"In a company's early days, culture is forged through proximity-shared desks, late nights, and the push-and-pull of turning ideas into reality. Decisions happen on the fly, and everyone knows each other by name. But as you scale-especially as a remote-first organization-that sense of connection can quietly fade. Suddenly, you realize you can't attend every onboarding, celebrate every milestone, or even recognize every face on a Zoom call."
"At Appfire, we've gone from a small crew to nearly 800 people across multiple continents. Our remote-first approach lets people "work where they wake up," but it also brings a new set of leadership challenges. In a world defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), the old playbook of hallway conversations and impromptu lunches doesn't cut it. Staying connected-and relevant-requires intentional, adaptable systems for communication, empathy, and trust."
"When you can't rely on physical presence, communication from leadership becomes your presence. Within my first month at Appfire, I started recording biweekly Loom videos-short, informal updates on everything from board meeting takeaways to customer feedback, industry trends, and what's keeping me up at night. They're deliberately unpolished. The point is authenticity, not production value. But it's not just about me talking at people."
Company culture forms through close physical interaction in early stages but can erode as organizations scale, especially when remote-first. Rapid growth across continents increases distance, making informal interactions insufficient. Leadership presence must be replaced by consistent, authentic communication and varied company-wide meetings to maintain transparency and alignment. Appfire scaled to nearly 800 people and adopted remote-first work, prompting intentional systems for communication, empathy, and trust amid VUCA conditions. Practices include biweekly unpolished Loom updates covering board takeaways, customer feedback, and concerns, and rotating meeting formats to prevent predictability and apathy. What works at 50 employees often fails at 800.
Read at Fast Company
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