Wrapping up month six as one of the Reds, I got to be a part of what I can only assume is an annual activity here at Redhead: carving out half of a day to reflect on the past year and complete a team SWOT analysis, over coffee and donuts. 

I found this rather delightful and refreshing, hearing team members’ anonymous answers to questions with the occasional guessing of who-said-what adding entertainment to the time. This showed me Redhead’s brand in action. It shined a light on the idea that our success is not the result of one great talent alone; instead, it’s a collection of each of our unique individual knowledge and experiences.

I found the reporting of all of our answers to our own SWOT analysis most interesting and revealing. We all had similar understandings of what Redhead’s strengths are and, unsurprisingly, these strongly aligned with our values. 

Overall, convening and reflecting as a team felt like a morning well spent. While effective team reflection requires some time and preparation, it is a worthy investment. When you make time to take in where each of your team members is at and where they hope to go, you can plan more strategic moves for the future. 

For me, the challenge will lie in deciding what mission to seek out next to help our partners make an even stronger impact. Stay tuned.