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Too hot. Too cold. Just right.

This classic framework from Goldilocks and the Three Bears mirrors one of the biggest struggles I see in remote team leadership: finding the right balance in how you manage.

When it comes to leading distributed teams, most people fall into one of two extremes.

There’s the micromanager: constantly checking in, obsessing over activity, piling on meetings and processes that disrupt more than they help.

Then there’s the hands-off manager: the “hire great people and get out of their way” type. It sounds empowering, but in practice, it often leads to confusion, disengagement, and team members feeling unsupported.

Neither extreme works well, especially in remote environments.

The middle ground, what I call multiplying leadership, isn’t about backing off entirely or controlling every detail. It’s about creating the conditions for your team to do their best work.

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Your Job Isn’t to Hover or Disappear

A question I hear often from managers:

“What’s my role if my team is remote?”

At first, the question puzzled me.

But I’ve come to understand that many leaders haven’t yet learned how to manage without being physically present.

They rely on seeing people work to trust that work is happening. They’re unaware of how you’d spark momentum without peer pressure. And they don’t know how to evaluate work other than by tracking time in the office or availability for instant replies.

This lack of knowledge forces them to take a false binary approach to remote leadership: micromanage or disappear.

Both of which have glaring faults on remote teams. Micromanage, and you become the bottleneck. Disengage, and alignment disappears.

Instead, your role as a distributed team leader should be to act as a first line of defense, protecting your team from anything that keeps them from doing the work they were hired to do.

You’re not a limiter or a bystander.

You’re a multiplier.

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Create the Conditions for Great Work

Forget: “Hire great people and get out of their way.”

Try: “Hire great people and be their first line of defense.

The best remote leaders act as both shield and support. You’re architecting a virtual environment that allows your team to thrive.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

• Set clear expectations so everyone knows what success looks like
• Shield your team from bad meetings so they have time for real work
• Protect autonomy by eliminating practices that assume mistrust
• Facilitate alignment so your team members are aware of each other’s work and avoid duplicated efforts
• Unblock progress by stepping in when approvals or decisions stall
• Watch for self-sabotage and model healthy, sustainable work habits
• Foster psychological safety so people feel safe surfacing concerns and sharing ideas
• Communicate the larger vision so everyone understands how their work connects to the bigger picture

When you lead this way, you’re not just managing tasks, you’re multiplying impact.

You become the pathmaker who clears the way for real work to get done.

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The “Just Right” Kind of Leadership

As a remote leader, your job is to create the conditions for great work to happen. That means being your team’s first line of defense against distractions, ambiguity, burnout, and anything else that pulls them away from doing what they were hired to do.

Micromanagement kills morale. A hands-off approach breeds confusion.

But when you lead like a multiplier and intentionally create space for people to thrive, your team gains clarity, alignment, and the ability to execute at their highest level.

By doing your job well, you make everyone else’s work better. That’s the “just right” kind of leadership remote teams need.

In Other News

​How custom GPTs can make you a better manager​
I enjoyed this 'How I AI' podcast episode sharing how the Head of Product at Whoop uses custom GPTs. Check it out if you're looking for inspiration on how to use AI in your daily work.

In Case You Missed It

​What the Best Remote Teams Do Differently​
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​AI Recipe: Discover your Hogwarts House​
In a recent Idea Kitchen recipe, I shared a recipe for all the Harry Potter fans (and prompt nerds). It’s a Sorting Hat prompt for ChatGPT that analyzes your personality, sorts you into a Hogwarts house, and writes you a vivid backstory. Check it out if you're looking for a fun activity for team calls!

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Work Forward Society Want to meet others who do work differently? Join us in making 2025 your year of less meetings and more real work! Join The Work Forward Society →

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What did you think of this issue? What do you hope to see in the next one? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read this. Hope you have a lovely day! Marissa ​Founder, Remote Work Prep​ P.S. Did you enjoy this issue? Share the article with a friend. Struggling with a remote work problem? Book a coaching call. If you liked this, consider supporting this free newsletter by leaving a testimonial. ​

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