We did a big team meet up in Berlin in April. I call it the ‘Berlin sessions’. As far as I’m concerned it was very much stolen inspiration from my time at Canonical when we did roadmap and ‘sales’ sprints every few months. These are effectively meet-ups where people from across the world, and all across the company, travel to a seemingly random city, book a hotel, and spend a week sitting together, talking plans, and presenting about what they got done in the previous 3 months.

How this was done in April 2022 for our ‘Berlin sessions’ and how these should be done will be captured somewhere else. What I want to talk about now is just how valuable I think it was. If you work in an office, or your company is bound by geography, you might not think something like this would be necessary. I thought it was really an excuse for a bit of travelling and maybe just a ‘perk’ of working for Canonical.

But, obviously, that’s foolish. These ‘sprints’ as we called them, were incredibly expensive. They meant flying hundreds of people across the world, putting them up them, feeding them, and paying them for at least a week. All in all it must have cost a fortune. Not to mention the fact that sales people came along, so weren’t selling. Leadership teams came along, so weren't leading. And it took a highly skilled unit of administrators to organise the whole thing. It was a huge sink. So why bother? 

Togetherness

Was it worth it? Yes. And for the far smaller team/org that I’m a part of now, heck yes, it was absolutely worth it. There’s the obvious, though perhaps someone would say superficial reason of just bringing people together. People who had never met in person before, could. People who had been working together for months, or who would be working together for months, met all together in one room, and that felt good. But, well, that’s a very large expense for people to be in the same room, especially for a remote company, where you can get everyone in a virtual room any day of the week. 

But then I would argue humans are social suckers, and that in person connection where you can read body language, spend time with someone, and enjoy their company more than just for the allotted time in your calendar, is vital. It helps build trust, strong relationships, and it’s just good for your health. So is it worth it for that? Yes. But a week is unnecessary. So what else? 

Alignment

Alignment, my current favouirte stupid product buzz word. In any company that doesn’t sit around a single desk there is inevitably misunderstandings and miscommunications about what people are doing, why they’re doing it, and who cares that they’re doing it. These misunderstandings, if unchecked, compound. They grow and deepen until they are checked and ‘alignment’ is reached once again. 

Getting everyone who needs to hear it in a room, talking about what they’ve done, why they’ve done it, and what they’re going to be doing leaves very little room for ambiguity. Even if the conclusion is that we are not there yet, it is crucial to be on the same page so we can start writing the next one. 

Then, because everyone’s in the same room and going out for dinner later, everyone has ample opportunity to ask questions, to understand, and get aligned. This sets the whole team up for more success down the road. 

Is it worth it? Again, yes, but again, could be handled with a big meeting or a series of meetings that aren’t in person and a one day follow up where there’s the chance to chase alignment. Doing it in person is better but worth the fortune? Maybe not. 

Open clarity

When you’re talking to someone online, even with the best apps out there, there is always a sheet of glass and some pixels between you and whoever you are talking to. Obviously this is fine, we humans have been dealing with this fact for decades now. And especially with events such as the pandemic where folks locked themselves inside, it's impossible to deny the value of this kind of communication. But once you press that red hang up button and you leave the call, or the red ex and close the window, you're done. You’re out. You can take a breath. Take your trousers back off, roll your eyes, cry, dance, sleep, eat, or scream as much as you like. 

If all of the important stuff happened in meetings I wouldn’t be sitting on my own right now typing. The best stuff, the really good thinking, and best conversations happen between meetings, around ‘work time’, in the informal settings where you can relax. You can of course simulate this in a virtual setting and have informal calls but the restrictions imposed by microphones and screens and speakers make things less clear. People hold back. 

During our ‘Berlin sessions’ all of the discussions I had that were useful to me, that I noted down and have carried forward, happened at the coffee breaks, at lunch time, at dinner, or during the ‘open space’ session intended to simulate these atmospheres. Everything else was good to know, but I didn’t need to fly to a different city to hear it. But for these moments, where people talk and show themselves, it was entirely worth it. We’re a better team for it. 

Conclusion

Team meet-ups are good for lots of reasons but for me what really makes it worth while are the ‘coffee breaks’. Informal slots like breaks and dinners when you get a chance to see how people think, how they act, how they work. You can pick up on signs and signals that you just don’t see virtually. And four and a bit days with my current team filled me with confidence. Confidence that I understand the people I am working with, confidence that we are now better aligned, and that there is clarity between us. And confidence that I know what’s going to get handled and what I’m going to need to pay attention to.