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10 Tips for Building Company Culture with a Remote Team

Sarah Pattisall  •  March 25, 2024

Building company culture with a remote team presents unique challenges and opportunities compared to traditional office settings. 

Without the physical space to bring people together, you need to be creative and intentional, and you need the right tools. 

At Brand3, we’re incredibly proud of the remote work culture we’ve built.

We're excited to share the strategies and insights that have helped us. We hope they inspire you to strengthen your own remote work culture.

To start, implementing EOS is one of the key ways we’ve strengthened our culture at Brand3.

What is EOS?

EOS

Image Credit: https://www.eosworldwide.com/ 

The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) is a comprehensive business framework designed to help businesses achieve clarity, focus, and growth. 

It uses simple yet powerful tools to help leaders and teams improve and systematize their operations. 

EOS focuses on six key components: 

  • Vision
  • People
  • Data
  • Issues
  • Process
  • Traction

These elements help manage challenges unique to remote work, like maintaining engagement, creating a strong sense of community, and aligning on a shared purpose.

How does EOS work at Brand3?

EOS is an ongoing journey at Brand3. Using the system effectively is a skill that requires consistent effort.

One way we’re leveling up is by sending some of our team to attend the April 2024 EOS Conference. We’re excited for the insights they’ll bring back.

As a whole, EOS helps keep us aligned and moving in the same direction, which directly strengthens our culture. 

It helps us communicate our values, mission, and goals in a way that resonates with our team and guides us toward collective success.

Core Values at Brand3

core values

Our company's core values define us and guide our every action and decision. They strengthen our work and our connections with one another.

Creative Thinkers

who love to learn, overcome boundaries, and find unique solutions

Difference Makers

who serve from the heart, want to help, and always strive for the better

Clarity Seekers

who can see through and reduce the noise to achieve clarity

Team Collaborators

who contribute ideas while motivating, lifting up, and encouraging others

True to Self

who are authentic, honest, open, and vulnerable

These values are integral to our approach in applying EOS. They influence how we set our Vision, engage our People, and define our Processes. 

EOS helps us facilitate a culture where we live these values daily, guaranteeing every team member is aligned with the Brand3 ethos. 


10 Tips for Building Company Culture with a Remote Team

building company culture

Whether you use EOS or not, these actionable tips will help you develop, strengthen, and nourish your remote company culture. 


1. Articulate a Clear Vision

Clearly define and communicate your company's long-term goals and core focus. 

A clear vision is a unifying force, aligning efforts and creating a shared sense of commitment and purpose.

Finding Your Vision Statement

If you don’t have a clear vision, follow these tips:

  • Define your greatest ambition. This should be inspirational, setting a high-level goal that motivates and guides your team.
  • Make it memorable. Edit and refine until your vision statement resonates with all team members.
  • Align your vision with core values. This alignment ensures consistency in behavior and decision-making across the organization.
  • Communicate broadly and consistently. Consistently reinforce the vision in daily communication to keep it at the forefront of everyone's mind.
  • Integrate into operations. Make sure the vision is a critical component of all of your processes. 
  • Get feedback and adapt accordingly. This feedback can provide insights into how well your organization understands and embraces the vision.
  • Lead by example. Demonstrate how the vision influences your decisions and actions as a leader. 

A well-articulated vision clarifies your direction and purpose while cultivating a strong, cohesive culture. 

It keeps everyone moving towards the same goal. 


2. Define Core Values

core values
Establish core values that resonate with your team and guide behavior and decision-making. 

Determining your company’s core values isn't just about selecting aspirational traits.

It's about capturing the essence of your organization's identity and using that as a foundation for future growth and decision-making.

If you haven’t already defined your core values, these questions will help guide the process:

  • What does our mission and vision statement say about our priorities and purpose?
  • What do our team members value and find important? 
  • What common themes or behaviors have contributed to our greatest achievements?
  • What principles have we relied on to navigate challenging times?
  • What unique qualities do we possess that differentiate us from others in our field?

Once you’ve identified a list of values, validate that they’re essential to your identity and success. Can you integrate them into your organization to influence all areas of operation?

Get feedback from all stakeholders and make any necessary adjustments to guarantee they resonate.

Displaying Core Values in Remote Work Settings

core values

Physical office spaces typically display their core values to keep them top of mind. In remote settings, you have to get creative

At Brand3, we’ve designed engaging graphics for each value and shared them digitally across our communication platforms.

