When the team is remote but disconnected from goals

And everyone works in their own silo

Do you recognize this situation?

• You have a distributed team, maybe even international
• People work, but seem to go in different directions
• Meetings are many but produce little alignment
• Projects advance slowly because coordination is lacking
• Company culture is weak: everyone feels "isolated"

---

The dispersion of poorly managed remote work

Remote work was supposed to be freedom.

Instead it became isolation.
Everyone works in their own corner, with their own times, their own priorities.

Meetings exist, but they're formal.
Tools exist, but they're used poorly.

Alignment doesn't exist.

---

What happens when the team is physically distant and mentally disconnected

On the execution front:

• Projects requiring collaboration get blocked
• Duplication of efforts: two people do the same thing without knowing
• Decisions made in silos, then you discover others needed to know
• Continuous delays for "waiting for response from X"

On the communication front:

• Messages lost in endless chats
• Emails that no one reads completely
• Meetings where half is present but not involved
• Critical information that doesn't reach who needs it

On the cultural front:

• People feel alone in their work
• There's no sense of belonging to something larger
• New hires struggle to integrate
• High turnover: "I don't feel part of the team"

---

Why it happens

Remote work isn't just a matter of tools.

You can have Slack, Zoom, Notion, Asana.
But if there's no culture of alignment, transparency, shared responsibility, tools aren't enough.

The problem isn't physical distance.
It's the lack of rituals, clarity, human connection.

---

The (wrong) path many try

Apparent solution: Add more meetings to "stay aligned"

But more meetings without structure = more wasted time.
People leave calls even more confused than before.

The problem isn't quantity of communication, but quality.

---

The 5-step method:

1. Fixed and structured rituals
   → Asynchronous daily standups (written)
   → Synchronous weekly sync (brief, focus on blockers)
   → Monthly all-hands (strategy, culture, celebrations)
2. Radical transparency
   → Everything documented and accessible
   → Decisions communicated with context
   → Progress visible to everyone
3. Clear ownership
   → Every project has an owner
   → Every decision has a decision-maker
   → No ambiguity on "who does what"
4. Time for human connection
   → Not just work
   → Spaces to meet, share, celebrate
   → Culture built intentionally
5. Alignment metrics
   → Not just output (what you produce)
   → But alignment (how connected you are to common goals)

---

What changes after

The team works together, even if distant.

Everyone knows what others are doing.
Decisions are fast because context is shared.
People feel part of something larger.

Remote work becomes competitive advantage, not obstacle.