Communicating intentionally is one of our core Principles. As we grow we need to be increasingly more deliberate about 〰️ how information flows 〰️ across teams.
This isn’t only to know what each other is working on. It’s also critical to ensuring we’re prioritising the right efforts at the right time (visibility increases this feedback loop and input from others) and holding each other accountable to timely progress (to supercharge our goal setting processes). We're all responsible for enabling this.
Core Guidance
Async(-ish) By Default
Being remote-first means being async by default — you should collaborate and solve problems via the written word, through Slack (How We Use Slack) or a document (Notion or Google Doc), before reflexively scheduling a meeting. We're not however a fully asynchronous company. We optimise for being online together, and this real-time communication and collaboration is a core part of how we work.
We expect:
- Strong communication in return for the flexibility that remote working offers
- That you intentionally over-communicate
- That you share your work and thinking regularly. Providing visibility and context is essential
- That you respond timely. We shouldn’t expect immediate replies (mark urgent when necessary) but we should all get back to messages within a day
- That you communicate in public channels as much as possible
How To Seek Contribution From Others
You’ll likely do this all day long (seek the input of others).
Top tips:
- Decide on the best method (async or meeting?) and be intentional — don’t default to meetings (check out How We Do Meetings). Meetings can be valuable but they’re often lacking the structure and facilitation to make them truly worth their time
- If you do schedule a meeting, set an agenda and facilitate the meeting. Expect others to not attend or provide you with this feedback if this isn’t done well, or if an unstructured meeting is held. Meetings drain time and energy, let’s avoid this! ⌛
- Make it really easy for others to contribute. Enable others with a Notion doc or something similar to make sure you get what you need
- Set clear expectations on what contribution you’re looking for and if there’s a deadline