They're always accessible and constantly remind us what we stand for. 

We also plan to send out physical core value posters so our team members can display them in their home offices (but only if they want to).

Even though we’re geographically dispersed, our commitment to these values keeps us aligned and moving in the same direction.


3. Implement the Right Tools

Use collaboration and communication tools that align with your company's workflow and culture.

The right tools are especially critical for remote work cultures. 

We’ve found that EOS is particularly suited for remote environments. 

It emphasizes clear communication, structured processes, and shared goals—all fundamental for remote team cohesion and productivity. But it’s not the only tool we use.

The B3 Tech Stack

Finding what works best for your organization may take some trial and error. Here are some of the tools that work for us:

  • Slack for easy day-to-day communication and collaboration

Direct messaging facilitates instant discussions and keeps our remote team social. We can also integrate other applications to streamline workflows and keep everyone in the loop.

  • Hubspot for alignment between sales and marketing 

This alignment is even more critical in a remote setting. It ensures that all team members, regardless of their department or location, have real-time access to the same data and insights.

  • ClickUp for staying organized and focused on goals

Its flexibility allows us to customize workflows to match our specific needs, making tracking tasks, deadlines, and progress easier. 

These platforms work great for our needs and support our culture, but they may not be for everyone. 

While finding the best tools for your organization can take time, the impact on team cohesion, productivity, and overall culture is well worth the effort.


4. Have Regular Check-ins

check ins
Use weekly, quarterly, and annual meetings to reinforce vision, set goals, and track progress. 

At Brand3, regular check-ins are pivotal for maintaining our culture and aligning with our core values. 

Company-Wide Check-Ins

We host a weekly 30-minute full-team production meeting. This short meeting allows us to all come together and engage with one another. 

We share company updates and incorporate conversations about our culture, like shouting out teammates who recently demonstrated our values.

Departmental Meetings

Every department holds weekly EOS Level 10 (L10) meetings. These structured meetings help us address the most important matters and stay on topic.

We share successes, tackle challenges, and guarantee we’re all moving toward common goals.

Avoiding Meeting Fatigue

We’re careful to avoid meeting fatigue.

Outside of L10s and production meetings, we apply the POST method to make sure every meeting is necessary and efficient.

  • Purpose: What’s the purpose?
  • Outcome: What’s the outcome or goal of the meeting?
  • Structure: What will the structure be? Agendas keep us on track.
  • Time: How long will the meeting be? We always aim to finish meetings at least 10 minutes early.

When you schedule meetings, record the answers to these questions in the meeting description. If you can’t answer a question, the meeting may not be necessary.


5. Set Quartlery Rocks

Set clear quarterly Rocks—or goals—that are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound).

Stephen Covey popularized this idea of “Big Rocks” in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

It’s an analogy where big rocks represent crucial priorities that should be addressed before smaller tasks (pebbles and sand).

This approach helps businesses focus on their most important objectives. It ensures that these critical areas receive attention and resources before less significant tasks.

Rock Reporting

Having goals or Rocks isn’t enough; you need to track and report on them. 

A study on strategies for achieving goals from Dominican University found that 70% of participants who gave weekly updates reported more success than those who did not. 

At Brand3, we monitor our Rocks in the EOS software Ninety and give weekly updates during L10s.


6. Foster Transparency

transparancy
Create an ecosystem where every team member, regardless of their role or location, understands the impact of their contributions on the broader company objectives. 

At Brand3, we actively encourage discussions around both the challenges we face and the achievements we celebrate. We regularly share key company metrics, project updates, and individual accomplishments.

Reinforcing a Culture of Support

By openly addressing challenges, you allow for collective problem-solving and innovation. You turn obstacles into opportunities for growth.

Similarly, acknowledging achievements fosters a sense of belonging and appreciation among team members.

Dismantling Silos

This open flow of information dismantles silos that often emerge in remote settings, promoting a more integrated and collaborative environment. 

Transparency helps our team members feel valued and connected to our larger mission. 

It enhances operational effectiveness and cultivates a workplace with greater trust, support, and collaboration.


7. Hire People Who Exhibit Company Values

company values
Design your hiring process to ensure every potential employee shares your company values.

While necessary skills and experience are important, aligning values fosters a workplace where everyone is committed to the same principles and goals. 

