ISP Culture Enriched by Team Development Programs
11.16.09
Team Development at ISP Sports
By Sarah Boehle
From the Training Top 125 e-newsletter.
For Kelli Hilliard, Executive VP and Chief People Officer at ISP Sports Inc., an event marketing firm for university sports teams, the launch of an annual professional development conference for the company's team members presented a unique challenge. "Deep, meaningful, and enriching relationships form the foundation upon which this family business was built," says Hilliard. "To succeed with our [customers]—college sports administrators and corporate sponsors—our team members need to be well-rounded, civic-minded individuals who are passionately committed to their communities."
In response, Hilliard and her team launched an annual three-day, two-night conference featuring a mix of professional development and personal enrichment activities for ISP team members. The primary objective of the event is to stimulate teambuilding, strategic thinking, and personal and professional development, says Hilliard.
"As we've grown into a larger organization with 60 offices across the U.S., we've come to rely on the annual conference as a way to emphasize the friendly, familial culture of the organization," Hilliard says. This is done in several ways. "We focus on work-life balance, diet and exercise, giving back to the community, and other topics intended to equip the whole person with the skill sets necessary to lead happy, healthful, and productive lives."
But don't confuse ISP's team development conference with some feel-good, cheerleading exercise. "Our conferences are about backing up all the motivational talk and advice with equally positive actions," says Hilliard. Among other activities, for example, ISP team members have built reading lofts for inner-city schoolchildren. They've helped with renovations to local Boys & Girls Clubs and have pitched in at area chapters of Habitat for Humanity to build homes for underprivileged families, according to Hilliard.
Looking to implement a similar team development event at your organization? Hilliard points to the following tips:
• Leave work at the office. "Our team development conferences do not focus on the nuts and bolts of our business," Hilliard says. Instead, the ISP event focuses on ways to develop its team members to be better-rounded, healthier, happier people. "It's a different mind-set to adjust to initially," admits Hilliard. "But if you're having trouble getting there mentally, remember that the simple act of bringing together your entire workforce under one roof for such an event will produce quite a bit of informal sharing of workplace best practices, industry news, and other tips that are more typically the focus of company seminars. Think of it as getting the best of both worlds."
• Build programming that is customized. Hilliard says third-party facilitators, motivational speakers, and professional coaches external to the organization work well as speakers at these types of events. "But they cannot take a cookie-cutter approach," she says. "They must do their homework and take the time to get to know your organization, its culture and its norms, so they can tailor their presentations to fit the company."
• Make it applicable. "Whether it's work-life balance or personal fitness, health care or nutrition, the presentation has to be highly relevant to your workforce if it's to be effective," Hilliard says. "For us, when speakers can target areas—for example, long work days or travel away from home—that may be particularly challenging for ISP team members and their families, the presentations are far more engaging for our team members."
• Recognize achievement. ISP always ends its event with a formal, red carpet-style awards ceremony. The ceremony, Hilliard says, is the company's opportunity to give back to team members by recognizing their talents and achievements.