A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending one of our customer’s annual strategy meetings. They are a large organization, and they’re looking to scale even further. It was great to be a fly on the wall in their meetings. While their growth is amazing, what truly impressed me was how they managed the employee experience throughout the event.
You see, a lot of companies have kickoffs. That’s not anything new. But how do your employees feel when they leave that meeting? What sticks with them? That’s the key.
When you have two full days of content, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. And rather than subjecting people to death by PowerPoint, the real challenge is: how do you keep them engaged?
They did it with humor. They did it with trust activities. There was a LEGO building blocks exercise that turned out to be a lot of fun, and everyone got to participate. I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty competitive. I still think our team’s version of the business model should have won. But that’s beside the point 😊.
What they were able to accomplish was build a leadership team that felt engaged in their future vision. The strategy had already been set by the executive team and board. They knew exactly where they were going, and they knew this team was integral to them getting there. So, they brought everyone together from around the country and began with the question: What’s the vision? Where are we headed?
Their CEO kicked things off by celebrating the success of the past year. He walked through the vision they had set three years prior and how they’d delivered on it. The CFO spoke about their profitability, EBITDA and all of the teams working together for growth. Their CRO followed and talked about how they accomplished it. Their COO spoke next and focused on execution. Then the CTO, Project Managers, you name it, each leader played a role in communicating the message.
Then they transitioned into trust-building exercises and workshops. Teams were divided by operational groups and challenges, and each one had the chance to workshop how they would execute. They weren’t being asked to create the strategy; that part was done. But they were asked to collaborate on how it would come to life. What were the key pieces? What had to be true for it to succeed?
That night, they brought everyone together for dinner. No fanfare, no music, just good food and great conversation. And the next day, they did it all again.
While day one focused on the past and what they had achieved, day two was all about the future. It ended with each person in the room making a personal commitment on how they were going to contribute to accomplishing the next phase of the vision.
There were also places where we, as a vendor, were able to contribute meaningfully. They welcomed our perspective, especially since we’ve been through many of the same challenges. As a larger people company, we’ve seen what works, and what doesn’t 😊, when it comes to growth, change, and leadership alignment. They were open to feedback and genuinely appreciative of the insights.
There were only four vendors in the room, and they understood how each of us played a role in supporting their future. Collaboration was encouraged across the board.
They ended the event with thoughtful touches of gifts for the employees and a personal letter from the CEO in each person’s bag. The letter acknowledged their contributions and reinforced how critical they were to the company’s success. That kind of gesture goes a long way.
I loved it. It’s not often that I see MSPs put this much energy into their people. This was a two-day experience where everyone stayed engaged. Nobody was falling asleep or sneaking off for coffee. People were focused. They were excited. They believed in where the company was going. And yes, they talked openly about the challenges, especially the ones that come with being a platform company, integrating multiple acquisitions, and bringing together different personalities and systems.
But they stayed committed. And that’s what made it so powerful.
As you start thinking about your own annual planning, consider bringing your team together to communicate the plan, or at least your top leaders. If you’re a large organization with hundreds or thousands of employees, maybe you can’t get everyone in the same room. But you can bring in the people who are responsible for executing the vision. Get their buy-in. Make sure they feel connected and motivated.
This meeting was part cheerleader session and part tactical alignment. The team already knew the vision; this was about energizing the people who are going to help make it real.
That’s what drives employee experience. That’s how you get buy-in on big, ambitious goals. And that’s how you lead with intention.
