Meeting in the Park – With a Twist
In this guest blog post, Joe Morgan, RELYCO Senior Advisor, shares what we’re learning and how our team is connecting during COVID-19.
Many of us have met in the park throughout our lives. When we were kids, we might have been playing sports or just hanging and talking with friends. We arrived with an expectation that we would have fun with our friends and maybe even meet some new kids. As we moved toward adulthood, our park trips may have been for a different purpose; however, we still found joy in the open spaces, the conversations and observations of others enjoying this unique open air time together.
With this simple goal in mind, a group of RELYCO team members met in a NH park last month to discuss the changes that are happening around us. The intention was clear: the COVID-19 crisis had taken us away from the office and we needed to see each other, share lunch together and talk about our learnings, both personally and for the future of the business.
Henry Law Park, Dover, NH
So, what did we take away from the time together?
1. We created a safe environment in the park.
Masks where appropriate and safe distance was maintained.
2. Our conversations were fantastic.
In-depth stories with lots of humor.
3. We asked for 15 ideas
This was based on a podcast by Simon Sinek, where he referenced that a friend of his suggested asking each employee to bring 15 ideas forward within 48 hours. The point being that 3-5 ideas would likely overlap quite a bit, but having 15 would really push the edges of thinking.
When we met in the park, we actually talked about over 100 ideas while subsequently putting them in several different basket categories – literally. (We had baskets in the middle of our circle of chairs.) Here were the categories:
| Category | Percentage of Ideas |
| Are you kidding me (Sometimes an idea just isn’t good) |
5% |
| Investable (So good that I would invest my own money) |
10% |
| Great idea and let’s go (On the mark and let’s do it) |
60% |
| Wow, I like it (Great concept, but needs some research) |
25% |
4. The COVID-19 crisis has changed how we interact, what we expect from each other and how we view the simplest things in our lives. It has also created new opportunities for many individuals/companies. The themes from our dialogue produced some really great perspectives that validated and expanded our thinking about:
- Solutions for the home – working from home, teaching from home, dining from home, etc
- Safety and health – back to work protocol, messaging and signage
- eCommerce – expanding RELYCO’s online presence with new products
- Messaging to our customers – increasing frequency through a variety of channels
Final thoughts
We need each other more than ever. Simple connections can bring smiles, help adapt during this crazy time and validate that we are not alone.
