How Artistic Leadership Improved a 10-Person Tech Leadership Retreat
"To be honest, I was skeptical of doing a songwriting activity with my leadership team at a tech start-up. Some of us aren't exactly "creative." But Tiffany skillfully facilitated a novel experience that brought the executive team closer together in a way other team building activities haven't. She also took the time to refine what we created to really show the team how their individual contributions tell the story of victory. I'm impressed, and strongly recommend the service."
- Jeremy Fain, CEO and Co-Founder of Cognitiv
About The Client
Cognitiv is a fast growing AI marketing tech startup. Their team is split between New York, New York and Bellevue, Washington; so their bi-annual senior leadership retreats are essential to strategic planning and team alignment. CEO Jeremy Fain hired Artistic Leadership to design a novel team building experience that would bring his bi-coastal team together at a new level.
Company Size: 70 employees
Session Participants: 10 senior leaders in the company
Location: Cognitiv regularly hosts their retreats in Napa Valley at Carneros Resort. This session was in one of the private estate courtyards.
About The Session
Mr. Fain asked teaching artist Tiffany Thompson to orient the session around the theme of victory. He stated that the company had big goals, and Mr. Fain wanted them to feel connected to the winning team they were on.
Tiffany guided the group through a 90-minute collaborative and creative writing session with this as the central prompt: Bring to mind a moment when you felt victorious, knew you were a winner. It could be when you were young. It could be something that happened yesterday. Who was there with you? What made it personally meaningful to you? What are a few details in the memory? Colors. Textures. Smells. Sounds. What were the struggles you were victorious over?
The participants spent time in solo reflecting on the theme, pair based creativity writing, and communal response and refinement. Ultimately, they created a dynamic set of lyrics about their collective experience of being an underdog. Check out their lyrics and watch the video below to hear the group singing it together.
Underdogs
Inspired by the victory of Cognitiv
We used to rise early to work our game
Swore the world would remember our names
Beneath blue sky, each a loaded gun
Every challenge, a target big as the sun
We were small-town and big city kids
Each an underdog, ready to win
Some were running races, others dreaming
Some were sitting at desks, others scheming
But each were cracking codes and facing fear
Taking paths where the outcome was unclear
We were small-town, big city kids
Each an underdog, ready to win
When moment of truth came, we leveraged the tensions
Confident, committed, clearly the champions
Ahead of all the others, we crossed those finish lines
Proud to be seen in the bright spotlights
Let memory of glory
Flood you with feeling
Euphoric rewards
Worth repeating
We were small-town, big city kids
Each an underdog, that knows how to win