At our August 2025 WFH Alliance meeting, guest speaker Nate Brown — co-founder of CX Accelerator and a well-known voice in customer experience leadership — shared strategies for building community as a way to drive employee engagement.

In today’s remote and hybrid workplaces, community isn’t just a “nice-to-have.” It’s a critical factor in building trust, fostering collaboration, and keeping teams engaged — even when they’re spread across different locations.

Here are three key takeaways from Nate’s session that you can apply to your own team.

1. Leadership Community is the Foundation

A thriving employee community starts with a strong leadership community.

When leaders trust, connect, and collaborate with one another, they create the conditions for a culture that supports engagement across the entire organization.

Without that foundation, broader engagement efforts can struggle to take root. Start by strengthening relationships within your leadership team — the ripple effect will be powerful.

2. Remote Requires Intention

In-office communities often form naturally — think casual desk conversations or lunch breaks with your cube-mates that build bonds over time.

In a remote environment, those “accidental” interactions don’t happen. Leaders must create intentional opportunities for connection:

• Host regular team check-ins that focus on more than just work
• Encourage employees to participate in community-building activities
• Make it clear that time spent building relationships is valued

3. Empower the Servant / Challenger Mindset

For teams to thrive, leaders must empower employees to be both:

• Challengers – with the courage to question ideas, even from leadership.
• Servants – acting for the good of the team and organization.

This balance allows innovation and constructive dialogue to flourish, while keeping the team aligned on shared goals.

Keep Building Your Leadership Toolkit

If these ideas resonate with you, exploring upcoming opportunities to keep the momentum going:

🔗 wfhalliance.com/event-calendar

WFH Alliance is here to unite remote and hybrid contact center leaders through community, proven strategies, and real-world data. Together, we can shape the future of remote work.