Looking for a way to supercharge your team’s effectiveness, especially in a remote setting? Dive into the proven principles we’ve embraced at HAN University of Applied Sciences’ Online Marketing team. From empowering decision-making to optimizing workflows, these principles aren’t just rules – they’re the playbook for a dynamic, efficient, and progressive team. Perfect for anyone leading or part of a remote team, this guide offers practical, real-world insights into making teamwork not just manageable, but exceptional.
Below are the principles we have as an Online Marketing team at HAN University of Applied Sciences. I introduced them to the team since we are working remotely, among ourselves but also with the 80 – 100 people we are collaborating with on a daily basis. In order to empower the team members it is vital in my opinion to have every team member fully up to speed, in their expertise but also in their possibilities in making decisions. These principles are the cornerstone of just that: they help the team to make decisions on their own in line with our plans and ideas. No need for them to come back to the team or to me to ask for approval
What follows is the exact copy of what we have in our team handbook. I hope I can inspire someone out there to do the same 🙂
Why these principles?
By making these understandings with each other, we have the guidelines in place based on which we make decisions as a team. Why we do what we do can be answered by these principles.
These principles are “living” agreements. Each of on steam can make adjustments to them. Just inform the others to make sure we all agree.
1 – Team members in place 1
We as individuals on the team come first. If we feel good about our work, we can also 💯% deliver to HAN and our internal clients.
2 – Annual Plan, Directions, and Ways of Working.
Team decisions are consistent with our annual plan, our company’s course image, our personal annual plans, and our practices. We act on our mission: Our goal is to make our company an example of creativity and impact in the online presence of the world of education.
How efficient we are depends on where we are in the development of our team: Team stages
3 – We are the experts
We are experts in the field of Online Marketing. Specifically: SEO, SEA, SoMe advertising, and online data analysis. We make every effort to ensure the quality of the services we provide to our internal clients. That includes the services we do through our partners. As a team, we are responsible for all Online Marketing services within our company.
4 – Clear about what is and what is not
We are clear and straightforward in what we do ⬆️ and what we don’t 🚫 do. The documented working agreements are our main defense against the “gray area”: tasks we are not sure we should take on.
5 – Fire Prevention
We are not fire extinguishers🔥, we are specialists in fire prevention 🛡 . We do not manage problems but work in systems and improvements of them to be able to prevent problems.
Fires will still occur but are input for us to adjust or expand current systems.
6 – Fail better
Problems or failures are input for us for improvement. And without improvement no progress 🙂 . A problem or error triggers the improvement of a current system or procedure or the creation of a new system. Everyone on the team is free to modify or improve practices and or work arrangements where needed.
7 – Scope
We focus on the two most important domains and our internal website. Anything outside these can use our systems and procedures, but we do not actively support them.
8 – Keep it simple
We go with the easiest solution. Keep it simple: maximize productivity and reduce waste. This in line with Occam’s Razor: “the simplest solution is invariably the correct solution” Want more background? Read the article on Farnam Street.
9 – No Monopoly money
The time🕐 or money💰 we spend does not come from the monopoly game, it is real money and real time that we put to the best possible use for our company. The money comes from the taxpayers (including us) and the time is our own. The money is not infinite and certainly neither is our time. We strive to use time and money as well and efficiently as possible where, looking at time, No. 1 of these principles always comes first.
10 – Methods of working
We work in our team with documented practices. Every recurring problem can be captured in a working method. We take the necessary time to create and implement such a working method. In the end, that invested time more than pays for itself twice over.
If there is a recurring problem or task, we create a working method for it. This is to prevent the problem from recurring or to make working on the task easier. We don’t sprinkle working methods for things that barely occur. So sometimes we don’t make a working method either.
11 – Just don’t do it
Just don’t do it! Remove the unnecessary from a working method, mail, or project. This can often be a very wise step. Even when deciding whether you need to be at a meeting (or shoot one in, also check the meeting agenda working method). Think simplicity! Make it a challenge to get a result in the smallest number of steps, or perhaps discard it entirely. Would a simple “no” save time, energy, and or money without losing quality? Then do it!
