about the show

Building a remote culture that enables your team is no easy feat. If you succeed you’ll unlock the agency and autonomy that comes with a well managed remote operation. If you don’t succeed you end up burning out from bad habits.

In this biweekly podcast you'll hear, from both Alix and guests, all about remote teamwork from a zillion different angles. It'll be focused on fresh perspectives, and always include suggestions for you to put new practices into place.

Let us know what you think, and hope you enjoy!

Hosted by Alix Dunn

Back to podcasts

Episode 13 | Running operations at a global remote nonprofit with Vanessa Goas

E13
/
September 13, 2023

This week, Development Gateway COO Vanessa Goas joins Alix on the podcast to talk about what she’s learned from 15 years in operations at a growing global non-profit.

click to listen:
about the episode

Remote organisations can hire the best person for the job, regardless of where they live. Well, that’s the theory. But the reality is that hiring around the world can lead to some tricky operational challenges, from scheduling calls to navigating employment law.

This week, Development Gateway COO Vanessa Goas joins Alix on the podcast to talk about what she’s learned from 15 years in operations at a growing global non-profit.

Listen in to learn from Vanessa’s expertise on wrangling meetings across time zones, communicating policies around the globe, and building real connection with colleagues who are continents away.

After you listen, you can find Vanessa and say hello here.

our key takeaways

1. Communicate in more than one way

Whether communicating a policy change or sharing a key leadership update, Vanessa reminds operations leaders (and all org leaders, for that matter) to use a variety of channels. Share the update on your team call, then do it again on Slack or via email. Communicating via multiple pathways is all the more important on a global team, where one person might see a Slack message during their morning coffee time while their colleague around the globe totally misses it as she’s wrapping up her day.

2. Something will go wrong

Operations are a critical part of every organization, and ops leaders deal with a lot of the trickiest parts of the org-employee relationship, from payroll to benefits. It’s a complex role that forces one to wear many hats, and chances are, one day something will go wrong. Vanessa’s advice? Leave yourself space in your calendar to address the unexpected fires, and when things do go south, talk to the individuals who are impacted by the new policy causing drama or who are annoyed by the new procedure. You’ll learn something to improve things next time.

3. You aren’t alone, even if it feels like it

In an operations role, you’re often a lone actor within your org, and this can feel rather isolating. But the reality is that most of the challenges you’re facing aren’t unique, and other orgs have successfully tackled them. Trying to find an employer of record in a new country as your team grows? Figuring out how in the world to schedule all company meetings across six time zones? Find a community of ops colleagues who have been there, done that. (Looking for some fellow operations wizards? We know some folks! Drop us a line if you’re looking for fellow ops pros, and we’ll connect the dots.)

Get your free Remote Ready starter kit.

Discover the 5 states of remote (and which one you’re in)

Find out the #1 dynamic that holds teams back

Get a sneak peek of our signature course

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get your free Remote Ready starter kit.

Discover the 5 states of remote (and which one you’re in)

Find out the #1 dynamic that holds teams back

Get a sneak peek of our signature course

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.