My top three memories of the Tiger Woods Foundation staff retreat
How many of you have ever felt indifferent or cringed when upper management announces the annual staff retreat? If you’re like me, then you know this type of employee engagement can be hit or miss. A faction of the organization may find themselves feeling forced into meaningless conversations and rah-rah speeches, whereas another group could find value in positive team-building exercises. As one of the new faces at the Tiger Woods Foundation, I wondered on which side of the aisle our retreat would land. Within hours my curiosity was satisfied. Our gathering was very memorable and more than a hit event. I’m here to share with you three of my favorite memories from that awe-inspiring week.
1. 10-year anniversary celebration
My top memory is the reception we hosted to celebrate the decade anniversary of the Tiger Woods Learning Center and Earl Woods Scholarship Program. Whether company executive, board member, EWSP alum, TWLC alum or mayor, all speakers were phenomenal. You could feel the passion and emotion that fueled each of them 10 years ago still burns today.
The person I enjoyed hearing from most was Katherine Bihr, Ed.D. Dr. Bihr, simply known to us as Kathy, is our vice president, programs & education. To me, she is the Michael Jordan of education. She has been with the learning center well before the building was ever constructed. To hear her relive the early days of original staff members and kids that have become a part of the Tiger Woods Foundation family was an amazing story to hear.
2. Team bonding
I’m proud to say that our team bonding was both pleasurable and informative. Team members across our offices from D.C., Massachusetts and Maryland escaped the wild snow of the east coast to join us in sunny California for several activities.
Many of us took a step out of our normal roles and became in-class volunteers. We assisted the learning center instructors, showing fifth graders how to dissect squids. It was a joy to observe first-hand how kids gain confidence inside the classroom and the role the teaching styles of our educators play in the process.
While we participated in other activities, such as a team dinner and robotics competition, the most talked about workshop was going over the results of a unique personality profiling tool called Energize2Lead. We learned more about the working styles of our team members and what we can do better to enhance communication and understanding among all members of the organization.
3. Photo booth
To kick off the 20th anniversary of the foundation, we staged a photo booth where the team took pictures with ‘Un-‘ words that best represent them. It was a play on our new campaign that will be rolled out this year.
In case you’re anxious to know, I picked ‘unparalleled’ as my ‘Un-‘ word since some classmates in my grad school days said I had purple cow qualities. If you haven’t read Seth Godin’s book, then purple cow means unique. You will see some of these visuals show up soon on many of our online channels.
Looking back on the week, I appreciate each of these memories more. It was truly a special time for six dozen individuals to come together as one. Our team is excited to celebrate our history and what we have in store for the unexpected champions of our programs in the future. Who says staff retreats can’t be fun?
