Where to Start with Kevin Eikenberry & Wayne Turmel
Kevin Eikenberry and Wayne Turmel are cofounders of the Remote Leadership Institute and coauthors of several books on leading distributed teams. Eikenberry is a leadership development expert who has spent over thirty years helping organizations improve how they lead and learn. Turmel is a communication specialist and veteran remote worker who brings decades of practical experience managing teams across distances. Together they have written The Long-Distance Leader (2018), The Long-Distance Teammate (2021), and The Long-Distance Team (2023), forming a comprehensive series on remote and hybrid work. Their approach is grounded and practical, focused on helping managers apply timeless leadership principles in a distributed context rather than reinventing the wheel. They are regular speakers and consultants on remote leadership, and their work has helped thousands of managers navigate the shift from in-person to distributed team management.
Start here
The Long-Distance Leader
Kevin Eikenberry & Wayne Turmel · 192 pages · 2018 · Easy
Themes: remote leadership, distributed teams, management, trust, communication
A practical guide for managers who lead remote or hybrid teams. Eikenberry and Turmel argue that the fundamentals of good leadership do not change when your team is distributed. What changes is how you apply those fundamentals through technology and intentional communication. The book offers nineteen rules built around the authors’ Remote Leadership Model, covering everything from running effective virtual meetings to building trust without in-person interaction.
Why Start Here
This is the foundational book in Eikenberry and Turmel’s remote leadership series, and it covers the broadest ground. The Long-Distance Teammate and The Long-Distance Team build on concepts introduced here, so starting with The Long-Distance Leader gives you the framework that makes the later books more useful. It is also the most widely applicable: whether you manage two remote employees or two hundred, the nineteen rules provide a solid foundation.
The book is especially strong on the mindset shift required to lead at a distance. Many managers default to micromanagement when they cannot see their team, or they swing to the opposite extreme and disengage entirely. Eikenberry and Turmel chart a middle path: engaged leadership that trusts people while maintaining accountability.
What to Expect
A concise, practical read at 192 pages. Each rule is self-contained with reflection questions and concrete suggestions. The writing is straightforward and aimed at busy managers who need answers, not theory. You can read it cover to cover or jump to the rules most relevant to your current challenges. A good desk reference to keep nearby as new situations arise.