Every summer AppLifters from around the globe gather for an annual event. This year, however, was like no other. We went all-in to not just discuss strategy, but to also celebrate five successful years of AppLift’s existence. Celebrating the BIG 5 had to be special and the gorgeous Balearic island of Mallorca became home to AppLift’s celebration.
All the AppLifters from all our global locations flew down to spend four wonderful days in sunny 20-25 degrees with a breathtaking view over the bay, filled with enlightening workshops and learning from all corners of the globe. Everyone got insights into the different teams across the company and had the opportunity to share best practices. We spent quality time with our colleagues, discussed how to further collaborate and improve our intra-company, sometimes, cross-continent relationships and communication.
Our colleagues arrived from all corners of the world, some even traveling 24hrs escaping the cold in Seoul, to enjoy the warm rays of the (extended) summer in Mallorca. It was great to see how big the team had gotten, getting a chance to finally meet people we had only worked with via email or Slack and sharing big hugs with the teams we hadn’t seen since last year’s summit.
We went in with a goal to get new learnings, have fun, and celebrate the team. Getting everyone together allowed for an exchange of ideas.
Team Work
An important part of the All-Hands Week was the focus on each specific global department and their contribution in the larger company goals. Hence, we designed activities on Day One such that all thirteen departments could brainstorm on an activity that could demonstrate how their specializations and skills contribute to the overall vision and mission.
Creativity is our strong suit, so our day’s findings were then visualised in the form of lego constructions created and executed by cross department joint efforts.
Equipped with new inspiration and a clear plan, we came back with the determination to make it happen in 2018 and beyond, individually and together as a team!
Committing to Excellence
The All-Hands Week presented us with an exciting opportunity to refocus on the goals as a team. With all 200 employees together in a room full of energy, lights, we incorporated the learnings of the activities to vision 2018, with the focus as we continue to create value through our work. We found a unique way of sharing these learnings with the team: Each team shared their findings of the previous day with the help of lego figures to pitch an action plan for breaking the mould in 2018.
We also got a chance to introduce each team with a video that the teams had created themselves, the task was simple: come up with a fun name and showcase the individual members of the team. The results were AMAZING — it was almost like George Lucas had directed them himself, the videos showcased the creativity, personality and humor of each AppLifter.
Another crucial pillar of our commitment to excellence is the International Talent Program (ITP) Projects, which took center stage during the All-Hands Week. ITP is a 6 month cycle people development program focusing on top talent in the company. This program praises the growth of individuals, and offers them additional tools, trainings and projects to develop by providing global exposure at an employee, executive and project management level. The projects this cycle ranged from CSR, improvement of internal processes, entrepreneurial initiatives and last new business model proposals.
Having Fun
After the hard work on the first two days, ending the Summit with some fun was natural! The team got to pick from an adventure of their liking: hiking, a catamaran tour, to mountain biking or a tour through Palma. We all enjoyed some well-deserved free time with a swim in the ocean topped with a sundowner. But the best was yet to come: a delicious dinner in a rustic finca, after which we blew out the birthday candles and officially celebrated our 5th birthday.
Celebrating the 5 years was special this time as we looked back to the early days since AppLift started in 2012. Having started in a small room, with a team of five of which two were interns, we have grown into a global powerhouse of 200+ employees worldwide across 9 global offices. We achieved all that together as one AppLift team.
The Summit gave us an opportunity to celebrate AppLift, celebrate us, the team we were when we began and the team we are now. The future ahead is bright, and we are sure we have what it takes to take AppLift to the next level!