The Long-Distance Teammate by Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel Summary

The Long-Distance Teammate provides actionable strategies for remote workers to excel in three areas: building productive relationships, developing remote work skills, and communicating effectively. It emphasizes proactive engagement, trust-building, and adapting to technology-driven workflows, positioning itself as a guide for thriving in modern distributed work environments.

Remote workers, hybrid team members, and managers overseeing distributed teams will benefit most. The book is ideal for professionals seeking to maintain career visibility, improve virtual collaboration, or navigate challenges like isolation and communication gaps in remote settings.

Yes—it combines practical frameworks (like the “3 Pillars of Remote Success”) with real-world tactics for staying engaged. Reviews highlight its actionable advice on ethical self-promotion, mastering digital tools, and rebuilding workplace relationships from afar.

• Remote-first mindset: Treating remote work as equally impactful as in-office roles.
• Ethical visibility: Proactively communicating achievements without seeming self-centered.
• Trust acceleration: Using transparency and reliability to compensate for lack of face-to-face interaction.

The book recommends tools like “planned spontaneity” (scheduling informal check-ins) and “message layering” (repeating critical info across multiple channels). It also stresses clarity in written communication to prevent misunderstandings common in virtual settings.

Eikenberry advocates for “leading out loud”—openly sharing decision-making processes—and fostering psychological safety through consistent feedback. He also highlights the importance of recognizing team members’ contributions publicly in digital spaces.

It teaches strategies for maintaining promotability, including creating “virtual presence portfolios” (documenting contributions) and building mentor relationships through intentional outreach. The book warns against “out of sight, out of mind” pitfalls common in remote work.

Some users note the book focuses more on employee adaptation than organizational changes needed to support remote work. It could benefit from more case studies about companies successfully implementing its strategies.

While Leader targets managers overseeing remote teams, Teammate focuses on individual contributors. Both emphasize communication and trust, but Teammate adds specific tactics for career maintenance and skill development in hybrid environments.

With 37% of global workers still hybrid/remote (World Economic Forum 2025 data), the book’s focus on AI collaboration tools, asynchronous workflows, and digital burnout prevention remains critical for modern professionals.

• “Your engagement level is a choice, not a consequence of your environment.”
• “Remote work erases commute time but requires intentional relationship time.”

The authors suggest starting with a “remote work charter” (team-agreed norms) and quarterly “connection audits” to assess communication effectiveness. Case studies show companies using these methods reduce misalignment by 40%.