Collaboration Tools Tips

Someone recently asked me if there are any internal phrases/mantras we lean on at Doist. I thought this was a great question, so wanted to share my responses here (and I’d love to hear any you have as well!)… 1️⃣ Async not asap. We value thoughtful, well-considered work over speedy, one-line-at-a-time communication. By embracing asynchronous communication, we empower our team members to collaborate effectively without the constant pressure of immediacy. 2️⃣ Disagree and commit. Diverse perspectives are our strength. We encourage healthy debates, but once a decision is made, we commit as a team. It's about unity in action, even when we hold differing views. 3️⃣ Remote first, not remote only. Flexibility is key! We prioritize remote work but maintain the option for intentionally curated in-person interactions a few times per year. 4️⃣ If it’s not a hell yea, it’s a no. There are a lot of good ideas, but if everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. We believe in focusing on what truly matters, so if a project or idea doesn't align perfectly with our goals, we owe it to everyone on the team to pass, even if the potential outcome is positive. 5️⃣ Decisions drive action. We don't dwell in analysis paralysis. Once we make a decision, we act on it promptly, ensuring our ideas turn into impactful outcomes. 6️⃣ Radical Candor. Honest and caring feedback can be especially difficult to elicit in a predominantly async-first environment since non-verbal communication represents 80% of how we express ourselves (and we lose a lot of that in the virtual world). So it’s imperative we foster an environment where open, direct communication is valued, and where constructive criticism leads to personal and professional development. 7️⃣ Deep work. We champion deep, focused work, and we value creating dedicated time for meaningful tasks, while minimizing distractions and interruptions, to maximize productivity. Chatting isn't working, being present doesn't equate to output. 8️⃣ Document it. Knowledge sharing is key in a remote environment, so we make it a point to document our processes, decisions, and insights so that everyone can access and benefit from our collective wisdom. When something is mentioned in passing, we’ll often say “document it”, to ensure it is hardcoded into our handbook. Very few days go by where I don’t hear/read one of these phrases mentioned, so they truly are core to our company culture, and baking them into how we communicate has a real impact on how we make work, work. I hope this is helpful for you, and if you have any similar mantras your team leans on, I’d really love to hear them 👇

Conflict gets a bad rap in the workplace. Early in my career, I believed conflict had no place in a healthy workplace. As I progressed, I realized that it was quite the contrary. The lack of conflict isn't a sign of a healthy work culture, rather it is an indication that important debates, discussions and differing viewpoints are being disregarded or suppressed. This insight revealed another key aspect: high-performing teams do not shy away from conflict. They embrace it, leveraging diverse opinions to drive optimal outcomes for customers. What sets these teams apart is their ability to handle conflict constructively. So how can this be achieved? I reached out to my friend Andrea Stone, Leadership Coach and Founder of Stone Leadership, for some tips on effectively managing conflict in the workplace. Here's the valuable guidance she provided: 1. Pause: Take a moment to assess your feelings in the heat of the moment. Be curious about your emotions, resist immediate reactions, and take the time to understand the why behind your feelings. 2. Seek the Other Perspective: Engage genuinely, listen intently, show real interest, and ask pertinent questions. Remember to leave your preconceived judgments at the door. 3. Acknowledge Their Perspective: Express your understanding of their viewpoint. If their arguments have altered your perspective, don't hesitate to share this with them. 4. Express Your Viewpoint: If your opinion remains unswayed, seek permission to explain your perspective and experiences. Remember to speak from your viewpoint using "I" statements. 5. Discuss the Bigger Objective: Identify common grounds and goals. Understand that each person might have a different, bigger picture in mind. This process can be taxing, so prepare beforehand. In prolonged conflict situations, don't hesitate to suggest breaks to refresh and refuel mentally, physically, and emotionally. 6. Know Your Limits: If the issue is of significant importance to you, be aware of your boundaries. For those familiar with negotiation tactics, know your BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement). 7. Finalize Agreements: Once an agreement has been reached, continue the engagement to agree on responsibilities and timeframes. This ensures clarity on the outcome and commitments made. PS: Approach such situations with curiosity and assume others are trying to do the right thing. 🔁 Useful? I would appreciate a repost. Image Credit: Hari Haralambiev ----- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.

