I’ve mentioned this pattern a few times before. We see it repeating again in this new new normal. A crisis occurs. Collaborative communities — open source, startup, Portland — rush to the fore, eager to solve it. Immediate tactics have some meaningful but limited impact. And then the bigger problems reveal themselves. And things get real complicated real quickly.
But it’s at those times — when nimble collaborative teams take on big intense strategic and long ranging problems — that the real progress is made. It’s just really really difficult to do. And no one I know has more experience navigating those messy but meaningful environments than Marcelino Alvarez.
That’s why I’m happy to be chatting with Marce about his experience, getting his insights on how to successfully manage these projects — especially with distributed teams — and answering questions from community members who may be currently wrestling with similar issues.
During this pandemic, we’ve been stripped of the ability to interact as normal. Sure, we have all these video chat tools — but it’s not a replacement of our in-person interactions, just a digital proxy. And while those proxies may suffice for our 1:1 meetings, they certainly aren’t helping with serendipity.
So how do we form community in a time of crisis? How do we create space for chance? And how can we come together to listen, to engage, to be present, when many of us are already at our wits end staring at a video on a computer screen all day long?
Join a discussion with Marce on Thursday, April 16, 2020, at 4:30PM Pacific for a question and answer session about managing well meaning but messy projects in troubled times. It’s free. And once you RSVP, you’re more than welcome to post — and upvote — questions ahead of time.
For more information or to RSVP, visit Community Projects in Times of Crisis with Marcelino Alvarez of Fresh Consulting.
[Full disclosure: This event series is produced by PIE. I am the cofounder and general manager of PIE.]
