It’s challenging to work with someone you don’t chat with every day at the coffee station. But you can still build strong connections and work successfully together. Here’s how:
- Talk openly about the challenges. Discuss obstacles on both sides. Clarify expectations up front, and agree on how you’ll communicate.
- Use technology. Include someone in a meeting with a laptop and Skype. Use Google Docs to simultaneously work on a file and watch one another’s edits or comments in real time.
- Err on the side of overcommunicating. Set up regular times to catch up on the phone. Keep a running list of things to discuss and share important announcements. Communicate even little details — the fact that someone has had a death in the family, for example, or is under pressure with a big project deadline.
