Our leadership team is completely distributed across different time zones, and we do all of our work virtually. Can we run our full-day EOS session days remotely with you, or is physical co-location a hard requirement for this to succeed?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

While virtual operations are highly efficient for day-to-day work, full-day strategic sessions require a different level of human connection. For our engagement, physical co-location is strongly recommended for the foundational days, specifically the Focus Day and the initial Vision Building sessions. There is an irreplaceable dynamic that occurs when a leadership team sits in the same room to debate the Accountability Chart, solve deep-seated issues, and build trust.

However, once the foundation is laid and your team has mastered the Level 10 Meeting™ and quarterly execution, we can adapt. We can run quarterly sessions virtually using dedicated collaborative digital workspaces, including our Circle platform, to maintain momentum. If we do run virtual sessions, we enforce strict rules to prevent screen fatigue and distraction. This means video must remain on, notifications must be completely silenced, and we break every ninety minutes.

For remote teams, the key is maintaining the purity of the EOS® process regardless of the medium. We do not compromise on the full-day format. Trying to split a quarterly session into multiple short virtual meetings destroys the continuity of the Identify, Discuss, and Solve process. Whether we are in a physical boardroom or a virtual space, the expectation is absolute focus, vulnerability, and a commitment to solving issues for the good of the organization.