For Sapphire Strategy’s first company retreat together, we packed up our things and headed on our maiden voyage to French Lick. We weren’t exactly sure what to expect, but we were all ready to jump in feet first. Our leader, Jenn Lisak Golding, has a way of inspiring people to do just that.
After checking into our rooms and getting settled in, we met for dinner to go over our agenda for the next few days which included workshops, team activities, and great food.
The first item on the agenda was a review of where we were as a company, where we are now, and where we are going looking into the future. It was an exciting “State of the Union” to hear from Jenn and very validating to reflect on what we’ve accomplished over the past two years.
Next up was a discussion of our Chronotype. We learned what times of the day each of us was most productive and what times we are more likely to be napping (Jenn likes her naps). We also learned how each of us prefers to communicate and how that is mixed into our daily interactions as a team. Communication is a big part of working as a team, so knowing both these things helps us work even better together.
What was most interesting to all of us was our workshop on our Core Values Index (CVI), originally introduced to us by our client netlogx. All seven team members are some combination of the Merchant type, which means that we all lead from places of love. When you think about it, that’s pretty amazing. We’ve all come from different backgrounds, all have had different experiences, follow different life paths but we all lead with love (We think Oprah would be so proud!).
The most interesting and most important part of our first day was the review of the Marketing Lifecycle that Jenn developed almost 5 years ago. It is the cornerstone of the work we do for our clients at Sapphire Strategy. While the review was an introduction for some and a refresher for others, going over it as a team allowed us to come to the same conclusion: we all know where our roles fit into the Lifecycle and how important it is for all of us to engage and communicate with each other throughout the Lifecycle process.
The next day was a combination of work and play. We went to the French Lick Winery where we had a delicious lunch before heading to the Wilstem Ranch for an animal encounter none of us will ever forget. Who knew that so many of us loved giraffes? (Picture proof is below.)
We got to spend uninterrupted time with the giraffes, Bert and Marchello, which was completely amazing. We also got to hang out with some kangaroos, goats, chickens, bunnies, ringtail lemurs, and a huge tortoise.
Later that evening we had a fun team dinner sharing the 600+ pictures all of us took that day, learning more about each other, and surprising one another with stories that earned a couple of us fun nicknames.
Overall, I think all of us would agree the first team retreat was a success. Did everything go exactly as planned? No. Did we have a great time? Yes. Did it bring us closer to understanding one another and seeing each other in a different light as professional women? Absolutely!
Thanks, Jenn, for being our leader and recognizing our individuality as strong women but also showing us we have a home and very important roles at Sapphire Strategy where we can continue to grow, learn, and accomplish.