SESSIONS with Martin Gonzalez (Best Selling Co-Author – The Bonfire Moment)

DATE & TIME

Tuesday, July 30, 2024. Starts at 6PM.

TICKET PRICE

Php500 (plus VAT) – Limited Slots

VENUE

Winery PH, 2247 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City

SYNOPSIS

The Philippines startup ecosystem is thriving, raising close to USD 1 billion in 2023 despite global economic headwinds. However, local startups still face a myriad of challenges that hinder their sustainability and growth.

So why do startups fail? Co-authored by Martin Gonzalez and Joshua Yellin, “The Bonfire Moment: Bring Your Team Together to Solve the Hardest Problems Startups Face” explains that it’s not always due to bad products, poor timing, or mismanaged finances. Instead, it can be because of “people” problems: conflicts over strategy, decision-making, and team culture. Even the smartest entrepreneurs can be derailed by these issues: How do you let go of a friend who’s underperforming? How do you inspire your team to give their best? What happens when egos and emotions overshadow facts and logic? The so-called “soft” stuff can be surprisingly difficult.

“The Bonfire Moment” outlines typical pitfalls that businesses encounter and introduces a transformative one-day workshop conducted by Gonzalez and Yellin designed to navigate these challenges. This distinctive process unites colleagues in confronting harsh realities, uncovering hidden dynamics, and preparing for the demanding rigors of startup ventures. Amidst relentless hustle, a team’s Bonfire Moment offers a crucial pause from daily intensity, fostering reflection and rejuvenation.

In the Philippine context, a Bonfire Moment can inspire innovative thinking and further risk-taking in a culture that typically shuns failures and prefers playing it safe. The Bonfire Moment encourages teams to embrace vulnerability, confront uncomfortable truths, and foster a supportive environment where experimentation and learning from setbacks are valued.

For the fourth edition of SESSIONS, Gonzalez will walk audiences through how he and his co-author came up with the concept of a Bonfire Moment, what to expect in a typical workshop, how Bonfire Moments changed organizations, and how founders can apply these insights to foster stronger team dynamics and achieve sustained success in their own entrepreneurial journeys.

Key Discussion Points

• Why a Bonfire Moment is essential: People are at the core of every business. How can teams in the Philippine context ensure that all members remain engaged, aligned, and committed to the organization’s goals?
  
• Benefits of experiencing a Bonfire Moment: What transformations can Philippine teams and organizations expect when they address and resolve critical people-related challenges?
  
• Building and nurturing a robust company culture: How should colleagues communicate effectively? What strategies are effective in resolving conflicts? What motivates Filipino professionals to stay and thrive in an organization?

About Martin Gonzalez 

Aside from being the bestselling co-author of “The Bonfire Moment”, Martin Gonzalez is the creator of Google’s Effective Founders Project, a global research initiative that deciphers the factors behind startup founders’ success. He collaborates closely with Google’s engineering and research leaders on organizational design, leadership, and culture challenges. Before joining Google, Martin held management positions at Boston Consulting Group and Johnson & Johnson.

Martin is also a frequent lecturer at Stanford, Wharton, and INSEAD, and has advised leaders across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He has been recognized as a Fellow by the Aspen Institute’s First Movers Program and as a Thinkers50 Radar awardee for his contributions to the future of management and leadership.

He studied organizational psychology and behavioral science at Columbia University and the London School of Economics.

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