On January 29th, 2022 we were finally able to come together for our Rookie Career Accelerator (RCA) Kick Off retreat. The women in the cohort have been so agile, adaptable and understanding during these times and this event was no different. After the original push from October we had intended an all day retreat hosted by the Prouty Project. Due to the covid situation, the group shifted once again to virtually attend this event - and boy did they show up!
The Kick Off retreat focused on the concept of it’s “All About You”. Leadership, professional development and growth begins with an understanding of who you are and your values, communication style, and goals. The day started with an inspiring conversation with Adrienne Jordan, Sr. Strategic Planning Consultant of the Prouty Project, on searching for purpose and significance. Adrienne began her talk with a quote from Sophia Bush.
Adrienne was able to share her story of where she found her own significance. She ultimately found significance not from external validation or promotions, but rather from within her - how her values aligned and how much she was able to live those in her life and show up every day with that as her focus. She left the group with this question:
Adrienne built the foundation for the day, and anchored the group on the value of focusing on purpose and significance in life. Next, the cohort shifted gears into their own DiSC behavioral analysis reports from Athlete Assessments. Liz Mason, Founder and CEO, tailored the DiSC assessment specifically for athletes to understand their personal communication styles when communicating with others on a team. Through exercises and examples, the cohort was able to gain insight into their natural and adapted behavior styles, and how those styles impact the way they work and lead.
To finish out the day the cohort met with Katie Selby, Founder & Principal Coach of Quarterlife Coach, to engage in a Design Your life session. Beginning with energy mapping, members of the cohort were able to create a list of their daily activities and categorize them as energy giving or taking. After tackling the energy mapping exercise, each cohort member developed three Odyssey Plans, or “possibilities” for future career/life plans. Katie then transitioned into prototyping, the idea of taking one aspect of your life and creating steps and actions to test out and live that idea with little to no pressure on the outcome. Through the use of virtual brainstorming boards, sticky notes were added onto each member’s board with creative and thoughtful options on how to move forward.
We had a great day with the group, and the foundation of self and “It’s all About You” was built. Each cohort member will continue to reflect and develop as they move on to one on one mentor meetings throughout the month of February.
