How do you foster teamwork and collaboration in a remote setting?

Remember to include any coaching or mentoring activities you regularly perform to encourage project managers or other team leads within your area of responsibility to improve teamwork. Interviewers value candidates who can influence others to actively contribute to the health of their teams.

"My approach to fostering teamwork and collaboration in a remote setting is multifaceted. First, I hold daily calls with the team leads within our program. It was easier to get a sense of how things were going when everyone was collocated. I was able to walk around and gather most of the information I needed informally. Now, I make sure that we check in regularly so that we address things early and often. Also, I make it clear that they can reach out to me at any time. I am here to serve them and help them be successful in any way that I can, and I make sure to reiterate that often.

Second, I have asked all of our scrum teams to add an additional question to their daily stand-up calls. They answer 'What do you need from anyone on the team today, and when do you need it?' This identifies dependencies and helps everyone organize their work to best support one another. This addition has led to a significant reduction in delays.

Third, I encourage our team leads to lead by example. I ask them to reach out to the members of their teams daily. This is usually a quick Slack chat just to check in and make sure their teammates have everything they need to be successful. I also ask that they schedule monthly team-building activities. They set aside time to eat a meal together, watch a movie, learn a new skill, or whatever. It helps everyone stay connected, and I really enjoy participating in these meetings as much as possible."