12 – Impossible not to understand
The practices we describe are described in such a way that an equivalent colleague from outside the organization can get to work this way. So an SEO specialist from another company should be able to join. And when making procedures and systems: make it not easy to understand, but impossible to misunderstand.
13 – Not urgent, important
Order and priority are crucial. We work on the most important tasks first (see how to prioritize a task). We strive to work maximally in the “Not Urgent / Important” quadrant within Covey’s Matrix.
14 – Radical transparency
We are transparent about everything. We put every task we take on in ClickUp our project management tool. Whether that task takes 10 minutes or 10 days. If we document everything, we can also read everything back. This is in line with radical transpiration (see the article by Ray Dalio) and it ensures that we:
- spent no time searching for tasks and everything that goes with a task
- if tasks need to be taken over due to busyness, vacation or illness, this can always be done without handover
- everyone can see what someone is working on and can hook up should that person find it necessary if there is a valuable or time-saving idea.
Questions we ask each other also go through the appropriate channels in Teams. This way each one can read along and everyone can also learn from each other. In this way, we keep our interaction dynamic and grow as a team!
15 – Learning, learning, learning
We keep learning to improve our own skills as online marketers. Learning consists of reading blogs, articles, and books but also attending training and courses. What we learn we share on teams, in our team meetings, in meetings with internal clients, and/or on internal blogs like BUZZ. Training of team members is structured, scheduled, and thorough considering the role someone plays or the learning path someone has.
16 – Async first, sync when we have to
Asynchronous working means you don’t have to depend on others in a live setting to work. Nor do you have to wait for others to assign your work. There will always be a backlog (see ) and if there isn’t, use common sense and pick up what you think will have the most impact/benefit.
If there is a need to use sync methods, make sure it is for the right reasons.
17 – Keep the ball rolling
Never let things pile up and get old or cause delays. If you run into something in your own task, catch it in p. If structural problems come to light, connect with the coordinator (Guus) on how to solve it.
Don’t work on many things at once. Keep it simple, keep it focused. Efficiency (especially with Kanban) ceases to exist when work “in progress” piles up.
Communicate clearly if you have read something, if you have an idea about something, if you have done something, or if you need help from someone: comment on the issue and @ (mention) someone who might be able to help.
The problem/task description is always the only source of truth. Keep it up-to-date. If someone is new to the issue, they should be able to understand what is needed just by reading the issue description.
You never want to stop the flow; an issue or task that stays in one status for too long means something is wrong with it. Feel free to flag it and work with others on a possible solution (such as breaking it down into smaller issues). Let’s help each other in this to keep the momentum going in our work.
18 – If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist
All the tasks we have are in ClickUp. All communication about those tasks is in the task itself, even if there is an update to it. If someone outside our team asks us something or we come up with a task ourselves, we write it down or ask that person to send it to us on which we then create a task in ClickUp. This way we can always find everything and any of us can take over the task if necessary. This also means that if you cannot find anything written down, it simply doesn’t exist.
19 – Assume positive intent
We approach all our work with the assumption of positive intent. In situations of uncertainty or disagreement, we seek understanding through open dialogue, trusting that each employee is acting in the best interest of our organization.
Conclusive Action Steps:
So, you’ve got a glimpse of what makes our team at HAN tick. Now, how can you apply these principles to your team? Here’s a quick action plan:
- Evaluate and Adapt: Assess which principles can directly apply to your team’s dynamics and workflow.
- Implement Gradually: Introduce these principles to your team methodically. Not all at once, but as part of a continuous improvement process.
- Foster Open Communication: Encourage your team to suggest adjustments, ensuring these principles evolve with your team’s needs.
- Monitor and Tweak: Keep an eye on how these changes impact your team’s efficiency and morale. Be ready to make tweaks as needed.
Remember, the goal is not just to adopt a set of rules, but to create a thriving, proactive, and harmonious work environment. Start with these steps, and watch your team transform into a more cohesive and effective unit!