Last week Team Holst travelled from near and far to spend time together, reconnect and remember what makes our team strong.
Like many SMBs, Team Holst has changed since our last full company day in 2019. We lost some valued team members and onboarded new starters. Getting together to solidify new relationships is vital to create a healthy hybrid workplace.
We have had to closely evaluate how we operate. Technology has allowed us to streamline in some areas and expand in others, especially in our training delivery. Most of this took place from our home offices. While in the thick of it, we got on, our heads down and successfully brought Holst through a challenging period. However, we have worked hard not to fall into the trap of creating individual workplace silos. It would have been easy to continue to rely on tech to communicate, only work from home and rarely visit the office.
Of course some of our board and senior leadership team make this harder because they are based in Australia! While we stayed connected, nothing hits the spot better than being together in person. And that’s just what we did last week at our annual company day, the first we’ve had at our Bix Manor base. We are a very close, loyal team, with many decades of tenure between us. Holst took some of us in when we were at a personal and professional crossroad and allowed us to grow and develop into our current roles over several years. There are inevitably highs, lows and the unexciting bits in between, but the strength of our relationships always see us through.
Being together again brought back memories, we swapped stories and shared plans for the future. We talked in a way that simply isn’t possible on a video call. Sure, we could do this over evening drinks, but ‘talking shop’ in a bar feels awkward. The company day bridges the personal and professional. It allows us to relax and be authentic in a safe space to articulate how we feel about our workplace and learn about developments in the pipeline.
Focus on what your team needs to thrive
During our company day, we chose to focus on product development, share client success stories and feedback from our marketplace. We are an established tight knit team who know each other well. However, other organisations and teams might need to focus on developing new relationships in a face to face arena, ideally away from their regular workplace(s) and stressful triggers. Add to this scenario an external facilitator to conduct proceedings and you have the chance to enable leaders to mix with their teams in a more egalitarian way. This brings down hierarchical barriers (as well as performance nerves) which can prevent people from being their authentic selves.
Holst’s facilitators are specialists in using McQuaig and flowprofiler® assessments to deliver bespoke development sessions. These sessions get to the heart of what might block your teams from thriving. They help to build the confidence your people need to use their power skills (emotional intelligence, resilience and motivation) to be constructively honest about what they need for success.
Our offices at Bix Manor provide the perfect backdrop for company meetings and we’re delighted to be able to offer our clients the opportunity to experience their company meetings in our event space. Partner with Holst to provide training, facilitation or a team building exercise to make the most of your time together. Call us on 0203 111 9292 or fill in the form below to learn more.
Join us for The McQuaig Masterclass on 22 September at our Bix Manor office to learn how our team can support yours.
