The Long-Distance Teammate summary

Being a good teammate starts with being in the right frame of mind. But when you’re home alone without regular social interaction with your coworkers, it’s easy to get stuck in negative thinking patterns. 

It doesn’t have to be that way. You aren’t alone, and you do have a concrete and meaningful purpose – you just have to make it part of your regular mindset. The secret here is to remember that you’re part of something larger than yourself. Keep this meaningful mission in mind, and it’ll keep you cruising along over those pitfalls of alienation.

Ever had one of those days where you’re at your desk all day long but somehow it feels like you haven’t gotten anything done? If so, you understand that being busy and being productive are two very different things. 

This is an especially significant problem when working remotely. The lack of a commute means you can start working the moment you roll out of bed. But since there’s no divide between your workspace and your personal space, it’s easy to get distracted or caught up in work that’s not really a priority. Luckily, there are strategies to keep you on track and doing the work that really matters for your team. The key is to ask yourself four pivot questions.

It’s no secret that communication is critical, but it’s even more so when you’re working remotely. You must take steps to be proactive in closing the distance between you and the rest of your team. Being open, honest, and clear with your communications can help everyone stay on the same page even when you’re not in the same room. 

But what exactly is communication? It’s not just about sending a message – it’s also ensuring that that message is received and understood. These final two steps are frequently overlooked, but without them, you’re just talking to yourself.

Working out of sight can sometimes feel like you’re out of mind. That’s why it’s important to still make sure that your work is visible and valued even when you’re not in the office. Aside from being dispiriting, having your contributions overlooked will hamper your career prospects. But how do you make sure that your contributions are recognized without coming off as hungry for the spotlight or tooting your own horn?

The answer is ethical visibility. This is a framework that puts your accomplishments in the context of your wider organization while staying supportive and appropriate.

Giving and receiving quality feedback is at the core of being a good teammate, but it can be easy to lose track of this when you’re working remotely. All too often, it can feel like you’re throwing work into the void, only getting brief email confirmations or a quick thumbs-up in a messaging app. There’s a better way. If you’re aiming to be the best teammate you can be, you need to know how to give feedback – even (and especially) if it isn’t an explicit part of your job description. Luckily for you, it’s not hard to develop this skill. It’s all about applying the same principles of effective communication you’ve seen before.

The key message here is: When giving or receiving feedback, be kind and open, and listen to others.

It’s time to talk about the one thing that makes everything else in these blinks possible: your health. Your physical health is often overlooked in discussions around work, but it’s critical – after all, you won’t be productive if you’re not feeling well.

Working from home brings a new set of challenges. It often means that you’re less mobile, more lonely, and more stressed, all of which can have a detrimental effect on your health. A core part of being a good long-distance teammate is self-care. Establishing good routines to stay on top of your health and set a good work-life balance is essential.