Northlane has never had an office. Here is what we have learned about running a team across a dozen time zones, including the parts we have not solved yet.
What works
- Write it down. Decisions live in the shared workspace, not in a call. If it is not written, it did not happen.
- Overlap by choice. We ask for two hours of shared time a week, not a daily one.
- Short, regular reviews instead of long, rare meetings.
What we are still working on
Onboarding is harder without a desk next to someone. We now give every new teammate a buddy and a written plan for their first month. It helps, but it is not perfect, and we keep adjusting it.
If you are building a remote team, start small: one written decision, one short review, one shared hour. Add from there.
Tagged: teamwork