A huge thank you to everyone involved in speaking and holding workshops, especially with some having to travel hefty distances. A special shout out to the trailblazing woman who needs no introduction, our MD, Laura. What an absolutely outstanding day and stay you put together. From all of the team: “THANK YOU!”.
We were hosted by The Penventon Hotel and were blown away by their hospitality, attentiveness, attention to detail, and good humour, as well as delicious food, and stunning rooms, making this a trip to remember! We highly recommend booking a stay.
We started off our day with a brilliant breakfast as we ‘tucked in’ to Session 1: Empowering Success, led by Jess Ratty of Halo PR and Jess Crook, our very own Practice Manager. We learnt about the amazing journeys of these women and how they define success in many ways; in business, in life, in family, and in ‘you’.
Some favourite takeaways:
Next, it was Session 2: Building Foundations, led by Toni Sheppard. As a team we co-created, and cemented, the Whyfield company values, shaping the dynamic culture we are connected to.
Just some of the words used to describe the culture and values at Whyfield:
After lunch (which may or may not have included some pancakes!), we sat down for Session 3: Our Clients, led by Kelly Thomas of Design by Friends. Here we discussed who are clients are and why they work with us.
In groups, we started to put together our muses/customer profiles. We discussed their business specifics, what they need, and about THEM – the people at the heart and soul of their companies. What are they like? What makes them ‘tick’? How can we be what they need us to be? What are they looking for, both now and in the future?
On to Session 4: Self Development and Goal Setting: Productivity without Punishment, led by Amber Cowburn of Working Well.
Amber spoke about how to avoid burnout and the importance of breaking things up, and making space in your active brain by writing things down. It’s something that can be overlooked, but by writing something down, it allows your brain to stop thinking of that thing whilst it’s trying to focus on the task at hand. “Brain dump it!”.
It’s a good job we were presented with one of Amber’s gorgeous Working Well tools! A ‘Make A List And Take A Breath’ book each – a ‘to do’ list notebook with wellbeing prompts for help and headspace! Anything to help with added productivity is a must for a bunch of four-day weekers. We absolutely love them and can’t wait to put them to good use!
After we had some time to move our bodies, check in to our rooms, grab some coffee and some fruit, it was on to the final session of the day, Session 5: Development Workshop, led by Exeter University, featuring Lego® Serious Play®. Yep, you read that right! We got to play with Lego®!
The team from Exeter university led us through the ways in which we can communicate through Lego®, and interpret each brick to have its own meaning as we work through a list of tasks. Starting with ‘Describe your perfect holiday’ to get us going, then moving on to how we face problems in the workplace and overcoming them, our representation of the team, our workplace, goals, client relationships, problem-solving, and management.
We each built these topics in very different ways with the bricks. It was great to see everyone’s interpretations and it certainly made for great conversation.
After a fantastic final session, we headed to the gym, the pool (and some to the bar) for a bit of R&R before heading down to a fantastic long table dinner, joined by some special guests from Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, Paul Morgan and Associates, Stephens Scown and WPA. It was great to chat and share our experiences from the day! Thank you for joining us Kim Conchie, Paul Morgan, Chris Morse, and Dave Stickland! You were the cherry on top of a fantastic day!
After a night of slumber in the most comfortable beds, we headed down to breakfast to chat about the events of the day before, but not before a few of us stretched and posed in a yoga session from Paul Finnie.
A final thank you to Anna Burt, of Exposure Photo Agency, for coming along to capture some great candid shots of the day!
The whole team were so grateful for such a fantastic experience in a stunning location. All came with an open mind, ready to be honest, innovative, and get involved, and it certainly showed.
We are ready to push forward and make team Whyfield an even stronger one!
Until next time…