Not Another Team Away Day

24/03/2025

Not Another Team Away Day

“When you hear “we’re sending you off on leadership training” there’s a sort of groan around the room…but right from the beginning, it was fun, it was engaging, and for the cynics in my team – it threw them off right from the moment they walked into the room. It broke down barriers really quickly.” – Carly Allan, Professional Services Director

 

Why the Lead Happy Teams Experience Starts Long Before the Team Enters the Room – and What That Changes

Ask most leaders or HR professionals what a team development day looks like, and you’ll likely get some variation of the following: a motivational speaker, a slide deck, a sprinkling of activities, and perhaps a group meal thrown in for good measure.

Job done?
Not quite.

Because while the intention is good – “let’s bring the team together, boost morale and maybe fix a few sticking points” – the reality is that many of these sessions create a moment of energy… but rarely a meaningful shift.

That’s where the Lead Happy Teams Experience comes in. And it is exactly that – an experience. Not a one-size-fits-all workshop. Not an off-the-shelf intervention. And certainly not a tick-box exercise.

It’s not just about the day

It’s different because it starts well before the day itself. It’s different because it works with the humans in the room, not just the job titles. And it’s different because the whole process is designed to support actual transformation – for the individuals, the team, and the wider organisation.

This article is for the decision makers – those in HR, People, L&D and senior leadership who want to invest in something that actually works. But it’s also for anyone who’s been to one too many “team building” days and thought: surely we can do better than this?

We can. And we do.

Why the Experience Starts Weeks Before the Day Itself

While the Lead Happy Teams Experience might be delivered in a single day, it’s part of a multi-week process designed to unearth insight, cultivate trust, and ensure the day is genuinely meaningful.

It starts with curiosity.

Now, surveys aren’t revolutionary – but the way we use them is. Because this isn’t about ticking boxes or ranking satisfaction. It’s about listening. Deeply. Curiously. Compassionately.

Before we bring a team into a room, each participant is invited to share where they’re at. What they find easy. What they struggle with. What they’d change if they could wave a magic wand. Some tell us about their work life. Some open up about personal challenges, including neurodivergence or things they’ve never previously voiced to colleagues.

And when you cross-reference those responses, something powerful happens: patterns emerge. Hidden tensions surface. Unspoken brilliance gets its moment. And from there, we start to design a day that truly meets the team where they are.

It’s not just good practice – it’s essential.
As Dr Amy Edmondson, Harvard professor and leading researcher on psychological safety puts it:

“If we don’t feel safe to speak up, we hide our thoughts, our questions, our mistakes. And that costs the team.”

This process gives people a safe way to speak up before the day even begins. It gives us – and the organisation – a truer picture of what’s really going on beneath the surface. And it means that when the team finally does come together, we’re not starting cold. We’re already warmed up.

It’s Not a Workshop. It’s a Whole-System Experience.

When someone commissions a Lead Happy Teams Experience, we don’t just ask “what would you like us to cover?”
We ask, “what’s happening in the team, the organisation, and the humans within it — and what change do you actually want to see?”

It starts with a conversation – a discovery session with the person commissioning the session, where we explore the context, challenges, goals and any ‘weather warnings’ we should know about. We look at what’s going well, where the friction is, what feels fragile, and what feels exciting. It’s a proper rummage through the team’s current reality.

Then comes the real magic — the connection with the participants themselves.

We’ll then start connecting directly with the team, so they know who they’re going to meet, and so we start cultivating trust from the get-go. In a world where psychological safety is proven to underpin high performance (Edmondson again), this early relationship-building is not a fluffy extra — it’s foundational.

We tailor the depth of insight depending on the team and the goals. For some experiences, we’ll layer in personality profiling to help people understand themselves and each other more clearly. For others, the Team Insight alone offers a rich picture of team dynamics, challenges and opportunities.

Whether it’s individual insight or broader team themes, what matters is starting with real information about the people in the room. That’s what allows us to build an experience that isn’t just engaging on the day, but meaningful in the weeks and months that follow.

Put simply: the more we know about the team, the richer and more targeted the experience becomes. And if an organisation is serious about cultural change, investing in this kind of personal insight pays dividends.

