Success! The first workshop in the series was a roaring success, and the next two promise to be even better.

"It was like having a breakthrough with my psychotherapist, but for the way I work!"

TL;DR: Attend these workshops to improve your ability to manage and/or work in distributed teams. Unless you want it to be, this will not be passive for attendees. Arrive with pain-points in mind, and be ready to work on them.

Having facilitated workshops to coordinate community volunteers, NGOs, and nation-states in the context of humanitarian disasters, our methods are entirely distinct from your common "retreat."

In small groups, we drill down into pain-points felt by each attendee. What we lack in trust-falls, we make for with post-it notes and actionable ideas.

Many companies either distribute their own teams around the country, or contract with outside teams around the world. As beneficial as this distribution tends to be, it brings inherent pain-points.

The fundamental aspects of business harmed by team distribution tend to be: communication, collaboration, camaraderie, and citizenship.

At these workshops, you will:

1. Receive insights gained by coordinating communities and nation-states in times of crisis. The techniques are the same, but the cost of business failure is significantly lower.

2. Learn techniques to peel back the layers of your pain-points and goals so you and your teams can target what matters, independently adjusting tactics post-workshop.

3. Participate in structured, action-oriented collaboration with new peers focused on your pain-points. Let’s learn from each other's successes and (even more importantly) failures.

Can't make it this time but want to know when we'll be having more workshops? Click here.

Session breakdown: sessions are cumulative--they build upon and reinforce each other. However, if you are unable to attend all three, individual sessions still provide great value.

Session 1: Aug. 28 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Satellite perspective and tools

• Common mistakes made by well-meaning satellite offices.

• Succeeding as agents without clear guidance.

• Satisfying the central office's need for updates and oversight through transparency and protocols.

Session 2: Oct. 2 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Cross-satellite interdependence

• Collaborate with remote peers without getting slowed down by central office bureaucracy.

• Create camaraderie in competitive environments--the benefits of interdependence.

• Managing up and across without getting on the radar.

Session 3: Oct. 23 6:00 - 8:00 PM

Central office perspective and tools

• How well-meaning central offices get in the way.

• Setting up so failures are quickly detected and damage is minimized.

• Aligning action without excessive oversight.

• Establishing sustained engagement in distributed teams.

Willow Brugh

Willow Brugh creates, improves, and facilitates systems that empower communities in both slow and rapid humanitarian disasters. These are contexts where organizations are thrust together without resources, rapport, or infrastructure.

Willow’s resume ranges from the United Nations and White House to Harvard, Brown, and MIT. The softest spot in her heart is always for local activist groups.