down barriers and creating environments to build better relationships doesn’t just make it a more fun place to work; it creates the supportive, inclusive community where both the business and its people have the ability to thrive.
Christina Luconi is Chief People Officer for Rapid7. Follow her on Twitter: @peopleinnovator.