Getting it all out in the open, out in the open

“All Truly Great Thoughts Are Conceived While Walking” (Nietzsche) Will’s last blog gave an honest account of the benefits of walking, and you saw for yourselves how walking visibly changed her from frazzled to focused! We don’t just talk the talk here at Pro-Development, we also walk the walk! Last year we were lucky enough to work with some great clients and their teams, senior leadership teams, directors and business owners to focus on their business needs, visions, goals and objectives and help them build relationships through our bespoke experiential Team Walk Days. Where better to do this than across some incredible locations all around our favourite county of Yorkshire?

We love to build relationships with our clients and really get to know how we can support them to grow, we also love watching them grow together.  This looks different for every business.   We have the conversations to deep dive and get to the bottom of what’s really going on, why are the ideas not coming, what’s getting in the way and sometimes challenging them to say what’s not being said, or what’s going well but could be brilliant?  One thing we have learned over the years is that getting outside and moving forward, really helps people to open-up and get it all out in the open.

This is where our Team Walk Days are the key to your success.

We love a Team Walk Day.  They are written and designed by us for each businesses specific needs and the objectives are delivered to meet each of our clients’ area of development.

A recent objective, agreed by a senior leadership team was:

• Explore the vision, roles and expectations of each other, what success looks like for you all and how to bring out the best in each other, so everyone feels engaged and empowered

Now, imagine sitting around a hot, stuffy boardroom and working your way through that objective?  OR envisage yourselves dressed for the great outdoors, picnic, flask and snacks in hand and your team with you.  Take a deep breath of fresh air and off you go, looking and moving forward as you begin unpicking each element of your objective with clarity, an open mind and a great open space to create, think, discuss and reflect.

Our Team Walk Days are facilitated so the focus and direction of the objectives remain throughout the day, and as we are outside and we do things differently at Pro-Development, then the approach is very different.  The conversations flow, the ideas come flooding and what hasn’t been said, gets said.

It’s easy for me to write this and you think, sounds great in theory Abi, but does it really work?  Well, I agree, we need evidence, don’t we?  And here it is:

One of our long existing and dedicated clients, RBA DriveSpeed, have worked with Pro-Development for many years.  They complete our Employee Engagement surveys and now maintain consistent top results from their action plans and willingness to listen and work on their development areas.  Recently their directors completed a Senior Leadership Team Walk Day to set their expectations for 2025.

Very kindly, the directors are more than happy for me to share some of their feedback from their experience. They threw themselves into the day and faced their objectives full on, with open minds, away from the office and out in the open across the rolling hills of Yorkshire.

Will’s blog also spoke about the benefits on the mind of being outdoors and in an open space. It’s great to have the feedback from DriveSpeeds’ directors to back us up!  Have a read:

“A wonderful day, a great way to clear the mind, and air with colleagues. Gained a better understanding of each other and our differences. Lots of tips for me personally and I know where I need to divert my attention to become a more effective leader.”

“The location was excellent, the course was engaging, inspiring and thought provoking and I can already see some new sparkles in the management team.”

 “I was surprised how much I took from the day; I know that the discussions and plans will truly benefit the business short and long term. The conversations I had when we were paired off had huge value and what a fantastic environment to have them in. Definitely a day I would recommend to anyone.”

Thank you DriveSpeed. We can highly recommend getting outdoors too. We are thrilled the day was a success for you all.

How great would it be for your teams to feel this way after working on your objectives and getting it all out in the open, out in the open?

We know that the simplicity of walking, side by side and not across a desk, with a clear path ahead, creates an energy, where people feel less like “us and them” and more like “colleagues”. It becomes easier to speak openly, and ideas and conversations begin to flow more freely.

Last year in our Team Walk Days we witnessed:

• Artificial harmony acknowledged and the underlying tension dissolved.
• Teams committing to “lending a hand” i.e. over a stile, back in the office.
• Feeling comfortable enough with others to give feedback they have avoided.
• Quiet people speaking up and sharing incredible ideas.
• Talkative people really listening
• Clarity on strategy and positive energy around next steps
• Teams dynamically pulling together to overcome adversity.
• Memorable experiences with learning never to be forgotten.

It’s incredible to watch.

If you are convinced or even curious that a Team Walk Day would work for you, please get in touch with us 01904 628838 or email info@pro-development.co.uk