According to Eagle Hill Consulting’s Employee Retention Index,

  • Less than half (49%) of employees have confidence in their organization’s future.
  • Only half (50%) of workers report that they feel connected to their organization’s culture.

A decline in culture indicators suggests a decline in value alignment.

One of the most critical components of integrating a solid culture is guaranteeing your people, policies, and practices understand, align with, and reflect your core values.

Bringing Values into the Interview Process

We tell candidates about our core values during our interview process. We ask them to reflect on and share experiences where they’ve demonstrated them.

This approach allows us to see beyond the resume and assess how potential hires might live out these values in their day-to-day work at Brand3. 

It’s also beneficial for candidates. If they don’t share our core values, we’ll both know it’s not a good fit. 

We can cultivate a philosophically cohesive team by prioritizing value alignment from the outset. Each new member reinforces the culture and ethos that make Brand3 unique.


8. Empower Your Team

empower your team
Empower employees with opportunities for growth and leadership. 

You hired them for a reason and should be dedicated to their success. After all, their success is your success. 

At Brand3, team empowerment is a critical pillar of our operational philosophy. It enhances capabilities and instills confidence. 

Our multifaceted approach encompasses training and mentorship opportunities and clear pathways to leadership roles for those interested.

Employee-Specific Empowerment

Everyone learns and grows differently. 

Understand your employees’ skills and talents and how they use those strengths to accomplish goals. 

By forming this understanding, you can determine the best way to empower and invest in your people.

Opportunities for Ownership

People struggle to grow when they don’t have opportunities.

Encourage employees to take ownership of projects, make decisions, and lead initiatives. 

But don’t throw them into these opportunities blindly—you empower employees by setting them up for success.


9. Celebrate Success

Regularly acknowledge individual and team achievements to build morale and community.

Work is stressful and challenging at times. Celebrating success helps us focus on the positive.

It builds morale, acknowledges a sense of belonging, and motivates continued excellence.

Success-Only Spaces

celebrate success

As a remote company, we’ve found it helpful to intentionally create spaces for celebrating success.

We do this using a dedicated Slack channel to highlight wins. 

Typically, the channel buzzes several times throughout the day with messages of congratulations, milestones achieved, and shoutouts for exemplary work.

Positive reinforcement breaks up the day with moments of joy and pride. It also reinforces the significance of every team member’s contributions.

Highlighting Cross-Team Contributions

For many remote workplaces, employees may not have insight into what other teams are up to. 

Highlighting cross-team contributions in our success-only space brings us together and keeps everyone informed. 

This approach makes team members feel valued and more connected to one another and to the company.


10. Encourage Curiosity and Feedback

Cultivate curiosity through a culture of continuous learning and helpful feedback. 

Encourage exploration and welcome any and all questions—that’s how you create an environment of innovation and progress.

Adopting this philosophy can propel your team forward and reinforce a culture where each member feels valued and supported in their professional journey.

Feedback is a vital part of this culture.

Giving Helpful Feedback

Feedback isn’t a punishment—it’s a tool for growth. It should be constructive with clear, actionable advice aimed at improvement.

For feedback to be effective, it must be specific and directed towards actions rather than the individual.

This method helps maintain the recipient's openness to learning and growing. Feedback should encourage—not discourage—our team members' natural curiosity.

You Need the Right Work Culture for the Right Way to Market

Our remote work culture is fundamental for carrying our mission forward. Everyone is in sync and working towards the same goals. 

This unity and shared focus empower us to exceed our client's expectations when we show them the right way to market.

The right way to market involves aligning brand, marketing, and experience—for your customers and employees. (Check out this book for more information).

Marketing strategies won't be as effective when a work culture doesn’t prioritize alignment, clarity, and shared purpose. 

If you want to grow your business and marketing strategies through a culture-driven approach, give us a call. We’re here to help. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah is a brand strategist at Brand3 who contributes to our blog with pieces that explore the intersection of technology and marketing. While Sarah has been writing creatively since childhood, she transitioned into academic writing over a decade ago, focusing on critical theory. This background enhances her ability to analyze and present complex topics in straightforward, engaging ways. Her journey from academic writing to Brand3 spans writing for various industries, including technology, healthcare, and education. Through these experiences, Sarah has demonstrated her adaptability as a writer, continuously honing her versatility to fit the unique demands of different audiences and markets. When she's not crafting brand strategies or writing, she likes to unwind with lavender tea and Fantasy books.

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