Book Review: “Leading From Anywhere: The Essential Guide to Managing Remote Teams”
The post-pandemic shift from full-time, on-site work to remote and hybrid work has reshaped how employers approach management, communication, and teamwork. Before COVID-19, remote work often felt like something of a unicorn — rare and available only to a small segment of the workforce. In 2019, 32% of remote-capable U.S. employees worked hybrid (combining remote and on-site) and 8% were fully remote. By 2025, those figures had risen to 55% and 26%, respectively, and appear to have stabilized (Gallup, 2025). This shift cannot help but have a permanent impact on management and leadership.
Reviewed By: Brynn Juranek, director of financial aid processing and awarding, Rasmussen University.
“Leading From Anywhere: The Essential Guide to Managing Remote Teams,” David Burkus, delivers a detailed overview of the life cycle of developing and leading a remote team. Burkus, an experienced researcher and bestselling author of books on teamwork and leadership, addresses concerns like interviewing and onboarding, communication, networking, performance management, running virtual meetings, change management, and transitioning to another team or company. Throughout the book, he provides comprehensive, real-life examples for managing and leading teams in a remote setting.
Burkus places a strong emphasis on developing a team culture through “cadence” — establishing a regular, predictable rhythm of communication to encourage engagement, connection, and trust among team members. This can include engaging the team in non-work connections over coffee, shared meals, and activities both within and outside of office hours. Although this may seem like extra work, he believes that when kept within a reasonable timeframe, it will lead to overall team productivity and employee satisfaction.
The book also discusses research conducted on remote work and burnout, as well as the myth of remote work as “not work.” Citing studies showing remote workers as more subject to burnout because they feel they must always be “on” and ready to work, Burkus emphasizes the importance of consistent work hours for both team members and leaders. This ensures everyone knows when to expect colleagues to be available and allows every member of the team to fully disconnect from work outside of business hours.
As a leader who has led teams in fully remote environments, I found Burkus’ suggestions about developing and managing teams beneficial. However, while I agree with a number of his points, I disagree with his recommendation to have multiple meetings to solve a problem. In practice, I find many issues are better addressed using Teams, Slack, or another collaboration platform. Also, while the book does a great job of explaining the merits of remote teams, it fails to address what to do in a crisis.
This book was published in 2021, which seems like a lifetime ago given the rapid evolution of remote work. While many employers have continued remote or hybrid schedules, others have returned to fully in-office work. Even so, Burkus notes that remote work has influenced many aspects of the in-person work experience.
This book is written for the general workplace and is not specifically focused on managing and leading teams in higher education or financial aid. Still, I found it offers meaningful insights about leadership in any work environment, whether remote, hybrid, or in person.
“Leading From Anywhere: The Essential Guide to Managing Remote Teams” by David Burkus, (2021), Mariner Books, pp. 256.
***
Brynn Juranek is director of processing and awarding at Rasmussen University in the Twin Cities. She has 17 years of experience in financial aid across multiple institutions. Processing is her professional passion, particularly overlapping academic years and proration. She earned a B.A. from Michigan State University and a Master of Student Affairs Administration from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse. As an active member of the Minnesota Association of Financial Aid Administrators (MAFAA) for the past decade, she has served in several roles, most recently as past vice president.
Publication Date: 8/3/2026
You must be logged in to comment on this page.