1 Escape the day-to-day
Our staff retreat saw us travel to the Blue Mountains. When considering potential locations, we evaluated what we really wanted to get out of the trip. Our priorities were to disconnect from the day-to-day, to reconnect with each other and to allow ourselves to be present.
A destination outside the CBD fit the bill, providing access to nature, allowing us to catch a breath and a chance to switch off.
2 Get everyone going in the same direction
What better way to get everyone going in the same direction than to put the entire team on a bus and live out the concept!
The symbolism of our Fantastic Aussie Tours bus was important. We share a vision, we share values and we are one team.
As Aristotle said, “the whole is more than the sum of its parts”.
3 Celebrate the wins
A team dinner and a heartfelt speech. Always a winner.
4 Acknowledge the past, look to the future
On the bus on our way to the venue, we each took a moment to write down:
- Three words we learned in March 2020
- Three people we wanted to get to know better
- Three things we wanted to know about the company
At our business update, we symbolically said goodbye to the words we learned in 2020, leaving them behind in the Blue Mountains as a cathartic means to symbolise us moving to a new phase.
5 Set the tone
We’re an AV company, so you might expect us to go all-out on production. Never one to do what’s expected, we took it in the completely opposite direction.
“Lo-fi” was the goal. Intentionally basic. No phones. Technology free. Bean bags and a heated marquee room floor created an environment for us to connect in comfort.
6 Choose a guest speaker to match your intention
As much as we love it, the reality is our industry is under pressure. Staff shortages paired with unprecedented demand means we need to look after our physical and mental health to avoid burning out.
We chose Vannessa McCamley as our guest speaker. Vannessa has a passion for helping people and businesses to overcome obstacles allowing them to reach their strategic goals and feel fulfilled.
In her session, titled Improve choices for work, life and wellbeing, Vannessa shared her personal experiences and gave us actionable strategies to form positive habits for our work, life and well-being.
Namaste.
