The Team

May 1, 2014 

The larger team of 12 people is finalized and ready to roll over the next few months to prepare for the assignment.  We have 3 people from the U.S., 2 from the U.K, 2 from India, 1 Aussie, 2 from Brazil, 1 Argentina and yours truly from Canada. Since the work we will be doing is primarily a consulting engagement (though we have no idea of the clients or projects yet) it is good to know that we have 4 Consultants on the team. Anne, Becky, Ioana and Brian bring those skills.


 


A large part of the CSC Project is getting ready to go and we have been meeting every week to prepare. Dawn Harris is our team facilitator; she makes things happen! Dawn is a CSC alumni who worked in the Philippines a few years back. Part of the responsibility of CSC is to continue to promote it and Dawn brings her Project Management skills to bear. Meetings kicked off on Tues April 22nd and will continue to July 15th. Dawn, like my buddy Rick spoke glowingly of her time in the Philippines. Her only regret being she can't come with us!

Philippines CSC- 13 Kickoff in 2013. Dawn 2nd from the right

Did I say Dawn was intrepid?

As our team facilitator Dawn's responsibilities include:

• Scheduling team calls and facilitating team building. We will meet once a week for an hour
• Tracking your learning and development through edvisor.  Lots of reading and exercises are mandatory and need to be completed for preparation
• Serving as a liaison between the various parties including the team, our mentor,  CSC Leadership and our NGO partner for the Philippines (Australian Business Volunteers). ABV is the NGO that works between the clients and IBM to match clients needs with IBM volunteer resources. 
• Making sure you are prepared and informed prior to departure

I would say that what we will be learning is broken down in to 6 Categories:

1. Team building and Code of Conduct.  Who we are and how we agree to work together. There may be moments when it is not all sunshine and lollipops :-)
2. Logistics. Passports, Visas, flights and luggage. Side trips or vacations after?
3. Health and Safety. Vaccinations, Safety Tips and Security 
4. In Country Knowledge. Find out as much about your Destination country as you can. 
5. Consulting Education.  Especially for those of us who have never consulted, it is important to learn as much as you can about the methodologies and principles. Includes measuring results after for effectiveness.  
6. Social Media and Media Awareness.  Yes Social Media is a key component. 

 Lots of things to do but it should only take 4-5 hours a week to keep up.  Been doing this for several weeks and feel smarter already!