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Connecting deeper to ourselves and others via horse whispering
In order to connect to each other, our personal and business goals for the year, we have an off-site twice a year. Especially with hybrid working, spending 3+ days together is a welcome opportunity to strengthen personal connection and team cohesion. It is the perfect opportunity to exchange knowledge, learnings, insights, and challenges.
With this in mind, we went to the beautiful island of Ibiza, during our quarter 3 meeting. The island is becoming a mainstay in our yearly calendar. Just like the work that we do, Ibiza has many different sides to it. Together, we decided to explore the mystical side of Ibiza, and ourselves, during this trip.
In a very special outing we connected deeper to ourselves. We did an exercise called horse whispering. You may not know this, but horses are deeply sensitive to people and therefore mirror the energy of the person that is in front of them. At the range, a refugee for traumatised horses, we learned how to connect with them. While it was a bit of a daunting task in the beginning, with a horse being so large and powerful, we soon learned that if you are open, patient, and calm, the horses will start to allow you in their space. In a similar vain, allowing people to be themselves requires trust and patience. However, these things are not often given to us. It is a reminder to work on holding space for each other, to connect and inspire.
Our trip also revolved around our development, both as a company and as a person. In order to grow together, we did an extensive session in which we shared our received feedback. Previous to our trip we have had 1 on 1 feedback conversations, for which we used the balanced feedback technique. As an adult we receive 3 times more tips than we receive compliments. In order to balance tips and compliments, we have a best practice, that ensures the topics for growth are balanced with the strengths of a person. As a follow-up, we did an exercise involving sharing our “brags” (the things you are good at) and our “growth” (the things you can develop), in order to formulate our development plans together.
After all, we did indulge into the Ibiza party lifestyle for a little bit. In line with our Golden Rule; celebrate good times, come on! We went to a local winery shop to select the best biodynamic cava’s we could find, and hosted a cava tasting to celebrate our succes. Moreover, we went to the beautiful traditional restaurant Il Bigotes, a true treasure, hidden in a bay. We enjoyed a meal with freshly caught fish and beautiful views. We could like you to ask yourself, what was the last time you took the time to reflect and celebrate succes?