Remote leadership takes guts, not surveillance.

Remote leadership is a contact sport – just ask Zillow and Ericsson.

When the world went remote, a lot of leaders panicked.

“How will we know if people are working?”
“Should we install tracking software?”
“Should we make them check in every hour?”

Wrong questions.

Because remote leadership isn’t about control.
It’s about trust, connection, and real leadership.

And the companies that are doing it properly—like Zillow and Ericsson—aren’t micromanaging people from afar.

They’re creating flexible environments, investing in culture, and making leadership a contact sport.

Let’s unpack what they’re doing differently—and why the rest of us should be taking notes.

Zillow: How to go remote-first without losing connection

Zillow didn’t just jump on the remote bandwagon.
They ripped up the old playbook and built a new one from scratch.

Here’s the headline:

• They slashed their office footprint by 75%.
• Saved $40 million a year.
• But instead of pocketing the cash, they reinvested it into creating real human connection.

At Zillow, remote-first doesn’t mean remote-only.

They know connection doesn’t happen by accident—so they build it in on purpose.

✅ 200+ in-person events a year, fully funded and supported by professional planners.
✅ Massive “Z Retreats” held 2–4 times a year.
✅ Smaller local gatherings for employees based in different cities.

Offices didn’t disappear—they evolved.
Instead of boring rows of desks, their spaces are now collaboration hubs.
Furniture is moved, layouts are changed, spaces flex depending on what teams need.

The focus? Maximising the value of every in-person interaction, not maximising how many bums are in seats.

And they back it all with real-time data:

• How often spaces are booked.
• How employees engage with events.
• Cost per attendee metrics.

They aren’t guessing what works. They’re tracking it, tweaking it, and constantly improving.

The result?

• Better retention.
• Stronger engagement.
• A genuine competitive advantage in a world where most companies are fumbling remote work.
• A four-fold increase in job applications

Ericsson: Remote and hybrid done the smart way

Then there’s Ericsson.

This is a 100,000+ employee global giant that could have easily defaulted back to old-school office rules.

Instead, they reimagined work from the ground up. Ericsson made a simple, powerful decision:

The purpose of the work decides the location—not management preference.

Teams were empowered to figure out what made sense for them.
Leaders weren’t told to manage harder—they were taught to coach better.

Instead of policing where people worked, Ericsson focused on:

• Clarity of outcomes.
• Regular, meaningful check-ins.
• Leadership visibility and intentional communication.

Their big bet?
If the work is getting done at a high standard, who cares where it’s happening?

Spoiler: it worked.

Engagement went up. Innovation didn’t miss a beat. Their employer brand got stronger.
And not one employee had to install a dodgy “mouse mover” app to fake productivity.

What both companies teach us about leading remote teams

Here’s the real kicker: Zillow and Ericsson didn’t accidentally land on these outcomes.
They built them. Intentionally.

Both organisations realised very early that remote work isn’t the problem—poor leadership is.

They ditched the command-and-control mindset and replaced it with three critical leadership pillars:

1. Clarity
   Everyone knows what success looks like. No confusion. No micromanagement.
2. Connection
   Leaders make the effort to show up, have the conversations that matter, and build real relationships.