Virtual Team Building

Atlassian has been fully distributed for almost five years. We don’t have all the answers, but we’ve learned a lot about how to keep teams thriving across time zones—and we’re applying those insights every day.  ➡️ Asynchronous work: Async tools are at the core of how we operate. Confluence is our virtual hub where we share stories, celebrate new hires, and collaborate effortlessly. We also use Loom to share videos and give feedback on our own time—avoiding those dreaded “this could have been an email” moments. In fact, we’ve saved nearly half a million meetings using Loom! ➡️ Designing workdays: We’ve learned to structure workdays for focus, collaboration, and meetings (only when absolutely necessary). Teams work across no more than two time zones, ensuring at least four hours of overlap to get things done together. ➡️ Intentional connection: Data shows that real connection happens when teams meet regularly—not sporadically in an office. We provide Intentional Togetherness Gatherings (ITGs), curated experiences, and focused in-person time to collaborate. ➡️ Adapting for different needs: It’s not one-size-fits-all. For example, new hires and grads often benefit from more frequent in-person meetups, so we make sure to offer opportunities for them to connect early on. https://lnkd.in/g2sSbe3v

A founder built a platform that runs 5,943 companies at $6.3M ARR with zero employees. He cloned himself using AI to run it all. Meet Ben Broca and Polsia, the newest addition to the Lean AI Leaderboard. Ben is not a first-time founder who stumbled into AI at the right moment. He started in banking, taught himself to code, and eventually ended up at CloudKitchens under Travis Kalanick with 400 people reporting to him. He came out of that with a conviction that a small, high-caliber team that moves fast beats a large, slow one every time. So in 2024, he went back to building alone, 12 to 16 hours a day with AI, coding, marketing, and strategizing. When he realized he could build a Company OS, he went further: Why build one company when you could build the platform that runs a thousand? He named it Polsia (which is "AI slop” spelt backwards). When I reached out to interview Ben, his AI showed up, and it was one of the sharpest interviews I've conducted on the Leaderboard. It had researched me before I hit send, knew every live platform metric, and pushed back when I got too clever with the numbers. This is a first. An AI standing in for its founder, protecting its own system prompt on principled grounds, raising a funding round on Ben's behalf while he codes, and sending its own product newsletter in first person to the user base. This is what the platform looks like right now: • $6.3M annualized run rate • 5,943 active companies on the platform • 3,627 daily active users • 85% M2 retention • 65% DAU/WAU Every night, agents across the platform wake up autonomously, evaluate each company, decide on the highest-leverage next action, execute it, and email the founder a structured report. Engineering agents, growth agents, PM agents, and QA agents all hand off to each other through structured pipelines. They work whether you show up or not. On one particular day, the platform completed 25,444 tasks and exchanged 16,325 messages across active companies. Ben runs the whole thing on $800/month in AI tooling. There is no office, and the burn is near zero. So I wrote a full deep dive on how Ben built Polsia, and I'm giving it away for free. Here's what you get: • His 80/20 autonomy rule (and why he thinks companies that ignore it will die in 2026) • The agent pipeline: how PM, Engineering, QA, and Deploy agents hand off to each other without Ben touching it • The Surprise Me button that researches you and suggests a business idea built around your background • The shared memory system that lets every agent on the platform learn from every other agent • The Stripe partnership story and how Polsia nearly scheduled the meeting on its own This is the most interesting company I've covered on the Lean AI Leaderboard. Want the full breakdown? - Like and share this post - Comment "agent" - Follow me (if not already) I’ll send it over shortly.

