A (values) walk to remember
From wandering the leafy streets of Richmond to basking in the Christmas lights of central London, Speak’s annual Values Walks have always been smooth-sailing – until now. This year, we embraced a heatwave to venture through Epping Forest, leading to our most eventful walk yet…
What happens when you mix one of the hottest days of the year with Speak’s 2023 Values Walk? An entertaining team bonding exercise, as it turns out.
Every year, the walk offers us a chance to reflect on our core values – curiosity, collaboration, energy and ambition – and how we practice them in our day-to-day lives.
Last year’s walk saw us basking in the blinking Christmas lights of Charing Cross, so this time, we took advantage of the warmer weather and headed out with plans to wander a trail through Epping Forest. The sun beat down on us from a bright blue sky as we set off on our merry way from Theydon Bois tube station, laden with popsicles and bottles of water.
Yet despite our ambition (!) and good mood as we strolled in the sunshine, we ended up taking a wrong turn – engrossed as we were in interesting discussions about our values. That’s how we found ourselves on an unexpected adventure, navigating the green plains of a golf course and straddling a road that definitely didn’t run through the forest.
But this proved the perfect setting in which to put our values to the test. After all, nothing quite says ‘collaboration’ like helping your teammates over steep hills and navigating busy crosswalks!
The delights of Epping Forest may have alluded us, but our energy and curiosity kept us on track. We ended the afternoon exactly on time for our lunch reservation at The Queen Victoria pub, where we enjoyed some (much-needed) refreshments.
“This has been my favourite walk yet!” said senior content producer Johanna Stiefler Johnson. “It’s great to get out of the city, to reflect on the work we do and how we do it. I’ve really enjoyed hearing new perspectives.”
Among these fresh viewpoints is that of Gabrielle Bridle, Speak’s account executive. Contemplating the experience of her first Values Walk, she said: “It’s an event that’s a bit different and allows us to be active – and most importantly, to have some bonding time together as a team.”
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Contact Gabrielle from our client services team: gabriellebridle@speakmedia.co.uk