Remote work isn't just about where you work—it's about how you work. You can be 10x more effective on a remote team if you master a few key habits: ✅ Over-communicate, but be concise Clarity matters more than frequency. Say what’s needed, and say it clearly. ✅ Align before you act Check for shared understanding before diving into big tasks. Nothing wastes time like misaligned assumptions. ✅ Make your work visible Use docs, updates, or async tools to show progress—even when no one’s asking. ✅ Respect time zones (and your own time) Be flexible, but not a doormat. Set boundaries and honor others’ schedules, too. ✅ Own the outcome, not just the task Remote teams thrive when people think beyond checklists and focus on impact. ✅ Build trust through reliability Be the teammate who always follows through. Remote or not, trust is everything. ✅ Don’t forget to be human Drop a gif. Ask how someone's weekend was. Show up with personality. Culture still matters—maybe more than ever. Remote work isn't an excuse to fade into the background. It’s your opportunity to shine without ever stepping into a meeting room. What’s helped you be more effective remotely? #RemoteWork #AsyncWork #TeamCulture #WorkFromAnywhere #Productivity #LeadershipTips

Conflict happens, whether we like it or not. 😬 But here’s the good news: Conflict doesn’t have to be a negative thing. When we look at it through the lens of psychological safety, it can actually become an opportunity to strengthen our teams and improve our work environment. Here are 3 tips to manage conflict better: ➡️ Embrace open discussions Encourage everyone to express their thoughts and feelings. When you have an openness like this, it prevents misunderstandings and strengthens relationships. Consider “starting small” here and building a foundation of trust. Practice actively listening, watch your body language and tone, and be patient. This doesn’t happen overnight. ➡️ Focus on the issue, not the person Keep discussions objective by addressing the behavior or circumstances causing the conflict, not the individual’s character 👀. ➡️ Seek common ground Instead of aiming to win the argument, look for solutions that benefit all parties involved. This approach helps encourage collaboration and mutual respect which are important components of a psychologically safe work environment. Handling conflicts with care and respect not only helps resolve issues more effectively but also builds trust within the team. We talk more about how to handle conflict resolution in our Psychological Safety trainings! We use a shared-learning format to teach and help each other understand what it actually means to experience and contribute to a sense of Psychological Safety. DM me to learn more 🖤 Create a great day! #MakoMindfulness #StressManagement #PsychologicalSafety #ProfessionalDevelopment #MindfulnessTraining #EmployeeWellbeing #StaffDevelopment

I've spent over half of my career working remotely with distributed teams. Here's what I've learned about being a supportive teammate (and leader). 💬 Async communication Your team lives in different time zones and works different hours. Send your message and move on. Don't wait for them to reply. Let them respond when they're available. 📅 Meeting etiquette Face-to-face time is priceless when it comes to remote work. Use a meeting agenda to maximize your time together. Show up on time and respect your co-workers' schedules. Save the last few minutes of the meeting to align on next steps and action items. 📖 Documentation You can't walk over to a colleague and ask them a question when you're distributed. So the need for documentation is critical. Avoid knowledge silos by sharing processes, best practices, and how-tos in team documents. What are your tips for remote work? Let me know in the comments.

Communication Tip 101 Working collaboratively, especially in highly matrixed environments, requires some diligence and skill around framing conversations. There will be times when you don’t agree with every stakeholder, and may even be on opposite sides of the fence. Therefore, I offer the following: If you want to land your point of view with intent, first consider what is in the best interest of the project. Begin every collaboration, especially a negotiation, with strong consideration as to what an optimal outcome would look like. State that approach with emphasis. “In the interest of X, should we consider Y.” Eliminate the subjective. It’s not, “I think… or my position is….” Your opinion will never matter as much as you think it does. Whether your way may be best, how you express it is key. Interests over positions. You will be recognized and acknowledged for your creativity, collaboration, strategic thinking, and possibly problem-solving skills. You may even be seen for your leadership, which will be remembered, versus your opinion which will likely be forgotten by the time the next Zoom begins.