The lesson I take from so many dispersed teams I’ve worked with over the years is that great collaboration is not about shrinking the distance. It is about deepening the connection. Time zones, language barriers, and cultural nuances make working together across borders uniquely challenging. I see these dynamics regularly: smart, dedicated people who care deeply about their work but struggle to truly see and understand one another. One of the tools I often use in my work with global teams is the Harvard Business School case titled Greg James at Sun Microsystems. It tells the story of a manager leading a 45-person team spread across the U.S., France, India, and the UAE. When a major client system failed, the issue turned out not to be technical but human. Each location saw the problem differently. Misunderstandings built up across time zones. Tensions grew between teams that rarely met in person. What looked like a system failure was really a connection failure. What I find powerful about this story, and what I see mirrored in so many organizations today, is that the path forward is about rethinking how we create connection, trust, and fairness across distance. It is not where many leaders go naturally: new tools or tighter control. Here are three useful practices for dispersed teams to adopt. (1) Create shared context, not just shared goals. Misalignment often comes from not understanding how others work, not what they’re working on. Try brief “work tours,” where teams explain their daily realities and constraints. Context builds empathy, and empathy builds speed. (2) Build trust through reflection, not just reliability. Trust deepens when people feel seen and understood. After cross-site collaborations, ask: “What surprised you about how others see us?” That simple reflection can transform relationships. (3) Design fairness into the system. Uneven meeting times, visibility, or opportunities quickly erode respect. Rotate schedules, celebrate behind-the-scenes work, and make sure recognition travels across time zones. Fairness is a leadership design choice, not a nice-to-have. Distance will always be part of global work, but disconnection doesn’t have to be. When leaders intentionally design for shared understanding, reflected trust, and structural fairness, I've found, distributed teams flourish. #collaboration #global #learning #leadership #connection Case here: https://lnkd.in/eZfhxnGW

Your distributed teams need connection; Zillow built the blueprint for making it happen at scale. Steve Bennett and team at Zillow run 200+ intentional gatherings annually for 7,000 remote employees. The payoff? All-time high engagement scores, major efficiencies that save tens of millions, and 93% of attendees saying retreats improve how they work together afterward. Most companies treat team gatherings like afterthoughts—logistics scrambles that leave everyone exhausted—if they haven't gutted them altogether. Zillow built an operating system instead. 🎯 Purpose over productivity. "We gather for connection, not to get work done—we can do that remotely." When teams know they're there to connect, everything changes. 📅 Plan annually. Calendar published in October for the following year. Budget set per person. Space packages by group size. 🏢 Redesign spaces. They converted 75% of office space to gathering areas. Optimize real estate for when people do come together, and coordinate trips to overlap groups who wouldn't ever meet even in an office! Intentional design can make distributed teams more connected than office-based are. 👉 Want to know what they've built, how and why? Read on: https://lnkd.in/gX4bYJ_4 How are you building connections for your distributed organization? #connection #workplace #engagement

To keep a virtual team connected, the fix isn’t “more meetings.” It’s shared purpose. Clear alignment. And strategic shots of connection. Thank you to The Globe and Mail and Gobi K. for featuring me alongside Shannae Ingleton Smith and Justin Raymond in this piece on building culture in distributed and remote teams. 🤔 One of the biggest challenges I see? Distributed and remote teams “transacting” with each other instead of truly collaborating. 🧭 The solution starts with defining how we work together. → That’s why I recommend every team create a Team Working Agreement. Yes, it takes time to develop - but the ROI is real. → In our programs, we’ve seen double-digit increases in clarity, connection, and trust. That kind of alignment pays out dividends. 🗺️ A foundational step in this process? Map your team. → Who’s where? What time zones? Who’s hybrid - and from which office on what days? → This simple exercise builds empathy, reduces friction, and improves coordination. → Want to try it? Get the free mapping tool here: https://lnkd.in/eRTZnVUf 💡 Remote doesn't mean never together. Think of intentional gatherings as a “shot of connection.” → This is one of my favorite analogies from Annie Dean at Atlassian. → Atlassian research shows that just one well-designed in-person gathering can boost connection by 27% - with effects lasting 4-5 months. It’s like an inoculation for team connection. 💥 Case Study: a remote agency Shannae leads a fully remote company, Kensington Grey Agency Inc. She reinvests what could've been spent on an office lease into travel - sending groups of employees to meet clients in-person. This strengthens both external relationships and internal connection. Justin's team at Flexday supports Kensington Grey in building their intentional connection by matching them with a well-resourced office space for the agency members to gather for 2 days each month. 📖 Full article: https://lnkd.in/ervVgwmU 👇 What’s one thing your team does - virtually or in-person - to boost connection?

