The Long-Distance Leader, Second Edition, 2nd Edition

Part III Introduction

Never mistake activity for achievement.

—John Wooden, Hall of Fame basketball coach

Raul is a new supervisor on a team of software engineers. He works from home and has since before the pandemic, as has most of his team. His manager, though, is back in the office again and continues to worry that team members might not work as hard as they can—or might even be ghost working. His manager constantly asks, “How do you know what they’re working on?” or “Are you absolutely positive we’ll meet those deadlines?” While Raul trusts his people, he struggles to assure his boss that real work is getting done, even when he can’t peer over the cubicle and watch it.

As a leader, you’re in the business of reaching desirable outcomes. Helping ...