In February 2018, the senior management team of pan-island creative and digital marketing agency Oi joined us for a 2-day bespoke in-house programme of Top Teams – what it takes to go from Good to Great. The programme was delivered by GTA executive team development consultant and coach Chris Atkinson. We asked Oi’s senior account manager Jo McMinn to reflect on the team’s experience. What led you to organise this executive team development programme with us?
Jo: ‘As a pan-island agency, our executive team is split across Guernsey and Jersey and we felt it was important to focus on building a stronger executive team who know how to lead and inspire a great team below them. Our CEO believes we can drive our business forward through nurturing a great team culture.’
Was it an easy process to organise your in-house training?
Jo: ‘Yes – Chris and the GTA were very flexible, which we appreciated given we are a pan-island agency so had to make travel plans for the full executive team across both islands to be present, and then of course hope that these plans were not disrupted due to weather!’
How would you describe Chris’ approach?
Jo: ‘He is relaxed and informal. This worked really well for us as it created opportunities for team members to interact, and encouraged us all to reflect and discuss as a team.’
What was the most memorable aspect of the sessions for you?
Jo: ‘Everyone on the team agreed that the work we did on values and values discovery* was hugely engaging - learning not just more about ourselves, but each other. It was also very revealing and reinforced how important it is to build a team on shared values and mutual trust.’
What is the main thing you’ve taken away from the sessions as a team?
Jo: ‘For us, it was the importance of creating a culture of accountability – we have been using the practical tools Chris provided to embed this culture at Oi since the course.’
How do you think this training will benefit your business?
Jo: ‘The team have certainly bonded and learnt that is not complicated to achieve a cohesive team functioning with respect and honesty. We still have some way to go, but thanks to Chris we now know the path to walk to take us where we all want to be. We have also learnt some valuable lessons from a project management perspective and about the importance of a culture of accountability.’
Would you recommend Chris’ training to other teams?
Jo: ‘Yes – if you want a stronger sense of what it is to be an executive team together, and how to lead and inspire.’
As an organisation you clearly value learning and development as this training represented two full days out of the office for most of your senior team. Could you describe the culture around learning and development at Oi?
Jo: ‘At Oi we strongly believe that our people are our business – so investing in their development is a proxy for investing in Oi’s continued success. Specifically, as a CPD accredited agency we invest heavily in training and developing our people, ensuring that each individual has a tailored training programme and where appropriate, team training as well.’
Do you want to discover the secret of great teams? Learn more about: Top Teams – what it takes to go from Good to Great. If your leadership team would like a free 1-hour taster session please contact Michelle Morley to arrange ([email protected]) or call 721555. Discover the benefits of the GTA’s bespoke learning and development. * ‘values discovery’ – this is a powerful and transformational process Chris Atkinson takes teams through to discover and define their deepest personal values and recognise how our strengths arise from our values. Going through this process helps build great teams as it allows shared values to be identified and harnessed for the good of the organisation – to build a high-performing team who are engaged in their work and their organisational culture. Find out more about the Values Discovery process here (3-hour sessions can be arranged specifically for your teams). [caption id="attachment_4116271" align="alignleft" width="625"]
Photo: Oi’s top team with GTA tutor Chris Atkinson (Feb 2018) L-R back row: Peter Grange (CEO), Heather Townsend (Head of Jersey), Paul Le Breton (Head of Creative, Jersey), Leoni Hunter (Head of Finance and Operations), Mark Ferneyhough (Head of Creative, Guernsey). L-R front row: Jo McMinn (Senior Account Manager), Chris Atkinson (GTA executive coach), Joelle Wallser (Account Director).[/caption]