In September, Getaway’s marketing team took some time to recharge and learn about relationships in our third workshop with WYLD Leadership. WYLD crafts incredible learning and development experiences – in person or virtually – customized to a team’s needs and goals, meaning no workshop is the same. WYLD’s mission is to draw out the unique greatness in people. They pull from a palette of psychology, nature, creativity, mindfulness, neuroscience, and ancient wisdom to curate a safe and fun experiential learning environment that feels transformative and sustainable. Getaway will be partnering with WYLD for the rest of the year to bring you tips, insights, and practices to help you find your own true nature.
Our most recent WYLD session focused on our relationships, both with each other and with our guests.
To start the session, we took a journey through a series of guided visualizations and calming meditations – a welcome reprieve on a Monday. Once we felt centered, we moved to a group exercise, which for many of us, was our favorite WYLD experience so far.
We were given the name of someone on our team and asked to focus on that person by sending positive thoughts and intentions. You knew the person you were focusing on, but you didn’t know who had you in mind. We were then given time to write a letter of gratitude to that individual – topics could have been about their personal or professional attributes, or both.
After penning our letter, we were broken into small groups and asked to read the letter to the person. It was then we realized the teammate you were writing about was also writing about you. We’d also be mindfully paired up so your “penpal” was someone you worked closely with, but not someone you directly reported to, which made it easy to share freely and authentically.
It was an incredibly emotional experience to hear about the beautiful qualities and strengths we value in each other. Most of us left the small team exercise with tears in our eyes.
During our busy days, we often hustle to communicate, and these exchanges are often transitional and technical – over email, Slack, Zoom. We’re rarely afforded the time and space to communicate ways we enjoy and care about each other. Most of us couldn’t remember the last time we’d penned or received a handwritten letter.
Moving forward, we plan to share more intentional notes of praise or thanks with our team, even if it has to be over Slack. We also want to use this idea to deepen our relationships with guests. A handwritten note that shows you’re mindful of the details of someone’s life and character can go a long way.
As Laura, our Brand Design Lead said, “It takes five positives to negate one negative. So let’s all start putting out more positives.”
Interested in trying out the WYLD experience yourself? Email them at hello@wyldleadership.com to schedule your session, and they will match you with a coach who fits with your professional and personal goals. Mention promo code WYLD20 for 20% off (this includes a CliftonStrengths code to take the behavioral assessment). A coaching session with a WYLD guide is tailored to your self-development needs, whatever you lead… a business, a family, a team, or your own self through the day, gift yourself the time and space to reflect and grow.
Need a reflective escape to nature? Book your Getaway today.