We then take everything — the client’s goals, the responses, the team context, and the individual preferences — and we design a bespoke experience. Not just the content, but the format, flow, energy and feel of the day. Every part is intentional.

As one participant put it:

“You can tell the session was tailor-made to the group, which makes it a stand-out experience to others I’ve been part of. I got a real sense Anna had taken time to get to know us as individuals and used that knowledge to shape the session.”
— Katie Hart, Next

It’s this level of preparation — and human care — that makes the difference between a ‘nice day out’ and a moment of genuine shift.

 

The Day: Designed to Be Felt

When the team finally steps into the room, something’s already different.

They’ve been seen. They’ve been listened to. And they’re not arriving cold — they’re arriving into an experience that’s already been built with them in mind.

From the very first moments, people notice this isn’t your typical leadership or team development day. It’s not corporate. It’s not stiff. It’s not awkward.

It’s joyful, human, connective and carefully designed to bring people into a space where insight, laughter and vulnerability can safely coexist.

And it’s no accident.

At Lead Happy, we don’t do PowerPoint overload. We don’t ask people to roleplay being trees. And we definitely don’t do ‘trust fall’ team building clichés. What we do is create an experience grounded in our unique methodology: Jestology.

Jestology is our name for the science and soul of how we deliver. It weaves together:

• Laughter and lightness (because we learn more when we’re enjoying ourselves)
• Emotional and sensory cues (because memory and meaning live in the senses)
• Honest, human facilitation (because when people feel safe, they open up)
• Playfulness and depth (because transformation happens when you lower your guard, not raise it)

From jammy dodgers and Curly Wurlys on the table (there’s a reason, promise), to the way we structure every conversation, exercise and reflection, the day is built to drop the armour and open up the real talk.

And it works.

As one attendee put it:

“The day changed my perception of how away days can be run – thank you!!” — Claire, HR Administrator

This isn’t because we got lucky. It’s because we created the conditions. As author and leadership researcher Brené Brown puts it:

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.”

We create space for that vulnerability — and then we help people translate it into trust, clarity, and concrete action. All anchored in what the team and organisation actually need.

 

After the Day: Reflection, Action and Real Change

A powerful team experience doesn’t end when the last party popper goes off.

After the session, we gather everything — notes, insights, observations and emotional cues — and process it into something meaningful. We send a follow-up survey to capture how the team experienced the day, what they’re taking away, and what they need to keep growing.

This isn’t about scoring points. It’s about understanding what’s landed, what’s shifted, and what still needs support.

We also share a digital capture doc that includes the key moments, content, and agreed team intentions — so the experience doesn’t get lost in the ether of “that nice day we once did”. It becomes a living document the team can refer back to, build on, and be accountable to.

Why does this matter? Because, as countless studies have shown, sustained behaviour change doesn’t come from a single moment – it comes from reflection, reinforcement and shared commitment.

Take Paul Zak’s research on high-trust teams, for example. His studies show that when people work in environments that feel trusting, empowering and joyful, they report:

• 74% less stress
• 50% higher productivity
• 76% more engagement
• 40% less burnout

In other words: when people feel safe, seen and supported, they show up differently — as individuals and as a team.

So no, this isn’t a box-ticking session. It’s not a motivational jolly with flipcharts. It’s a fully designed, deeply human experience that creates space for reflection, reconnection and renewal — all while aligning with your organisation’s wider goals and culture.

Or, as one attendee put it:

The gem is the delivery, top notch! This will 100% bring the change we need 🙂
— Jai, Head of Channel Marketing

A Final Word for the Decision Makers Out There

What we hear from people making the decisions about team development is that it’s so difficult to know that what you’re choosing is actually going to make a difference. 

Very few people (we’d guess nobody) start out with the word ‘generic’ on their wish list, but if that does happen to be you, sorry – we’re probably not the right fit!

If you want something real – something that takes into account the humans in your team, the challenges they face, and the changes you’re actually trying to make – then let’s talk.

Because the Lead Happy Teams Experience isn’t just another away day.

It’s where openness, trust and clarity get to breathe.
It’s where teams shift from surviving to thriving.
And it’s where the real work – the meaningful work – actually begins.

Arrange your no-obligation discovery call here to get started: