Mastering Remote Tech Leadership: Managing Global Teams

In this episode of The CTO Show with Mehmet, we are joined by Glyn Roberts, CTO of Digital Solutions at Vention. With over 20 years of experience in the tech industry, Glyn has climbed the leadership ladder from a developer to overseeing a global team of over 3,000 engineers across 20 countries. Glyn shares his insights on the key challenges and strategies for managing distributed teams in a remote-first world.

Glyn discusses the complexities of leading a large team dispersed across multiple countries, highlighting the cultural differences and the need to balance company culture with client needs. He stresses the importance of embedding engineers into client teams to foster collaboration and align with the client’s ways of working.

One of the biggest challenges in a remote setting, according to Glyn, is communication. He shares his approach to ensuring smooth collaboration through thoughtful, clear, and documented communication, emphasizing the fine line between over-communication and efficiency. Glyn also dives into the nuances of expectation management, especially regarding availability, asynchronous communication, and the balance between work and personal time.

The conversation also explores how the shift to remote work has affected creativity and collaboration. Glyn reflects on the need for in-person meetings for creative projects and brainstorming sessions, while also recognizing that with the right tools and methods, remote teams can successfully achieve creative breakthroughs.

In the second half of the episode, Glyn talks about leadership development and how it has evolved over time. He emphasizes the importance of people management, psychological safety, and creating an environment where team members can thrive, especially in remote setups. Glyn also touches on how AI is impacting leadership and team management, from automated meeting summaries to AI-driven project management tools, and the potential risks of over-relying on AI without human oversight.

Towards the end, Glyn shares valuable advice for aspiring tech leaders, discussing the importance of mentorship, learning from both good and bad leaders, and the ever-evolving nature of leadership in the tech world. Whether you’re managing a small team or leading a global workforce, this episode offers practical insights into the art of remote tech leadership.