Building Corporate Culture in Remote Working Environments
Robert McQueen - COO Nexus Dental Systems
Robert McQueen is the Chief of Operations at Nexus Dental Systems. With a multifaceted background in strategy, operations, and cross-cultural communication, Robert brings over 18 years of experience to this role. His career is marked by a series of high-impact roles and successful ventures, showcasing his exceptional skills in leadership, strategic planning, and complex problem-solving.
Robert’s professional journey began as a Special Operations Officer, where he demonstrated outstanding capabilities in coordinating multifaceted operations and leading cross-functional teams in high-stakes environments. His military career includes significant achievements such as leading the US response to disasters in Bosnia, coordinating multinational training programs, and engaging with senior diplomats to synchronize complex initiatives.
In the civilian sector, Robert has held several influential positions. As the Field Operations Director at Waves For Water, he provided vision, direction, training, and oversight to field operations across 44 countries. He was pivotal in building the Clean Water Corps from an idea into a fully functioning division, leading humanitarian missions in 21 different countries, and managing disaster relief initiatives worth over a million dollars. His efforts in expanding corporate social responsibility programs with partners like BMW, Tumi, Panerai, and Hurley demonstrate his proficiency in forging and nurturing strategic partnerships.
Robert’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to found Quiver, an impact analysis platform for non-profit organizations and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Under his leadership, Quiver developed a viable MVP and successfully integrated into the Salesforce marketplace, illustrating Robert’s ability to drive innovation and market penetration.
In his role as Executive Accounts Director at Tempest 22, Robert demonstrated his strategic acumen by advising companies on repositioning strategies and capital acquisition. His ability to identify unique investment opportunities and develop effective fundraising strategies has been a hallmark of his success, attracting significant investor interest and capital injections.
Robert has also been recognized for his leadership in academic and extracurricular activities. Beyond his professional endeavors, he is committed to mentoring young founders and officers and actively contributes to community initiatives.
With his diverse experience, strategic mindset, and proven leadership, Robert is well-equipped to drive Nexus Dental Systems’ growth and success. His appointment as Chief of Operations marks a significant step forward for the organization as it continues to innovate and expand its impact in the dental industry.
Remote and Hybrid Environments are here to stay…
As remote work becomes the norm rather than the exception, companies face a hard truth: culture doesn’t happen by accident when your team is distributed. Without office walls, in-person rituals, or water cooler conversations, leaders must create intentional frameworks to build belonging, drive alignment, and inspire performance from afar.
Here’s how to design a resilient, values-based culture for remote teams—one that thrives on clarity, trust, and shared purpose.
Start With Purpose, Not Proximity
Remote culture begins with a clear mission. When teams are spread across cities, states, or even continents, physical presence can’t be your foundation. A compelling sense of why must replace it.
When people understand the larger mission—and how their daily efforts contribute to it—they make faster decisions, collaborate across silos, and adapt more quickly. Instead of top-down direction, culture becomes the invisible hand that guides behavior.
Mission clarity isn’t just a leadership talking point—it’s the basis for autonomy. In highly effective remote teams, individuals are empowered to act without constant supervision because they understand the intent behind the goal.
Empower the Edges
In distributed teams, centralized decision-making creates bottlenecks. Culture must equip everyone—not just leadership—with the judgment to act in real time. That means clearly articulating core values and encouraging decentralized initiative.
When trust is high and priorities are clear, remote teams outperform even tightly controlled traditional ones. Instead of layers of approvals, decisions can be made closer to the edge—where the work is actually happening.
Rather than “command and control,” think “align and empower.” Give people room to maneuver, but ensure they’re all running the same playbook.
Create Meaningful Rituals
Without the structure of an office, rhythm must come from somewhere else. Rituals—daily check-ins, weekly retros, end-of-month shoutouts—create cohesion and predictability. But don’t confuse routine for culture. The best rituals reinforce purpose, recognize contribution, and build connection.
Keep them lightweight but consistent. And ensure they serve a purpose beyond the calendar invite: to refocus, to reconnect, and to remind the team of who they are and why they exist.
Whether it’s a “Friday Wins” post, a virtual town hall, or a monthly team challenge, these rhythms help stitch people together—even when miles apart.
Lead with Trust
Remote teams thrive on psychological safety. When people feel safe to speak up, ask questions, or admit when they’re unsure, your culture strengthens.
Leadership must model this first. Vulnerability is a strategic advantage—it builds rapport, diffuses tension, and normalizes continuous learning. One of the key lessons from modern leadership models is that trust, once earned, is a force multiplier.
Don’t wait for a crisis to build trust. Bake it into your one-on-ones, your retros, and your team channels. Ask for feedback. Share context. Recognize wins. And when things go wrong, conduct open post-mortems to learn—not to blame.
Codify Your Culture—Then Reinforce It
Your team shouldn’t have to guess what matters. Write down your values, your working norms, and your leadership expectations. Make this living document part of onboarding, quarterly reviews, and hiring decisions.
When culture is documented, it’s easier to scale. When it’s reinforced in how you promote, praise, and correct behavior—it becomes real.
Remember: the moment culture isn’t reinforced, it’s replaced.
Conclusion: Culture Is a Strategic Weapon
Remote teams can’t rely on office buzz or visual cues to feel connected. But when guided by a shared mission, empowered with clear values, and connected through intentional rhythms, distributed teams can move faster, make better decisions, and build deeper trust than many in-person counterparts.
In a remote-first world, culture is not just a people issue. It’s a strategic asset.
Robert McQueen is the Chief of Operations at Nexus Dental Systems. With a multifaceted background in strategy, operations, and cross-cultural communication, Robert brings over 18 years of experience to this role. His career is marked by a series of high-impact roles and successful ventures, showcasing his exceptional skills in leadership, strategic planning, and complex problem-solving.
Robert’s professional journey began as a Special Operations Officer, where he demonstrated outstanding capabilities in coordinating multifaceted operations and leading cross-functional teams in high-stakes environments. His military career includes significant achievements such as leading the US response to disasters in Bosnia, coordinating multinational training programs, and engaging with senior diplomats to synchronize complex initiatives.
In the civilian sector, Robert has held several influential positions. As the Field Operations Director at Waves For Water, he provided vision, direction, training, and oversight to field operations across 44 countries. He was pivotal in building the Clean Water Corps from an idea into a fully functioning division, leading humanitarian missions in 21 different countries, and managing disaster relief initiatives worth over a million dollars. His efforts in expanding corporate social responsibility programs with partners like BMW, Tumi, Panerai, and Hurley demonstrate his proficiency in forging and nurturing strategic partnerships.
Robert’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to found Quiver, an impact analysis platform for non-profit organizations and corporate social responsibility initiatives. Under his leadership, Quiver developed a viable MVP and successfully integrated into the Salesforce marketplace, illustrating Robert’s ability to drive innovation and market penetration.
In his role as Executive Accounts Director at Tempest 22, Robert demonstrated his strategic acumen by advising companies on repositioning strategies and capital acquisition. His ability to identify unique investment opportunities and develop effective fundraising strategies has been a hallmark of his success, attracting significant investor interest and capital injections.
Robert has also been recognized for his leadership in academic and extracurricular activities. Beyond his professional endeavors, he is committed to mentoring young founders and officers and actively contributes to community initiatives.
With his diverse experience, strategic mindset, and proven leadership, Robert is well-equipped to drive Nexus Dental Systems’ growth and success. His appointment as Chief of Operations marks a significant step forward for the organization as it continues to innovate and expand its impact in the dental industry.
