Written communication is going through a renaissance of sorts. With the rise of remote work, the ability to express thoughts in a clear and organized manner is in high demand. But while asynchronous communication these days is mostly about chat, emails and texts, there’s another writing skill you should master — how to write a memo. Memos (memorandums for short) aren’t only a domain of high-profile CEOs. They’re a great,…

Remember the 1992 Glengarry Glen Ross scene where Alec Baldwin’s character schools the sales team on the principles of Always Be Closing (ABC)? That’s some A-level mentoring right there. Wouldn’t it be cool if fully distributed teams could get a *similar* learning experience through remote mentoring sessions? 🤝 What’s Remote Mentoring? 📘 Mentoring: employee training system under which a senior or more experienced individual (the mentor) is assigned to act…

Team conflicts happen, whether it’s a simple difference of opinion, misalignment, or a squabble over project details, disagreements happen in all types of organizations. But dealing with team conflicts remotely… that’s a whole new type of challenge. 😱 Discord in a remote workplace is tricky to spot, and a heck of a challenge to deescalate, once it goes past a certain point. After all, remote employees (and managers) can’t just…

The recent Spotify x Joe Rogan deal made one thing clear: Spotify is going for gold of the podcasting industry. While the company’s chain of acquisitions is part of a well-thought-out business model, the Swedish music streaming service didn’t start as the most orderly bunch. Back in 2012, Spotify sported an experimental and highly volatile organizational approach that came to be known as the “Spotify model.” In today’s article, we’re…

Have you come here looking for knowledge? 🧠 That’s perfect timing as we’re just about to take a closer look at another interesting system for collecting and organizing information. A brainchild of German sociologist Niklas Luhmann, the Zettelkasten method can make you (and your team) smarter, more productive, and effective at work. While the Zettelkasten was originally created to support Luhmann’s scientific research, we decided to look at it from…

As more companies are extending their remote work policies, we thought it might be a good time to revisit the concept of work from home (WFH) and see where it stands today.  While the growing popularity of flexible, off-site work arrangements is a positive thing (even if it’s by necessity), the concept of a fully remote workplace is still intimidating to many. If you’re new to remote work or just…

When Thoreau moved into his Walden cabin in 1845, he left most of his possessions behind. Had he lived today, he’d have probably dumped his smartphone and smartwatch too and embraced the way of digital minimalism. What’s digital minimalism? Why is it good for you? Let’s find out! 💡 Defining Digital Minimalism  Did you know that the average smartphone user—wink wink—checks their phone 58 times a day? According to RescueTime’s study, the…