How a Policy Team Built Trust and Motivation In Just One Day
Earlier this spring, we had the honor of working with a policy team at a prominent nonprofit in the reproductive justice space, designing and facilitating their Spring 2025 Team Retreat. The stakes were high: team members were grappling with how to build trust, clarify expectations, and navigate a changing leadership landscape.
Why They Reached Out
As one of the leaders of the policy team shared:
“I tried to run a retreat myself when I first started here, and it was more work than I expected. I couldn't fully participate. This time, we needed outside support to make space for real participation and to work through some deep challenges on the team.”
Rather than facilitate internally again, the leadership team partnered with us to bring intentional structure, emotional intelligence, and grounded facilitation to a day centered around motivation, recognition, and alignment.
What We Created Together
Through a custom-designed retreat using a method that emphasized the team’s present-moment experience and fostered greater awareness of both individual and collective dynamics, we helped the team tackle some of their stickiest challenges:
Motivation Awareness
The whole team took a Prism personality assessment ahead of our time together, and then walked through their results in an individual coaching session with one of us. When we got into the room together, the team used Prism Personality data to reflect on what drives their best work. Insights sparked individual revelations, including a recognition that motivation isn’t one-size-fits-all—and that assumptions about what motivates others often miss the mark.
Recognition that Lands
Many on the team found the exploration of recognition refreshing. From walking-pair shares to values-based feedback practices, the experience highlighted how deeply individual styles shape what appreciation actually feels like.
Shared Values, Clear Agreements
The group articulated what three of their core values—timeliness, quality, and collaboration—look like in practice, and how to spot when they’re missing. This created shared language and an aligned foundation for team accountability.
Leadership Growth Moments
Perhaps most powerful were the honest reflections from the team’s leaders about what they saw and felt throughout the day.
One reflected:
“The time in our smaller team was really impactful. I realized that even in spaces I already lead, I can show up differently to make the point of collaboration more intentional and visible.”
Another acknowledged their own growth edge:
“It became really clear that I need to be more direct about my expectations. I’ve worried that naming something will make it a ‘forever’ priority, but I’m seeing how my hesitation might be contributing to the team’s uncertainty.”
And a third leader shared a brave insight:
“My team is happy—and that’s great—but I also need to push them more. I want their work to meet the full needs of the organization. That means shifting my leadership style, and the retreat helped me realize where (those shifts) might be necessary.”
Even where the day didn’t resolve every tension, leaders walked away with a deeper understanding of what’s alive on the team, and what’s needed next.
“We came out of it with real things to work on as individuals and as a team. It’s a challenging moment, but this gave us a better foundation,” one leader shared.
The Road Ahead
Looking ahead, the team acknowledged big opportunities for growth and recalibration. As one leader noted:
“There’s an opportunity in the shifts that are coming, not just to set expectations differently, but to create the kind of recognition and accountability culture that supports our best work.”
If You’re in a Similar Spot
Whether you're managing internal tension, preparing for organizational shifts, or simply trying to deepen motivation on your team, know this: you don’t have to hold it all alone.
If you're ready to step into your next leadership chapter with more clarity, connection, and courage, let’s talk.