Deliverr, Lifecycle Marketing Manager - I manage all email and in-app communications!
Tell us about your team!
How big is it?
My team is 5 people total. We have our Head of Marketing, our Lifecycle Marketing Manager (me), Paid Acquisition Manager, our Data Scientist, and our BizOps and Strategy Manager.
Where are your teammates located?Ā
San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, NYC
What does your team do? What are you responsible for?
Weāre the marketing team! Weāre responsible for all things marketing and growth-related including email, content, advertising, social, partnerships and events, and brand management!
What are the components of a strong remote culture?
I think itās important to have multiple channels of communication where youāre checking in regularly. This creates a more collaborative environment even when the team may be feeling distant. We also have regular check-ins in the form of a daily standup meeting. We all hop on a quick call every day and talk about what weāre working on that day, what weāre blocked on, or if we have broader team questions.Ā ā
We also have a ārandomā Slack channel where people can share anything really! From pictures of their pets to invitations to sharing the latest Marvel trailer to virtual classes to vacation pictures, it helps us feel like weāre in an office where that kind of chit-chat would normally happen.Ā ā
Lastly, we have company All Hands meetings once a week, where the whole company joins this conference call, and I think this is one of the best ways to bring a company with people spread across the country together. Sometimes we will rotate departments to lead the All Hands, which I love because we get to learn more about different departments that we may not have much exposure to. Itās also a nice change from your typical 3 person meeting, and brings a blast of energy to the company every week!
Strong remote cultures are built on strong connections. Strong connections are built with Hailey.
How do you make sure your team is happy and engaged in their work?
Our daily check-ins are certainly helpful when it comes to getting a pulse check on how the team is doing. This is a time to also see if anyone is struggling with anything, and an opportunity to speak informally about things outside of work.
For example, if someoneās having a bad day, this is a chance to let the team know whatās going on so we can make sure weāre all extra attentive or supportive that day. It could also be the opposite where maybe someone has some great news to share! We all get to be a part of that good news and be excited for our teammates.
Iāve taken on the informal role as the āfun coordinatorā and typically will search for and organize engaging virtual events for the marketing team!
What's your biggest challenge as a remote leader?
I don't personally lead my team, but I've learned quite a bit during my time working remotely. I think team bonding can be a challenge especially when the entire team was onboarded remotely. Iāve taken on the informal role as the āfun coordinatorā and typically will search for and organize engaging virtual events for the marketing team!Ā
Building rapport with one another takes a bit longer when everyone is remote, and it also takes more effort and time. Learning how each person likes to communicate is a big part of being an efficient and effective team, but that can take more time with everyone being remote. Investing time in team bonding is important so that we can all communicate better.
My RemoteĀ Manager Toolbox
Team-building Activities
Weāre a relatively new team, but we recently did a virtual workshop called āVirtual Japanese Marbling Artā from Krafty Lab where they sent us kits and we were led through an art class! It was super fun to get our hands dirty and take our minds off work for a bit while all spending some time together.
Remote Games
We like to do virtual team events paired with a fun game. For example, we will partner up anonymously, order each other some of our favorite dishes for lunch, and play something like Two Truths and a Lie. This is fun because we get to share our favorite cuisine with someone from the team and we get to know each other better by playing a game!
Icebreakers
We love to play Two Truths and a Lie, Never Have I Ever, and one of my personal favorites, we will have everyone anonymously send in fun facts, and then go around and try to guess who the fact belongs to! All of these are easy ways to get the conversation going and learn more about each other while also having fun. The best part is that most of these games require further storytelling, so we get to hear really interesting stories or memories from each otherās lives!
Products &Ā Tools
We use Lattice! Lattice is great because you can give people public or private shoutouts, you can send out pulse surveys, and also share ideas about how the team or company can improve!
We also heavily utilize Slack for all things communication! It's a great way to stay connected with one another, even while you're on the go.
Resources for remote leaders
I would say LinkedIn is actually one of the best places to keep up with the workforce trends, sentiments, and ideas to keep top of mind. People tend to speak their mind about the workplace on LinkedIn, so all you have to do is listen!
Make your company a great place to work
"Adding Hailey has been by far the lowest effort, highest impact thing weāve done to bring our globally scattered team together!" - Mary Grace Reich