Wayne Turmel: Leading from Afar – Building Trust and Connection

Wayne Turmel is a pioneer in remote leadership and communication, shaping how we work for nearly 30 years. As the co-founder of The Remote Leadership Institute and the author of 15 books — including The Long-Distance Leader and The Long-Distance Teammate — Wayne helps teams excel in the virtual world. Get ready for an authentic, unfiltered discussion on RTO, hybrid, and work-from-home cultures. We’ll dive into fresh strategies for leading, connecting, and staying productive in today’s hybrid and remote workplaces.

In this episode, Wendi and Wayne discuss:

• Challenges of building trust and connections in virtual teams
• Risks of remote work becoming transactional and trust-deficient
• Effective remote leadership through intentional communication tools
• Leadership’s role in remote work success versus location dependence
• RTO mandates and their conflicts with DEI goals and strategic planning

Key Takeaways:

• The pandemic accelerated remote work, but its success hinges more on leadership quality than the physical location of employees. Effective leadership remains the backbone of trust, productivity, and connection in virtual environments.
• Building trust in virtual teams requires consistent exposure and deliberate communication. Intentional interactions help foster meaningful relationships, preventing remote work from becoming purely transactional.
• Using appropriate communication tools for different messages is key to effective remote leadership. Balancing the richness and scope of communication ensures clarity, engagement, and connection within teams.
• Hybrid work thrives when workflows and outputs guide decisions on where and when tasks are completed. Strategic planning, rather than rigid policies, determines the success of hybrid models.
• Leaders who prioritize engagement and flexibility foster trust and productivity in hybrid and remote settings. Strong leadership, not mandatory office presence, drives team cohesion and effectiveness.

“Good leaders and teammates understand that using the right balance of richness and scope allows us to build relationships to function as a team to do good work.” 

- Wayne Turmel

Connect with Wayne Turmel:

Websites: https://kevineikenberry.com/ , https://longdistanceworklife.com/ 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayneturmel/ 

Wayne’s BOOKS: https://longdistanceworklife.com/the-long-distance-worklife-series/ 

Connect with Wendi Swanson:

Website: etymongroup.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/wendiswanson

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557265653368 

Email: wswanson@etymongroup.com

Show notes by Podcastologist: Angelo Paul Tagama

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.