How to Strengthen Trust and Connection in a Remote-First Organization - ep. #003

About This Episode

What does it take to rebuild a thriving remote-first workplace culture after a crisis while staying true to a mission that spans the globe? In this new episode of Return to People Podcast, host Kaleem Clarkson speaks with Scott Marshall, President & CEO of the Institute for Shipboard Education, home to the iconic Semester at Sea program. Scott shares how his purpose-driven nonprofit rebuilt its global workplace culture around flexibility, trust, and remote collaboration, all while keeping a distributed team connected and engaged. Recovering from COVID-related revenue loss and the shutdown of voyages wasn’t easy. Rebuilding trust during layoffs and overcoming generational bias toward in-office work made it even more challenging. But as Scott says, “If you want the best people, go national.” That mindset opened the door to a stronger, more resilient team with engagement scores in the high 80s and 90s. From biannual all-staff retreats to intentional onboarding, Scott reveals practical ways to keep mission-driven global teams connected and thriving. 🎧 Listen now to discover actionable strategies for building culture, connection, and performance in remote-first organizations, no matter the distance! Learn more from Scott: Scott´s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-marshall-b250305 Semester at Sea: https://www.linkedin.com/school/semester-at-sea-ise/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices