KYS Retreat – Appreciation Of Work Well Done (With More To Come)!

This month, we experienced something quite unique at our monthly retreat – there were no ‘problems’ to solve! I don’t want you to think that we are in constant crisis mode or anything – but usually, we take some time over the course of our retreat to talk about what has fallen through the cracks. So, it was a refreshing change to be able to sit down, take stock, and smile because everything was on track!

But we can’t rest on our accomplishments for too long – it’s simply not in our nature. So, don’t worry, our heads are already filled with plans for 2018. Sounds intriguing? We hope so! But we won’t give them away just yet. Watch this space for more information (I’ve always wanted to say that!).

A Delicious Start

As always, we began our day with a nice hot breakfast. We wandered down to Ananda Bhavan to sample some idlis and chat about what we’ve all been up to. Life has returned to its normal pace after the India Inclusion Summit, which Jaideep helps organise annually. This year Pranita and I also had the chance to work behind the scenes at the Summit. It was an extremely rewarding experience and, as usual, we are extremely grateful that we get the chance to interact with some of the world’s loveliest and most inspiring people.

After feeding our bellies, we headed off to feed our minds! Jaideep led us to the offices of one of his dear friends, Mr. Birla, who is not only an entrepreneur but the co-founder of Bhoole Bisre Geet, a non-commercial group that spreads joy and happiness through their love of music.

Time For Some Planning

Mr. Birla was kind enough to lend us one of his conference rooms so that we could get down to business – literally! We did a management exercise together, which we all found extremely interesting and informative. Most of our team meetings are quite informal and the processes we put in place are largely our own adaptations. So, it was nice to try something different! We each created a traditional business model canvas to determine if we were really problem-free.

Good news! We are! It was a great way for us to re-affirm that we are on the same page and that we have the same goals for KYS. We’ve all worked in other organisations prior to KYS and know how easy it is for people to lose sight of what they do. It’s so good to know that if one of us takes a detour, the others are ready and willing to give them a nudge.

Plus, as most of you already know, management exercises are popular for a reason. The canvas really helped us articulate our ideas, hold organised discussions, and prepare for the new year in a practical way.

Reaping Our Rewards

If you’ve been following our exploits, then you might have read about the award that Jaideep won recently. Our in-house unsung hero is always ready for a good meal, so we knew that we were going to be well fed. But we didn’t know how well fed! The Grand Mercure hotel had gifted us a free lunch as part of the prize, and we were quite thrilled at the variety of goodies we were served at their lovely restaurant, 12th Main.

It was a lovely sunny afternoon, and as we watched the fish swim in the little pond nearby, we found ourselves discussing our favourite topic – KnowYourStar. Over the last year, we have tried numerous things, failed occasionally, and succeeded enough to keep our spirits high. But one thing is for sure – we’ve learnt a lot! We had a blast reminiscing about how things were a year ago, and how far we’ve come. Who knows what we’ll have to say a year from now!

After some lovely dessert and much-needed cups of tea, we headed back to reality. It’s always interesting when you switch off your phone for a little bit – we have really come to relish these hours in each other’s company with no distractions. Definitely a practice we will hold onto in the coming year along with so many others.

Thank you for reading this, and for accompanying us on our journey so far. It’s been an exhilarating ride and regardless of the outcome – we wouldn’t change a thing!

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