Promoting a Connected Culture for Remote Teams

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In today’s podcast episode, we interview Darrin Jahnel, CEO and Founder of Jahnel Group. Today’s topics are focused on promoting a sense of connectedness, establishing a unique working culture, utilizing a servant leadership mindset, maintaining a high growth company culture, and taking care of team members daily as they Team Anywhere.

What Surprised Darrin Over the Last 2 Years

Darrin was surprised with the COVID-19 pandemic which made a huge impact on everything that an organization does. Initially, Darrin thought that COVID-19 wouldn’t make an impact and was going to come and go just like the bird flu. He quickly learned that organizations need to prepare their contingency plans and be ready for any uncertainty. The shift to remote and hybrid work has made people comfortable working from their homes and has morphed into a viable work structure.

A Dive into Jahnel Group’s Unique Working Culture

Because most of Jahnel Group’s team members work remotely, Darrin and his brother planned to create one to two amazing and engaging in-person experiences every single year. Darrin believes that when you do something extraordinary with somebody, something outside of your ordinary life, it helps fast forward relationships in development.

Promoting a Connected Culture for Remote Teams

According to Darrin, there are two ways that leaders can promote the sense of connectedness an a unique culture for remote teams; namely,

Taking Care of Team Members – Leaders must reach out and take care of their team members on a daily basis. This can be demonstrated by regularly asking questions like, “Is somebody working with you on that project? Are you a part of one or more teams where you all are providing mutual support? What kinds of things are you and your team doing to foster connectedness?” These regular check-ins help to build a culture of belonging, trust, and inclusion.
By Giving Thoughtful and Unique Gifts – A leader who is thoughtful and working really hard to genuinely bring joy, happiness, and contentment to their employees is a winning one! Rewarding deserving employees with a cash gift, a new car for hitting sales targets, or a personal gift that has meaning for them and their families, demonstrates the kind of recognition and appreciation that increases retention.

Maintaining Jahnel Group’s High-Growth and Company Culture

The track record of Jahnel Group for being part of the Inc. 5000’s list for the past 6 years demonstrates their high-growth and productive culture. They have maintained their steady pace of growth by training and developing an ongoing set of leaders inside the company. And now with 150 people, 15 people are part of the leadership team–everyone supporting the CEO, one another, and teams towards the same goals.

The culture inside of Jahnel Group is very diverse in the form of affiliations and extracurricular clubs. These clubs are outwardly and financially sponsored by Darrin and his brother, making the company a balanced space of work and recreation.

Who is Darrin Jahnel?

Darrin Jahnel is the Founder and CEO of Jahnel Group, a 140-person software consulting company headquartered in Schenectady, NY. Darrin leads with energy and is maniacally focused on creating an amazing work environment for his team. Jahnel Group has made the Inc 5,000 list 6 years in a row and has won multiple best workplace awards for their amazing culture.