For a change, let’s look at a part of agency life that is less about technical PR skills and more about the people doing the work. As Julie explained in her article on the qualities of a PR professional, teamwork is central to our job.
For Progress Communications colleagues, that has often meant travelling between Amsterdam and Antwerp to work together. Spending time with colleagues across the border helps us stay connected, and clients benefit from that understanding of both markets. In 2017, our annual group outing offered another chance to strengthen those relationships, have some adventures and learn from one another.
Bringing the wider group together
At the time, Progress was part of the LVT Group alongside sister PR agency LVTPR, Contentbureau for content marketing and copywriting, Eventive for event marketing, and Sjansen Design for graphic design. Together, the businesses brought different communications specialisms to offices in the Netherlands and Belgium.
That meant plenty of shared interests, but also different personalities, disciplines and day-to-day routines. Individual offices organised activities throughout the year. The annual group trip was the opportunity to bring everyone together.
Building connections as a company grows
The group had grown quickly during the preceding year. By the time of this outing, it included more than 70 employees, including 17 Progress colleagues. Growth brings opportunities, but it also means people do not automatically know everyone they work alongside.
A business benefits when colleagues feel involved, understand their shared goals and feel that they belong. A team that works well together takes effort to build. A group activity can provide a useful setting for conversations and connections that are harder to create through email.
This time, our destination was Ghent.
Time for a different kind of teamwork
With the idea that people collaborate more easily when they know one another, we split into teams for a series of challenges. Some demanded strategy, others energy, and plenty brought laughter. Each group had to work together to complete the task and try to outdo the others.
I will leave out who was the most competitive, who ended up in the most embarrassing position or who developed the best strategy. What stood out was the shared effort. Whether we were playing human table football, squeezing into a wrecked car, defending a fort in laser tag or tackling an obstacle course, everyone got involved.
We also got to know colleagues we usually encountered only by telephone or email. Working together in an unfamiliar setting gave us new things to talk about and a better sense of the people behind those messages.
The day ended with a boat trip on the River Leie, drinks, a walking dinner and a party on board. It was a memorable way to round off the experience.
Making everyday collaboration easier
Did we need an outing to become a team? We already had a close-knit group across the Benelux. But sharing a day of challenges and fun made it even easier to contact one another afterwards.
Investing in people can take many forms. Sometimes it means training or professional development. Sometimes it means creating the space for colleagues to meet, laugh and discover what they have in common. Both have a place in building a team.
This account looks back at our 2017 outing. To learn more about our team and working with Progress today, get in touch.
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