As a founder, I know that feeling.
It’s that quiet concern that creeps in on a Sunday night, not for your own workload, but for your team’s.
You start wondering: Is the team energized? Do they feel connected? Or are they just silently going through the motions, separated by screens and time zones?
Believe me, I’ve been there – on both sides of the screen.
As a founder, I’ve felt that helplessness of trying to gauge the team’s energy through a video call. And earlier in my career, as a remote worker myself, I’ve personally experienced that disconnection that we call “low morale.”
It’s a quiet problem, but it has a loud impact, and I know firsthand that it’s something you can’t just ignore.
When you lead a remote team, you can’t rely on the energy of an office. You can’t read the room after a meeting or feel the buzz of a shared win.
This distance can erode even the strongest cultures, leading to the kind of disengagement that quietly kills productivity and passion.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your remote team’s morale, you’ve probably realized that the old solutions don’t work. You can’t buy connection with movie night or after work drinks.
But what if I told you that the key to unlocking team spirit isn’t a grand gesture, but a simple, powerful daily habit?
A ritual so effective it can fundamentally change your team’s dynamic in just five minutes a day.
The Hidden Pain of Remote Work: Feeling Invisible
Before we get to the solution, let’s be honest about the problem. Low morale on a virtual team rarely stems from a single issue. It’s the slow accumulation of feeling unseen.
It’s the engineer who solves a tricky bug at 9 PM with no one to share the win with. It’s the designer who helps a colleague with a last-minute request, an act that goes completely unnoticed.
These are the classic signs of low morale in remote teams, not loud complaints, but silent disconnection.
We need to stop trying to patch this with temporary fixes and start building a systematic habit of visibility and appreciation.
The Solution: Introducing “The First Five”
At High Five, we’ve built our entire philosophy around the power of consistent recognition.
Internally, we practice this with a daily ritual we call The First Five.
It’s not another meeting. It’s a quick, high-impact check-in designed to make progress visible, foster gratitude, and create clarity.
It’s one of the most effective remote team engagement activities I’ve ever seen.
Here’s how it works – every morning, each person on the team shares three things asynchronously in a dedicated Slack channel.
Step 1: Share a “Micro-Win”
- What it is: A small point of progress from the day before. It’s not about announcing a closed deal; it’s about celebrating the small steps.
- Examples: “My micro-win is I finally fixed the salary calculation bug,” or “I sent out the draft of the Q3 product strategy document.”
- Why it works: It starts the day with a feeling of accomplishment. It combats the sense that you’re just spinning your wheels and builds positive momentum for everyone.
Step 2: Give a “High Five”
- What it is: This is where you turn the spotlight on a teammate. Recognize one person for something specific they did. This is the heart of the ritual and one of the most important employee recognition ideas you can implement.
- Examples: “High five to Sarah for spotting that typo in the intro sales deck,” or “A big high five to David for jumping in to help me with that customer ticket yesterday afternoon.”
- Why it works: It makes gratitude a public and shared practice. It tells team members that their contributions, even the small ones, are seen and valued by their peers. It builds powerful connective tissue within the team.
Step 3: State a “Clear Focus”
- What it is: Your single most important intention for the day ahead. This isn’t your entire to-do list; it’s your #1 priority.
- Examples: “My focus today is to send three candidate recommendations,” or “My clear focus is to unblock our marketing team by getting them the assets they need.”
- Why it works: It creates instant alignment and clarity. Everyone knows what everyone else is focused on, which reduces friction and makes it easier for team members to offer help proactively.
How to Make The First Five a Habit
The key to building team morale remotely is consistency. Here’s how to make The First Five stick.
- For Hybrid Teams: Use it to kick off your day in a 5-minute standing huddle. Keep the energy high and the updates quick.
- For Fully Remote Teams: Asynchronous is your best friend. Create a dedicated Slack or Teams channel (we call ours
#first-five) and have everyone post their 3 points within the first hour of their workday. It becomes a virtual check-in point, filled with positivity. - As the Leader, You Go First: This is non-negotiable. Your consistency and the sincerity of your own First Fives will set the standard for the entire team.
My Challenge to Fellow Founders
My challenge to you is this: Try The First Five with your team for just one week.
That’s it. Just five days. I am willing to bet that by Friday, you will have surfaced hidden progress, celebrated unsung heroes, and created a positive vibe that you can feel, even through a screen.
The First Five is just one tool, a powerful first step in the ongoing commitment to building a truly connected team. It takes continuous effort to maintain morale, but with the right rituals, that effort becomes an energizing and rewarding part of your leadership, not a draining one.
Building an amazing culture isn’t magic. It’s a choice, followed by a habit. And it can really start with just five minutes.
TL;DR: The First Five Ritual
Start each day with 3 async posts:
- ✅ Micro-win: Celebrate small progress.
- ✋ High Five: Public gratitude for a teammate.
- 🎯 Clear Focus: Share your #1 priority for today.
Try it for one week. Just five minutes a day. You’ll be amazed at the impact.
