Giana Cambria adjusted her headset, the familiar hum of a Zoom call filling her ears. Today, she was once again navigating the labyrinth of remote leadership, a skill she’d honed to perfection through years of both triumph and adversity. Her journey into the world of adaptive leadership began almost a decade ago, where a free gym membership led her to Orange Theory and a profound education in the art of leadership and systems. What started as a way to stay fit post-college had morphed into an unanticipated career and lifelong passion.

The Early Lessons in Leadership

At Orange Theory, Giana’s potential wasn’t seen as it was but as what it could be. Promoted swiftly into a leadership role, she found herself managing people with decades more experience in the fitness industry. These were individuals older and seemingly wiser, which naturally invited a siege of imposter syndrome. However, Giana’s story isn’t one of immediate success but rather one of growth and adaptation.

The tipping point came in the form of a comprehensive leadership training framed around the DISC assessment. This tool, which analyzed one’s dominance, influence, steadiness, and compliance, revealed to her that authentic leadership wasn’t about embodying a single ideal but rather about learning to flex one’s style to meet the needs of the team.

She learned she was naturally direct and formal—but leading effectively meant she had to shift her style, sometimes dramatically, to suit the informal, collaborative, and supportive style necessary to guide her team. This realization wasn’t just eye-opening; it was career-defining.

The Transition to Upper Hand Creative

When Giana transitioned from Orange Theory to start her own venture, Upper Hand Creative, she faced a new set of challenges. The company is a global mosaic of talent, with team members scattered across continents from the Philippines to Eastern Europe, South America to the UK. Managing a diverse, remote team wasn’t just a logistical challenge; it was a leadership crucible that tested everything she’d learned about communication, systems, and human motivation.

“In a physical office, leadership is often about presence. When you’re remote, that presence has to be felt through systems,” Giana often recounted in team meetings. “You need to be exceptionally intentional about your communication.”

She implemented structured systems, inspired by her time at Orange Theory, to maintain coherence and productivity. End-of-day reports became standard, capturing not just task completions but emotional health—a metric often overlooked but deemed vital for remote teams.

Systems as the Backbone

Upper Hand Creative’s modus operandi is efficiency through minimal input with maximal output. By designing systems where clients can get all their content done in less than four hours per month, Giana didn’t just promise efficiency; she delivered it.

Her methodology balances stringent systems with flexibility and deep empathy. “You can’t rely purely on systems,” she acknowledges. “People aren’t robots. Systems should guide but should also allow room for human touch.”

This balance is crucial for leaders aspiring to harness the full potential of their teams. She created workflows that included frequent check-ins via Slack and once-a-month deep-dive sessions over Zoom. The goal was clear: foster a culture where systematic efficiency coexists with personal growth and emotional well-being.

The Science of Flexing Communication

One of Giana’s key insights, one that had matured over her years of experience, was the importance of adaptive communication. Identifying and adjusting to the communication styles of her team became second nature, a practice that originated from her DISC training.

“When leading remotely, text communication can only convey so much,” she once remarked during a training session. “We must rely on tone, responsiveness, and context. Sometimes the difference between a miscommunication and a productive exchange is as simple as shifting from Slack to a Zoom call.”

She taught her team to recognize when an issue could no longer be resolved with asynchronous communication and needed a real-time dialogue. This practice not only minimized misunderstandings but also fostered a sense of community and connection, bridging the geographical divides.

Cultivating a Transparent Culture

Giana’s ethos of radical transparency and candor established a foundation of trust within Upper Hand Creative. She ensured that feedback flowed freely in both directions, encouraging team members to call her out just as they could expect the same from her. This wasn’t about maintaining an open-door policy—it was about obliterating the door altogether.

“Transparency strengthens a team,” she would explain. “When you communicate openly, you eliminate the space where doubts and insecurities fester.”

This approach proved invaluable when navigating the challenges of a remote team. By fostering an environment where feedback was seen as a tool for growth rather than criticism, Giana transformed potential friction points into opportunities for development.

Aligning Content Strategy with Leadership

Giana’s dual role as a leader and a brand strategist forges a unique perspective on the alignment between internal systems and external communications. She believes that a brand’s external narrative should be a seamless extension of its internal culture. For Upper Hand Creative, the confluence of these elements represented a trust-building exercise, showing clients that the promises made in content creation were genuinely executable.

“We are our brand,” she often declared. “And our communication is our product. If we aren’t living our brand internally, how can we expect our clients to buy into it?”

She advocated for relatable, transparent content that addressed client concerns and dismantled skepticism. “In every client interaction, there’s an opportunity to build or erode trust. Our content should always aim to build.”

Conclusion: The Journey of Continuous Improvement

Giana’s journey from a fitness enthusiast seeking a free membership to a respected leader of a global creative agency epitomizes the principles of adaptive leadership and effective communication. Her story teaches us that leadership isn’t a static trait but a dynamic skill set continually honed through experience, reflection, and a willingness to adapt.

In a world increasingly leaning towards remote work, Giana’s insights offer a blueprint for creating robust systems that foster efficiency while nurturing the human elements that make teams thrive.