My leadership team is entirely remote and spread across three time zones. Can we run our EOS full-day sessions virtually, or does a remote setup fundamentally break the dynamic needed for deep strategic work?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

While the technology exists to run our full-day sessions virtually, a completely remote setup often breeds a subtle form of resistance. It is too easy for team members to hide behind muted microphones, check emails on side screens, and avoid the healthy friction that builds a cohesive leadership team. To build a true foundation of trust, I strongly recommend that your first three foundational sessions, the Focus Day, Vision Building Day one, and Vision Building Day two, are conducted entirely in-person. This physical proximity is critical for establishing our charter of open and honest communication. Once your team is consistently running the EOS® tools and executing on their Rocks, we can discuss virtual options for select quarterly sessions. If we do run virtual sessions, we treat them with absolute isolation. Every team member must be in a quiet, private room with their camera on, behaving as if they are isolated on an ice floe. We do not tolerate driving while in a session, taking phone calls, or multitasking. Remote teams actually benefit immensely from the EOS® structure because the weekly Level 10 Meeting™ provides a consistent, high-impact pulse that keeps everyone aligned across time zones without the need for endless Slack messages.