Having remote teams across continents bring both opportunities and challenges. How do you get it right? Working with global teams, especially when spread across drastically different time zones, is a reality many product managers face today. It can stretch your collaboration skills and test your patience. But, done right, it can be a powerful way to blend diverse talents and perspectives. Here's how to make it work: 1. Creating Overlaps: Aim for at least an hour or two of overlapping work hours. India's time difference with the US means you'll need to adjust schedules for essential face-to-face time. Some teams in India choose to shift their hours later. This is crucial for addressing any pressing questions. 2. Context is Key: Have regular kickoff meetings and deep dives where all team members can understand the big picture—the customer needs, project goals, and product vision. This enables your engineers to make informed decisions even if you're not available to clarify on-the-spot. 3. Document, Document, Document: While Agile champions minimal documentation, it's unavoidable when teams can't meet frequently. Keep clear records of decisions, questions answered, and the day’s progress. This provides continuity and reduces paralysis when immediate answers aren't possible. 4. Strategic Visits and Camaraderie: If possible, send team members to different locations periodically. This builds relationships and trust, which are invaluable when working remotely. If travel isn't possible, consistent video calls and personal updates help. 5. Local Leadership: Consider having local engineering leads in the same region as your development team. This can bridge gaps and streamline communication, ensuring that strategic and operational alignment occurs naturally. Ultimately, while remote setups have their hurdles, they are not impossible to overcome. With thoughtful planning and open communication, your team can turn these challenges into strengths, fostering innovation and resilience that transcends borders. 🌎

Microsoft Digital's experience rolling out a new AI-driven Interpreter agent for Teams Meetings at Microsoft. 🟣 Real-time, speech-to-speech interpretation, even mimicking the speaker's voice for a more natural feel 🟣 Enables participants to communicate effectively in their preferred language, fostering better engagement in multilingual teams. 🟣 Near Real-Time: Overcomes delays found in traditional translation, making conversations flow more naturally. 🟣 Tested extensively by Microsoft's own teams (Customer Zero) to ensure usability and effectiveness. 🟣 Includes user consent and admin controls to manage privacy. Positive Feedback 🟣 Microsoft plans to add more languages and continue optimizing performance. Full blog here: https://lnkd.in/ez9QVTjd #MicrosoftTeams #Microsoft365

⏳ Deadlines vs. Relationships: The Hidden Reason Your Global Team Is Stuck 🌍 Your global team is not struggling because people don’t care. They’re struggling because they’ve been taught different rules for what professionalism looks like. And when those rules clash, even strong teams lose momentum. ⚠️ If you lead across cultures, you’ve likely seen it: Some team members value speed, efficiency, and clear deadlines 📊 Others value trust, rapport, and relationship-building first 🤝 Neither approach is wrong. But when task-oriented cultures (often the U.S., Germany, Switzerland) work with relationship-oriented cultures (often Latin America, the Middle East, and parts of Asia), friction can show up quickly. It often looks like this: ✨ One person thinks, “Let’s get to the point.” ✨ Another thinks, “Why are we rushing before trust is built?” ✨ One sees direct feedback as efficient. ✨ Another experiences it as disrespectful. The result? Misalignment, frustration, and stalled execution. 😓 And it costs you: Slower project execution ⏱️ Misinterpreted feedback 💬 Reduced psychological safety ⚠️ Frustrated high performers 🔥 Cross-cultural research suggests multicultural teams can outperform homogeneous ones — but only when differences are understood and managed well. So how do you reduce conflict and improve global team performance? Here’s what works: 1️⃣ Make cultural expectations explicit. At the start of a project, define what your team means by efficiency, responsiveness, trust, and professionalism. What feels clear in one culture may feel cold or vague in another. 2️⃣ Build relationship time into the process early. In many cultures, trust is not separate from work — it is what makes work possible. A little intentional connection early can prevent major friction later. 🌱 3️⃣ Clarify timelines, roles, and decision-making. Don’t assume everyone interprets urgency, ownership, or deadlines the same way. Spell it out clearly so fewer assumptions derail execution. 🧭 4️⃣ Coach both directness and diplomacy. Global teams need both clarity and tact. The goal is not to make everyone communicate the same way — it’s to help them communicate effectively across differences. 🗣️ 5️⃣ Develop Cultural Intelligence (CQ). When tension happens, pause and ask: “Is this a skills issue — or a cultural difference?” That question can shift blame into insight. 💡 When leaders learn to balance deadlines and relationships, something changes: Meetings get smoother. Trust builds faster. Collaboration gets easier. Projects move with fewer setbacks. 🚀 That’s the real global leadership advantage. If you’re leading across cultures and feeling this tension, let’s talk. 👉 Schedule a call with me to strengthen your team’s cultural competence and global collaboration strategy. #MasteringCulturalDifferences #CrossCulturalCommunication #CulturalCompetence #InclusiveLeadership #GlobalTeams #TeamPerformance #LeadershipDevelopment

