The Power of Gathering as Team Building

I’m writing to you from one of my new regular hangouts–an airport lounge.  Since my last note, our team has produced four in person events, two virtual ones, and celebrated the 5th Anniversary of Triciapedia.  And in case you’re keeping track, I clocked about 15,000 frequent flier miles in the process.  Building on last month’s theme of your village, this month I wanted to share with you a first hand account of the power of gathering for building teams.

We had the pleasure of working with an energy startup called Energix earlier this month on their company retreat.  During the middle of the first day, I asked one of the participants how it was going.  He said, “This is amazing.  I’ve never been to anything like this.  In my role, I don’t really get to interact with a lot of other people from the company and I’m just having so much fun getting to know everyone.”

The leadership at Energix understood the power of connecting in person.  They wanted to bring everyone together, not only to have fun and offer them some appreciation for all of their hard work, but to promote understanding, appreciation, pride, collaboration and connection.  Our team was able to help them source the perfect venue and we were grateful to tap into our network to find a terrific facilitation team from HG Venture.  They left with a heightened sense of connection to each other, more confidence and better tools to communicate with each other, and a renewed sense of purpose and pride in their work.

How we work has transformed, whether we like it or not.  Hybrid work is becoming more and more common in many industries, and it’s an opportunity for leaders to re-think and re-center how they build and develop people and teams.  Taking your team out of their work environment–whether that be in a field building solar panels, a home office, or a corner office with a window–and bringing them together in a new environment gives each person an invitation to set aside their regular responsibilities and simply focus in the present on each other.

Now, maybe you don’t have a budget for a big fancy all hands trip.  The great news is, simple low-budget gatherings, thoughtfully organized, have exactly the same impact.  They light people up.  They help them connect with each other in meaningful ways.  And they create a lasting positive impact.

Our team is taking a well-deserved break this Thanksgiving week and we hope the coming holiday season is one that brings you peace, joy, and meaningful connections.

With gratitude,

Patricia