Please stop with the BORING zoom meetings! For anyone who hosts virtual meetings, please add one little thing. At the beginning of a meeting with a group of 4 or more, ask an icebreaker question in the chat to get the good vibes going. This can replace small talk and can serve as a knife to cut any tension. Use this if you usually have meeting participants slowly trickle in for the first few minutes, or if you're waiting for one particular attendee. Icebreaker questions in the meeting chat can be especially useful to get creative juices flowing and get people feeling comfortable speaking up if you're hosting a brainstorming session. Here are a few questions you can steal: --> If you could time travel, would you prefer to go forward or backward? --> What's a great book you've read recently? --> What city would you love to travel to next? --> What would be your strategy in a zombie apocalypse? --> What was the first concert you saw live? --> Which famous person would you invite to dinner? --> Favorite quote? --> Favorite food to eat? Asking icebreaker questions like these is exactly what Ryan K. and I did in my podcast this week. I really like his management style and I took a page out of his book and brought some fun into my workday :) Life is short. Office life can be dry. Introduce some fun. Let's give it a shot. Find a question in the comments below that makes you smile and leave a reply (or comment your own question that people can answer!)

Last week I mentioned implementing programs like "Food for Thought" to encourage brainstorming and outside-the-box thinking, as it relates to creating a culture of communication and feedback. Before the pandemic, I used to bring in breakfast, lunch or an afternoon snack and call the meeting Food for Thought where I would get feedback from the team on what is going well and what are the opportunities for improvement. Here are some ideas to incorporate this in a #hybridworkforce: ✅ Virtual Coffee Chats: Schedule virtual coffee sessions where team members can gather online and have casual conversations. This informal setting encourages open discussions and allows for sharing ideas and feedback. ✅ Collaborative Document Sharing/ Online Idea Forums: Utilize collaborative document-sharing tools such as Google Docs or Microsoft Teams to encourage real-time collaboration. Team members can contribute their ideas, provide feedback, and collectively work on projects or problem-solving tasks. ✅ Virtual Brainstorming Sessions: Conduct virtual brainstorming sessions using video conferencing tools. Facilitate interactive discussions where team members can share their ideas and engage in creative problem-solving exercises. ✅ Surveys and Polls: Use online survey tools to gather feedback from team members on specific topics or projects. Surveys can be anonymous to ensure open and honest responses, and the results can be shared and discussed during team meetings. ✅ Virtual Team Building Activities: Organize virtual team-building activities that encourage collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving. These activities can include virtual escape rooms, online trivia games, or team challenges that promote communication and thinking outside the box. Remember, the key is to provide opportunities for active participation and engagement, regardless of the physical location of team members. By embracing technology and fostering a culture of open communication, you can create a collaborative environment conducive to generating new ideas and seeking feedback. Which idea do you like the most? #hybridsales #communication #culture #hybridwork

Today marks my 1 year anniversary at Activision Player Support 💙 ! Here are 3 lessons I learned as a UI Designer at Activision in year 1. (there's *so* many more.. but I'll keep this concise) 1. Clear communication and alignment: Establish a deep understanding of project requirements early on, assess project scope comprehensively, and have the courage to speak up with any questions (Don't be afraid to say you don't know something. You won't look less competent, and it's likely this will help others understand something more deeply too!). 2. Early cross-disciplinary involvement and collaboration: Identify who else will be touching this project. Stakeholders, content designers, developers, testers, data analysts, etc.. and integrate them as early as possible. Consider collaboration opportunities, and foster transparent communication. 3. Effective presentation: Present new designs with context of the user's story, the rest of the product, and with plenty of rationale. Meticulously prepare for stakeholder presentations. Practice the balancing act of genuinely listening to and receiving feedback, and also defending your design decisions - if you have the research and data to back it up. You may also find yourself supported if you've been collaborating with others on the team throughout the design process, as folks could feel invested and represented in the design too. Encourage everyone to use their voice, then listen closely and respectfully. Like I said, there's SO many more lessons I learned this year, these are just three pivotal lessons that greatly fueled my growth as a designer, and enriched project outcomes. Onward to year 2 💙 #uiuxdesign #designsuccess #uidesign #productdesign