Meet a Distributed Team Member: Charles Lindon

Welcome to our latest instalment of the series, "Meet a Distributed Team Member," where we introduce the people behind the delivery. In this edition, we’re spotlighting Charles Lindon, Chief Delivery Officer here at Distributed. Charles leads our Delivery team with decades of expertise and a proven record of meeting enterprise-level requirements. We sat down with Charles to learn more about his work at Distributed and his interests outside of the office.

What keeps you feeling excited about working at Distributed?

I think it's the shared spirit everybody has with regards to taking the company on a journey. For example, the level of ownership that my team exhibits around caring for the company and making sure that we’re working toward common goals shows our shared commitment. Working with our leadership team to formulate, think, and strategise around the company's direction makes a big difference. I've worked for big corporations. I worked at Accenture before, years ago, and gradually moved to smaller and smaller companies because I really enjoyed that sense of ownership and that sort of dynamic nature that we get here at Distributed. I love it.

What’s your top remote work tip for other teams?

Have something nice to look out on during meetings—I've got a view of the garden. But on a more serious note, when lockdown first happened I was at my previous company. We worked from home occasionally but it wasn’t an established practice. All of a sudden we were stuck inside and not interacting in-person with other people. I would say to try and keep your camera on, if you’re able to, and take some time to have a conversation at the end of the meeting around personal interests. Try to be a human being rather than just an image on a computer.

What’s your personal prediction for the future of talent in 2024?

I believe the open talent model is inevitable for companies moving forward. It's an extremely compelling proposition. The providers that can effectively harness the strength of freelance talent and create an ecosystem for them to thrive will be the success stories in 2024. We're already seeing fairly large corporations recognising this and realising their full-time employees alone can’t provide all the specialised skills they need. We regularly have conversations with large companies expressing frustration over this talent gap that our talent delivery model is designed to bridge.

From a client perspective, you want a tailored team purposely designed to solve your specific challenges. In 2024, corporate hierarchies with rigid employee structures and utilisation metrics simply can’t assemble that kind of tailored, problem-solving unit. 2024 will be the year of the blended talent strategy. It can work brilliantly if you thoughtfully cultivate freelance careers and foster continuous development alongside your full-time workforce. Done right, this blended talent strategy becomes so powerful that tech leaders will simply want to be a part of it.

How do you like to unwind and have fun outside of work?

I have two young children, so I unwind by spending time with them. The work-from-home model here at Distributed makes that a lot easier. I also love to watch cricket and occasionally catch up with my friends over a drink.