Last week, for the first time in a long time, I got nervous. Something special was about to happen.

Some Context

Our team at Experience Institute has grown to a community of over 30 people. Some of us are full-time, and many of the crew have other roles outside of Ei. Their breadth of experience is partly what makes them so special.

For months, we’ve wanted to bring everyone together for a connected learning & development experience of their own. But what? How? When?

Finally, we landed on the idea of hosting a Leaps program for our own team.

Team Leaps

As a quick intro, Leaps is a 3-month, team-wide program we designed in 2016. The experience has a dual mission: to teach participants a new way of learning and problem solving, and to help them make tangible progress on a specific project they care about. We facilitate a series of workshops and coaching sessions where participants dream big, then focus on a specific part of their Leap for the duration of the program. It mixes core skills of problem solving, positive psychology, and personal transformation all into one program.

We’ve led hundreds of Leaps programs over the years, but never for this group.

We decided the program would be entirely optional. Still, 21 people signed up.

Now, you’d think this would be a piece of cake…

They’re our own team. But as I prepared to co-lead the first workshop and read through the list of names, I realized just how special this is. This group is brilliant, kind, hard working, and committed to building a better world through experiential learning. And they’re all going to be in a “room” working together on their next personal/professional ideas.

I prepared as much as I’ve ever prepared for anything.

And when they joined the call, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for this group and this space. And as the workshop progressed, things just clicked. Their passion and energy powered our time together.

Over the weekend, I was telling the story to a friend, and I got emotional thinking about the entire experience.

The Long Game

Something happens when you stick with your work for a long time and share it with others along the way. It becomes more…special. And it begins to take a shape you never expected.

If you’re working on something you love — something you’re proud of — invite your closest people to share it with you. Open it up, and you may find yourself opening up in new ways too.

Happy Wednesday,
Victor

PS: If you’re interested in bringing Leaps to your company or team, just reply and we’ll set up a time to discuss.