As a business leader, keeping your team informed and focused on larger business goals is of high importance. By keeping your teams aware of what they’re working towards and the goals your company is trying to achieve, you can improve results. Also, by keeping your employees informed and involved in the process, you can build a stronger company culture and show your employees that their work matters. A kick off can be an excellent way to shape your company’s future and build excitement.
Topics To Cover At a Kick-Off
A kick-off can be used for several important events in your business that deserve special focus. Here are areas of attention you may want to touch on during your kick-off event.
- Status Update: part of your kick-off can serve as an update on current business items of note or things of interest. Recent big events, accomplishments, and industry news can be excellent topics about ongoing events.
- Focus on the Future: at the end of the fiscal year, the plans for the upcoming year are often a good topic of conversation. Points such as the implementation of new strategies, market growth, expansion of existing business activities, and company changes are just some topics you can focus on depending on need and importance.
- Review the Past Year: another area of discussion you could have is looking back on the past year of business. While you may be having a kick-off to celebrate the future or a new product looking back on the past successes that brought your company to this point can create a more engaging overview. In addition, it shows your employees and managers what they have accomplished and how their work matters.
- Launch a New Product: many companies use kick-offs to introduce new products. Product launches are some of the most well-known kick-off events and can create hype both in the company and with the buying public at large. A product-based kick-off should be a large, flashy event where the innovations and forward-thinking of your products take center stage.
- Build Your Company Culture: another advantage of a kick-off is building your company culture. Remember a kick-off is also about the people that made it happen. Be sure to focus on your employees, teams, and management by having fun events, engagements, and perks such as food and games. With so much focus on finances and products, the work of those that allow such success to continue should be focused on and praised.
Making the Most of Your Kick-Off
When planning a kick-off, you want to make sure the time is well-used. A common issue with meetings, even large ones, is that time is not used effectively. To make the best use of your time (no matter if it’s a few hours a few days), keep the following tips in mind.
- Use an Agenda: one of the first steps to managing time effectively is to set goals. An agenda can carefully layout topics, keep track of who is speaking, and also note when events such as videos or demonstrations should occur.
- Record/Broadcast the Event: if possible, record the event or make use of video conferencing software. This allows employees who can’t attend the event in person or who are busy at the time to still know what occurred and stay informed. It also allows them to feel like they are still part of the team.
Final Thought
A kick-off is more than just a meeting. It’s an event you should make the most of. By focusing on the big picture, your company’s success, and its future, your kick-off can become a memorable and important event in your company’s history that sets your company’s tone and mission statement for the future.
