As the clientele of Bermuda Clarity Institute continues to expand and serve the breadth of the Bermuda community, we are experiencing an increase in questions being asked about some of the high-value sessions we conduct, especially the more creatively named ones!

In response and over the next few months, we have decided to profile some of these transformative sessions as use-case-type articles — where we share with you the problem, process and outcome — including real data and user feedback. Our hope is that you can start incorporating these principles to positively impact your team and business and to help your organisation also achieve clarity.

PROBLEM

When local construction and contracting company Greymane approached BCI this summer, its CEO shared his concern that “after a period of sustained growth, it had been too long since they had paused to consider strategic direction and take the time to listen to and invest in their employees”.

Their management team was “constantly firefighting and felt like they were always in the trenches”.

Prior attempts at conducting retreats had taught them that they had to minimise unnecessary expenses such as downtime at their sites, be more efficient and “had to achieve measurable and lasting impact for all stakeholders”.

Stories are also too often circulated that retreats often end up with too much cost and socialising, and often not enough overall focus or team alignment and typically no real net-change in productivity or engagement.

PROCESS STEP 1: INTRODUCTION

BCI conducted a focused consultation with Greymane and introduced the concept of Pit Stop. By insisting that companies should never retreat, BCI rather shared the inspiration from Formula 1 and how they Pit Stop.

Instead of a car, BCI brings the entire company briefly off its track — and pauses it just long enough to allow a highly qualified team of experts to co-ordinate with and help the leadership team to “work on the company” versus “work in the company”.

PROCESS STEP 2: SCOPING

Through a series of interviews and assessments, BCI scoped a proposed Pit Stop plan that included numerous sessions tailored to fit various cohorts of team members given their respective roles, responsibilities and hoped for outcomes.

Every session needed to be creative, intentional and result in measurable value. Timelines and milestones were agreed — and a communications plan for the entire company was prepared.

What success looked like was defined. A formal engagement was agreed and signed off on with clear expectations, deliverables and responsibilities identified.

PROCESS STEP 3: DESIGN

Sessions were timed to suit various site limitations and to blend listening, learning, collaboration and team-building.

Parts of the programme were designed to be inspirational, some instructional and others to offer gratitude.

Some were competitive, others collaborative — and all done to foster greater inclusivity, team spirit and aligned to the company values.

The resulting 48-hour programme included: a values rediscovery and prioritisation session; a strategy session based on “Start, Stop and Do More”; a North Star session; a growth session; a cost/operations session; several interactive team-based games; company awards and gratitude through storytelling; and a number of team meals and breaks all designed with purpose.

Every session invited attendees to listen, learn and be open. Each had purpose, and an identified group of attendees — such that those not needed for any sessions could remain otherwise productive, and never feel like a third wheel.

PROCESS STEP 4: DELIVERY

Many sessions were conducted in the Learning Lab at BCI — where interactive and experiential activities demand creativity, collaboration and active listening.

Other sessions were hosted elsewhere in our Institute, or off site, invoking new experiences, ideas and flavours. All created safe spaces where attendees could be more open, vulnerable, authentic and build bridges with one another.

All were in service of Greymane. Each built on the one before — so that North Star built on values, and growth built on Start/Stop/More yet was in service of North Star.

SOLUTION

Careful attention to planning, costing and execution ensured that the Pit Stop was delivered on time and on budget. It achieved all the goals of the engagement agreement.

Alex DeCouto, CEO of Greymane, shared this experience shortly after: “The results have been outstanding. We’ve been able to reset our ‘North Star’.

“Despite having deeply entrenched core values, our team discovered another that was there all along and which is critical to our culture.”

Alex added: “Thanks to the experienced team at BCI, the Pit Stop concept proved itself as both exciting and well worth the investment; we’ve been able to agree on a new set of priorities for our focus in the future and our team is closer than it’s ever been.”

If you want to learn more about Pit Stop, we encourage you to attend one of our open-house Learning Lab series at BCI, where you can experience the research, participate in some exercises and explore the values we talk about in a tangible and tactile way. These run weekly on Thursdays at 4.30pm and end on December 9. RSVP using bit.ly/catchupwithclarity.

If you want to experience for yourself our credo “Arrive Inspired, Leave Changed” please stop by or visit Bermuda Clarity Institute at https://bermudaclarityinstitute.com