Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Long-Distance Teammate summary
Kevin Eikenberry
Wayne Turmel
Stay Engaged and Connected While Working Anywhere
18 mins
Brief summary
The Long-Distance Teammate by Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel is a practical guide for remote workers on building effective virtual relationships with colleagues and staying engaged and productive in remote teams.
Table of Contents
The Long-Distance Teammate
Summary of 7 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 7
Pay attention to the 3 Ps to be a great teammate.
One of the biggest challenges of working from home is being – and feeling – like an effective member of a team. There’s no way around it – when you’re not physically present in an office, it’s hard to be engaged and form meaningful connections.
Luckily, there’s a model that can help you be a better teammate from the comfort of your own home office. It all comes down to 3 Ps: productivity, proactivity, and potential.
The key message of this blink is: Pay attention to the 3 Ps to be a great teammate.
The first P, productivity, seems simple enough. The ability to do work is at the core of your role on any team; at the end of the day, getting your work done well is the most important part of your job. But when it comes to being a good teammate, there’s more to production than your own personal output. Any team member can focus on their tasks and produce good work, but a great teammate will get the best work done in the time allotted and help the rest of his team and organization.
The second P is proactivity. Proactivity is simple: it’s the opposite of being reactive. If you’ve ever taken a driving class, you’ve probably heard that the safest drivers are constantly checking further down the road so that they have advance warning of anything that may pop up.
Being proactive at work means keeping an eye out for obstacles in the distance and taking preemptive action to manage them. This behavior is especially valuable when working remotely, as it builds trust and demonstrates a sincere commitment to working well.
The final P, potential, is perhaps the trickiest concept to understand and master. It refers to thinking about the long-term effects of your actions, and how they fit in with your goals and the goals of your teammates. This doesn’t always come naturally – it’s easy to tune out in a boring meeting or ignore an opportunity to help out Jim from finance with a nonessential project. But consider that these small opportunities offer rewards down the line and affect how your teammates perceive you. Who knows? Jim’s project could turn out to be a wild success that boosts your reputation.
Want to see all full key ideas from The Long-Distance Teammate?
Key ideas in The Long-Distance Teammate
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Long-Distance Teammate about?
The Long-Distance Teammate: Stay Engaged and Connected While Working Anywhere (2021) is a guide to being a quality teammate while working remotely. It helps you navigate all the interpersonal issues that pop up when you’re no longer sharing an office with your coworkers, and gives advice on how to build connections with people you haven’t seen.
The Long-Distance Teammate Review
The Long-Distance Teammate (2020) is an insightful book that explores the challenges and strategies for thriving as a remote team member. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It offers practical tips and techniques to help remote workers stay connected and engaged with their teams, ensuring productivity and meaningful collaboration.
- Backed by research and real-world examples, the book provides valuable insights into how to navigate the unique dynamics and communication challenges of remote work.
- With its friendly and relatable tone, the book keeps readers engaged and entertained, making it a compelling read that is definitely not boring.
Who should read The Long-Distance Teammate?
- Anyone working remotely
- Workers unsure where they fit in
- People seeking a better work-life balance
Categories with The Long-Distance Teammate
Book summaries like The Long-Distance Teammate
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
Words on the Move
John McWhorter
Why English Won’t – and Can’t – Sit Still (Like, Literally)
21 min
4.5
Build Like A Woman
Kathleen Griffith
The Blueprint for Creating a Business and Life You Love
16 min
4.2
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
33 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
The Long-Distance Teammate FAQs
What is the main message of The Long-Distance Teammate?
The main message of The Long-Distance Teammate is how to thrive as a remote worker and contribute to your team's success.
How long does it take to read The Long-Distance Teammate?
The reading time for The Long-Distance Teammate varies, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Long-Distance Teammate a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Long-Distance Teammate is a valuable read for remote workers. It provides practical tips and insights to enhance productivity and build effective remote relationships.
Who is the author of The Long-Distance Teammate?
The authors of The Long-Distance Teammate are Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel.
What to read after The Long-Distance Teammate?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Long-Distance Teammate, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan
- How to Fix Meetings by Graham Allcott and Hayley Watts
- The Loop Approach by Sebastian Klein
- Just Listen by Mark Goulston
- Difficult Conversations Don't Have to Be Difficult by Jon Gordon & Amy P. Kelly
- Mastering Leadership by Robert J. Anderson and William A. Adams
- Do Breathe by Michael Townsend Williams
- When You're Ready, This Is How You Heal by Brianna Wiest
- The 5 AM Club by Robin Sharma
- Original Love by Henry Shukman