Authors
Kristi Schuster
Director of Operations and Human Resources
Reflecting on Our Team Summit: Building Connections and Inspiring Growth
Last month, our company came together for our annual company summit—a time to connect, celebrate achievements, and look forward to the year ahead. Held over two days at our Denver headquarters, our summit brought together team members from several corners of the country, creating a space for collaboration, learning, and bonding. Below are a few reasons we prioritize hosting an in-person summit each year.
Reflecting on Our Work
The summit kicked off with an inspiring State of the Agency update from our CEO, Justin Toupin, who highlighted Aten’s 10-year vision and the progress we’ve made over the past year. This presentation underscored the passion we have for working with mission-driven clients and the growth we have made in technologies like WordPress and Backdrop.
Connection and Collaboration
The most valuable part of the summit is simply the face-to-face time we get with our colleagues. A combination of team breakouts, group workshops, happy hours, a group hike, and coffee shop moments (our version of water cooler moments) gives us time to collaborate and talk with folks we might not see outside of a weekly Zoom meeting.
Breakout Sessions: Innovation and Strategy
During the summit, team breakout sessions allowed teams to brainstorm, problem-solve, and highlight wins over the past year. These sessions were designed by team leads to spark innovation and align priorities. Some Atenauts shared highlights of their team breakouts below.
As a new Atenaut, I really appreciated the time to break out with my department during the summit. The design and strategy team discussed some larger strategic UX topics, and I got an in depth Figma training. It was really valuable to have time to connect face to face, and to learn more about a tool that we use for UX deliverables.
- Emily Williams
The Development team breakout gave us a chance to talk through some of the work we've been doing, discuss various issues from the larger WordPress, Backdrop, and Drupal worlds, and look at future opportunities together. It's helpful to have these in-person conversations as baselines as we move back to primarily remote work.
- Laryn Kragt Bakker, Senior Developer
In our Project Management breakout, we took a deep dive into our Minimum Viable Product (MVP) approaches in the web development process. Hearing each PMs unique style helped refine our overall process, enhancing how we serve our clients.
- Annmarie
Team-Building Activities: Strengthening Our Bond
My personal highlight of the week was our team workshop, Moonshot Market. Atenauts competed with each other for the most visionary idea and pitch to receive their colleague's votes - our take on Shark Tank. This workshop allowed our creativity and humor to shine. We also welcomed Kelli Obendorf with Ekata, a leadership development group to lead us in an interactive workshop about cultivating curiosity and asking the right questions of our coworkers aimed at improving collaboration.
Celebrating Success and Looking Forward
The summit closed with a Friday night dinner party and bowling.
As we look ahead to the next year, the energy and insights from the summit will drive our journey forward. Each person left with a renewed commitment to our shared mission and a toolkit of fresh ideas to bring back to their teams. This summit reminded us of the incredible potential we have as a group of people with unique perspectives and skills.