009 | Building Trust, Remotely

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📓 Hidden Skills

You may have noticed, McKinsey's Forward learning program in last week's link section. With almost ½ million enrolled, McKinsey is pushing their version of the Future of Work… forward.

Online programs like this by one of the most well-respected consulting firms in the world highlight soft skills as critical skills to develop in the future.

As remote and hybrid work models become the norm, one thing is clear: relationships are the backbone of any thriving professional life. But how do we build trust and deepen connections when we're no longer meeting at the coffee machine or sitting side-by-side in meetings?

In this new age of work, relationships are no longer defined by proximity but by authenticity, communication, and shared values. The beauty of the shift to remote work is that it forces us to rethink what it means to connect. It challenges us to move beyond small talk and surface-level interactions to something more intentional, more meaningful.

🤺 The Challenge of Buiding Trust Remotely

Trust doesn't happen from a Zoom call.

In the digital workspace, trust is built by showing up consistently in multiple digital arenas and can be built by making effort to check out someone's LinkedIn posts, viewing their online portfolio, or investing time to send a Direct Message or email when you think of someone related to a link, a brand, a case study, a YouTube video.

If you think of relationships just like the sales customer journey, you notice multiple touchpoints are required to build strong bonds for someone to desire to "buy” something (like sending a birthday card or a gift!) to you.

Remote work strips away the little unspoken signals we rely on in face-to-face interactions: body language, tone of voice, and the casual moments that build rapport. In the digital space, we need to be deliberate about making up for that loss.

That doesn’t mean it's harder—it just requires a different approach to forming longlasting relationships, digitally.

Here are a few ways to build trust and foster strong relationships in a remote or hybrid work environment:

Tip 1: Be Present, Even from Afar

In the office, people can physically see you working hard.

Remotely, your visibility can become limited, leading to misunderstandings. One solution? Be present, even if you aren’t physically there. 

There are several ways to do this:

• Comment on company posts

• Celebrate wins in company chats

• Show up to virtual meetings on-time, prepared

• Send a quick message to a colleague to check-in

• Ask for a short 15-min 1:1 with someone new this week

• Share your work process, progress, and even setbacks openly

• Become a thought leader for your work on social media sites like LinkedIn

Tip 2: Show Vulnerability, Earn Trust

Share your work process, progress, and… even setbacks?

You may have been surprised by that tip above. The truth is: vulnerability is not a weakness—it's an incredible tool for building strong relationships.

Whether it’s admitting you’re juggling multiple priorities or asking for feedback, being open and honest allows others to do the same. Trust is a two-way street, and when you show your human side, others feel comfortable doing the same.

It’s easy to forget this when you’re behind a screen, but the more authentic you are in your communication, the stronger your connections will be.

As a working professional, there is a balance of how vulnerable each of us wants to be and should be. Every vulnerability will be seen by your colleagues, your superiors, and perhaps clients of the company or individual.

My biggest piece of advice is:

This keeps the meaning of the conversation positive and growth-oriented to inspire you and your colleagues to build stronger connections between each other and that of the company.

Tip 3: Collaborate Asynchronously, Do the Work

There's a hidden benefit to async collaboration: thoughtfulness.

Without the rush to respond instantly, people can take their time to really digest information, come up with creative solutions on their own time, and offer meaningful input from their remote perspective.

We become more productive through asyc tools. But the work does not happen by itself, doing the work builds the habit of responsibility which allows the creative output to thrive.

Async work is a skill, and like any skill, it requires practice. But once mastered, it opens up a whole new way to work—one that’s flexible, thoughtful, and trust-driven.

When your team and clients know they can rely on you, trust build naturally—even when you are miles (or kilometers!) apart, working on different schedules.

Trust that your teammates will get the job done on their own time—because when you give people space to do their best work, they often exceed your expectations.

This keeps the workflow moving forward and shows you respect the time and space needed to get great work done.

⏭️ Moving Forward

The future of work is remote, but the future of relationships is deeper than ever. With so many ways to connect online, we have the opportunity to redefine how we build trust, how we communicate, and how we support one another.

In the digital world, we can double down on the ways that make us more productive—Ai, automations, digital tools—while also focusing on the values that make us human—integrity, vulnerability, and collaboration.

At the end of the day, professional relationships aren’t about where we work but how we work together. And in this remote-first world, showing up digitally is how we develop our professional careers.

⚡️ Updates

I'm on a mission to connect 100 unique individuals in 1:1 breakout rooms through online, speed networking. I call them: Connection Power-Hours. These events have become so popular that we have to limit the number of individuals! For now, every joiner in the next 5 sessions must be new and not have been to a previous session.

Learn more on our website and subscribe to our event list here. All times in EST.

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