Growth as a Journey: Growing Personally; Growing Your Team; Growing Your Business

By Jeff Whitfield , VP of Business Development at INSPIRE

Growth isn't just a part of our strategy at INSPIRE—it's at the heart of everything we do. We recently gathered for a sales retreat focused intensely on the theme: "Growth – Our Skills, Our Team, Our Business." Far more than just a pause from daily operations, this retreat was a transformative journey that's set the course for our future.

Growing Personal Skills

We opened the session with a message from Mike Mahaffey , the Executive Vice President of the Sales and Event Services division of INSPIRE. Mike's message was that we have grown over the past two years and we are continuously improving and we have a vision of making INSPIRE even better for all of us, ourselves, our customers and our future. Personal development is fundamental to our culture. At the retreat, we honed our leadership and communication skills, recognizing that individual growth fuels our team's success. A highlight was the values alignment workshop led by Resa Meagher , Senior Director of Business Development. We explored how our personal values shape our behaviors and professional interactions. Identifying these values, we gained deep insights into our motivations and team dynamics.

Stefanie Blackburn , Director of Exhibitor Sales & Services, guided us through an exploration of the differences between a growth and a fixed mindset. Her session provided practical strategies for moving beyond complacency, encouraging us to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth.

Growing as a Team

Team building - and friendly competition at a Putt Shack outing - was a major focus of our retreat. The teams were a mix of all people from the various areas within the Sales and Event Services division. This proved to be both interactive and fun. The team members were competitive within each team and came together as a new group to be competitive with their peers. It was fun and rewarding at the same time.???

A standout exercise was our "Shark Tank" style challenge, where teams were tasked with selling an ordinary box of tissues to our C-Suite judges Chuck, Sayi and Alex. This exercise pushed everyone to think fast, creatively and hone their presentation skills.?

A particularly inspiring moment was watching Jacob Sanchez, Account Executive, overcome his fear of public speaking. Initially apprehensive, he found his voice and confidently delivered his pitch. This breakthrough is a testament to the supportive environment we foster at INSPIRE, one that encourages personal development and mutual support.

Growing the Business

We also focused on enhancing our business growth strategies, particularly through emotional intelligence. Understanding and addressing the emotional needs of our teammates and clients, we strengthen our roles as their trusted partners.?

This retreat reinforced how emotional intelligence and team cohesion are vital to our strategy, enhancing our ability to innovate and deliver effective solutions across various regions and specialties.

The retreat wasn't just a series of sessions—it was a reaffirmation of our commitment to continuous growth in all aspects.

I’m eager to hear how others in our industry are fostering growth within their teams and organizations. What strategies have you found effective? Let’s inspire each other to reach greater heights.