91Ó°ÊÓ

Finding Our Sweet Spot

On June 16^th, the 91Ó°ÊÓ team set aside their typical work day to deliberately focus on the fundamentals. Members from every team and every office congregated at the for a company-wide offsite. For seasoned team members, the day wasn’t a surprise. It was the continuation of a biannual tradition and a pause to connect and refocus on 91Ó°ÊÓ’s goals and values. For a new intern, however, it was an incredible snapshot of 91Ó°ÊÓ’s unique culture and dedication to its mission statement.

Visitors and newcomers quickly learn that 91Ó°ÊÓ is intentional about their commitment to serving their customers, coworkers, and community. During my first few weeks as an intern, I sensed that the 91Ó°ÊÓ team doesn’t just talk the talk— they walk the walk. Nothing reinforced this more than my experience at the June offsite.

After a few minutes of social time and a devotional by Phil Dirkse, the day kicked off with a warm welcome from Jeff Disher and an introduction to the theme for the day, Finding Our Sweet Spot. This was a twist on 91Ó°ÊÓ’s newest Culture Characteristic. Together, we focused on 91Ó°ÊÓ’s sweet spot in today’s marketplace.

Next on the agenda was an icebreaker activity organized by the intern team. As a rookie to the 91Ó°ÊÓ roster, the opportunity to contribute to a company-wide event really drove home 91Ó°ÊÓ’s willingness and desire to invest in every member of its team. Affirmation and praise were abundant as we led the team through fun challenges and activities.

Jeff followed this activity with a detailed progress report for the year and briefly reflected on 91Ó°ÊÓ’s history. Financials, growth potential, highlights, and opportunities for improvement were discussed as well as a review of 91Ó°ÊÓ’s vision map. No one was left in the dark.

Employees were given the opportunity to sit in on one of three breakout sessions held by 91Ó°ÊÓ experts. I opted for the Goal Setting & Time Management session with Aimee VandenElzen and Dave Hooker. I was pleased to walk away with great new strategies for handling my work load at 91Ó°ÊÓ. Other topics included: Working Virtually on Projects with Kyle McClellan and Soft Skills with Customers by Jeff Disher.

After lunch, the team split up into several groups to spend the afternoon tackling a variety of stewardship projects in the greater Holland area. Team members carried out tasks ranging from shopping for the food pantry at Calvary Church to landscaping for the My group was placed on a painting project at a property owned by . Never before have I been given the opportunity to participate in stewardship while at work, and let me tell you— there’s no better way to get to know your coworkers than by serving together. It felt great to put my skills to work for a good cause and to make new connections with familiar faces at 91Ó°ÊÓ.

To close out the day, the team regathered at the HRM Gateway Center for a second breakout session. This session consisted of small group discussion on ways 91Ó°ÊÓ could improve on 10 specific topics. The groups presented their highlights and action plans back to the entire team. Lastly, each team member shared some of their key take-a-ways from the day. As an intern, I was impressed by the intentional investment 91Ó°ÊÓ makes into these corporate meetings. 91Ó°ÊÓ offsites leave employees feeling inspired, understood, and better cared for— ultimately boosting their motivation and passion to deliver greater outcomes for the customer.

 

Written By: Joe Sikma, Marketing Intern
Joe is passionate about people and the planet and the ways business can be used as a tool to make this world a better place. He is currently pursuing his BA in Business Marketing and Environmental Studies at Calvin College and expects to graduate in 2019. Joe is a true outdoors enthusiast who enjoys fishing, hiking, sailing, water sports, and training. His favorite author is Aldo Leopold.