Communication is essential among academic teams to meet project deadlines and maintain effective team management practices. Communication with remote teams can be one of the most challenging barriers to overcome due to the distance of our colleagues. The most common mediums of communication we used were Zoom and group text messages. For meetings, we used Zoom, which required the ability to meet at designated times and utilize a web cam system. For as long as I have operated in the team environment, the one variable that is discussed as a “needs improvement” point of our after-action reviews is communication. Due to the accumulated experiences of failures, I now place communication as a top priority for maintaining effective communication among our remote location teams. We overcome the communication factor by establishing a primary means of communication that is backed up by a secondary means of communication. Primary communication for our team was group text messaging and our secondary means of communication was direct calling. 

My time at the Bush School has taught me how to make personal connections across the country with fellow colleagues. Networking with others who are striving for the same goal as I am led to many professional relationships within my career field. I experienced this when I made a connection with a fellow student at the Bush School who was also a battalion chief in the San Antonio, Texas area. The battalion chief was in the market to purchase a new fire apparatus for their department. The sales representative informed him that the Longview Fire Department had ordered two of the very apparatuses they were discussing. Our networking connection allowed me to inform him of my personal experiences with how we first designed the apparatus and how it was meeting our needs. It also gave me the opportunity to provide advice on any changes we would consider making for our next purchase. My social networks through the Bush School have proven that networking is more than just meeting the immediate needs of our studies but continues to develop relationships with peers from distant locations. 

While attending the Bush School of Government and Public Service, I have experienced teamwork on a level that is very new to me. This experience has developed my communication with colleagues across online mediums, increased my time management skills and increased my ability to network with others across the county. These important skills will continue to be instrumental as I advance my career in public service.  To continue my development of teamwork, I will maintain my personal studies of leadership practices, share the new information with my fire department teams and increase my social networking skills.