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺—𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗼. Turn ChatGPT into your 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺: Tackle tough problems by simulating a room full of experts—CEO, CFO, Innovator, Customer, and more. Think like a team. Decide like a strategist. Solve like a pro. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 Role Lens Insights is a powerful way to swarm problems, expose blind spots, stress-test ideas, and generate better solutions. 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 • Turns solo thinking into 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝗱𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 • Builds 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆 for different stakeholders • Surfaces 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘀 • Helps you 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀-𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 and 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 decisions fast • Amplifies your 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗜𝘁 1. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 Clearly state the problem, decision, or idea you want to explore. 2. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 Select 3–5 expert lenses relevant to your challenge (e.g., CEO, CFO, Innovation Expert, Customer, etc.). 3. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 Ask ChatGPT to respond from each role's perspective (e.g., “As the CFO, what risks do you see?”). 4. 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 Have the roles "discuss" the idea as if in a team meeting. This dialogue reveals tensions, assumptions, and synergies. 5. 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 Identify key themes, trade-offs, blind spots, and opportunities across perspectives. 6. 𝗦𝘆𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘇𝗲 & 𝗔𝗰𝘁 Integrate the learnings into a better, more rounded solution. You can also apply thinking tools like 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝘀 or the 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝘃𝗮𝘀 to guide deeper analysis. 7. 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 Adjust roles, reframe the problem, or simulate new strategies to explore further. 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗘𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮 You prompt ChatGPT to form a virtual team with 5 roles: • 𝗖𝗘𝗢: Focuses on vision and market opportunity. • 𝗖𝗙𝗢: Analyzes financial risk, ROI, and funding needs. • 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁: Evaluates uniqueness and feasibility. • 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱: Assesses customer fit and positioning. • 𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁: Explains the technical approach and scalability. Together, they discuss an AI-driven platform that predicts customer needs in real-time. Through their dialogue, you surface: • 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Personalized, proactive CX is a differentiator. • 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀: Cost of real-time data processing, competitive landscape. • 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀: Build a lean MVP, target e-commerce, and validate with early adopters. You then 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗦𝗶𝘅 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝘀 to explore the idea emotionally, logically, creatively, and cautiously—sharpening the strategy even further. What challenge will you swarm today?

Tools for the 100x Solo Founder For decades, company size has been dictated by coordination costs. If you wanted to grow revenue, you hired people. More customers meant more support reps. More revenue meant more finance and ops. Scale meant headcount. AI is starting to break that relationship. At a16z speedrun, we’re interested in startups building tools that allow a single founder to operate what would previously have required entire teams. Today’s models have an ever-growing list of new capabilities. They can write production code, reconcile financial statements, run outbound campaigns, manage customer support, and reason over operational data. The constraint is no longer task capability. It’s whether these systems can be orchestrated reliably enough to replace entire business functions. Here are a few concrete examples of what this could look like in practice: • An AI-native finance stack that reconciles transactions in real time, manages payables and receivables, forecasts cash flow, and ensures compliance - without a human bookkeeper. • An autonomous revenue engine that sources leads, runs outbound, manages CRM state, handles inbound qualification, and drives renewals - accountable to pipeline and revenue. • An AI-operated supply chain for SMBs that forecasts demand, manages inventory, and coordinates logistics. The defining feature is control. These systems should have direct access to operational surfaces - bank accounts, CRMs, inboxes, ad platforms, inventory systems - and be trusted to act. They should not just recommend actions but execute them, measure outcomes, and improve over time. If AI meaningfully reduces coordination and execution costs, the minimum viable company shrinks. If you’re interested in building software that enables one person to operate at the scale of many, we’d love to talk to you!