One of the first jobs I ever had was working for a small business in a retail setting. The shop front was so small that at most times I was working by myself. Being new to the business, the industry, and the type of job, I actually found it to be quite difficult at times.

Working individually meant that I had no accountability, no on-going training or coaching, and nobody to bounce ideas from regarding the job. This lack of communication ultimately meant that as an employee I did not in grow my skills and experience, and as a business we missed opportunities having inexperienced people in this position. Occasionally though there would be an influx of communication and we would all take steps forward in these areas.

It really highlighted to me the importance of having constant communication in a business environment. As a manager of a remote team, I see that emphasized even more as I do not have the opportunity to work face to face with my team. My only forms of communication are through internet based technologies, such as instant messengers, emails, and online collaboration systems.

When I have analyzed the efficiency and productivity of my team, I see the common trend during these times is a large amount of communication from myself. Daily emails, updating the team on the current status of different projects, ensuring that I am available to chat with my team throughout the day and eeping my team well informed through our collaboration system Basecamp HQ. This one simple strategy of constant communication with my team across many different mediums, is the biggest key to our productivity and efficiency.

All the challenges I faced working in this retail environment could have been overcome with increased communication both from myself and from my manager. Thankfully, hindsight allows us to see how we could have done things better and improve on these issues in the future. Regardless of your set-up with your team whether it is via remote or even in an office environment, ensure constant communication is a part of your day to day activities.