FoxFuel wrapped our fifth retreat since launching in 2015, and it was one of the best ones yet. After spending two and a half days reflecting on the past year and the history of the company, it’s only natural to reflect on all that reflecting. What does all the reflection yield? Here are just a few things.
People Need People
It’s easy in the day-to-day of an agency to forget who your friends are … literally. We are all guilty of getting stuck in patterns, and forgetting the bigger picture – that we’re all on the same team. This doesn’t mean we did cheesy team-building exercises, although several employees did offer to let me fall backward with my eyes closed (I can sense a set up).
But we did take a lot of time to learn more about each other. And, in doing so, we eased a lot of fear and stress. Using Enneagram, we dug even deeper to get the insights that we all need to inspire, encourage, and grow each other. The discussion was great. Four stars, would enneagram again.
A Team of Talents
The retreat was the perfect way to discover things I didn’t know. Maybe a designer is also an incredible cook or a developer is actually an accomplished musician. Or maybe your office mate and temporary roommate has a horrible snoring problem. It also gives everyone a chance to learn more about everyone else's story and what lead them to FoxFuel.
The underlying talents surfaced throughout the entire weekend and lead to some new initiatives and focus for our work and collaborations in the future i.e. changes to our proposal process, how we use animation/motion design, to how we can better mentor each other with experience shares and seating locations.
Treat Yo’ Self
It’s important to get away because, well, it just is. It’s hard to pinpoint precisely why, but we all know it is. And for us, taking our group retreat is a way to show employees they're loved and appreciated. It’s our opportunity to show we are also invested in them as people, not just their performance or efforts.
Research shows that the value of taking mental health days cannot be understated. Sometimes, the greatest self-care a company can offer its employees is making sure they step away. A company retreat can be that solution.
Michael is the Creative Director and co-founder of FoxFuel Creative. He loves British music, vintage German cars, and American history, and his sarcasm knows no bounds. #DreamBig