Practicing What We Preach: How We Strengthened Our Own High-Performance Team

March 5, 2025

As an executive search firm, we are deeply familiar with the impact of high-performance team development programs. We’ve seen firsthand how our leadership development partners help organizations build stronger, more cohesive, high-performance teams.

Yet, like many companies, we don’t always prioritize the same level of development for ourselves. When business is booming, internal initiatives tend to take a backseat to more immediate business demands. But as our company navigates recent shifts and changes, we recognized the importance of stepping back to assess areas we could potentially improve upon and strengthen our own collaboration.

Enter BentoBox Innovation

To support this effort, we partnered with BentoBox Innovation, an organization specializing in modular, experiential workshops designed to enhance creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving. Unlike traditional, linear training programs, BentoBox sessions are highly adaptable, responding to the unique challenges, relationships, and needs of the participating team.

What sets BentoBox apart is its immersive, hands-on approach. Each session is supported by a physical BentoBox, thoughtfully curated with everything needed to guide participants through a structured yet flexible process.

What we found inside our BentoBox:

A comprehensive kit containing all necessary materials for the session
Step-by-step guides to facilitate meaningful discussions and exercises
Interactive tools such as cards and booklets to stimulate creative thinking
A session roadmap providing structure while allowing space for organic insights

While the sessions are designed to be self-led, our facilitator Tom Pederson was present throughout the session to offer light support, ensuring we stayed on track and maximized the value of the session.

Addressing the Silo Effect

One of the most significant themes that emerged during our workshop was the issue of silos within our organization. As a firm specializing in Executive Search across multiple industries and regions, our consultants may tend to operate within their specific sector, often with limited cross-team collaboration.

While specialization is valuable, the lack of interaction across practice areas can mean missed opportunities—for both internal learning and client solutions. The session encouraged us to take a step back and consider:

From Discussion to Action

One of the most impactful aspects of the session was the shift from identifying challenges to implementing tangible solutions. We committed to simple but effective strategies to foster stronger collaboration. These strategies were centered around creating intentional opportunities for consultants to connect. Whether by setting up structured, regular, cross-functional and cross-regional team meetings, or something as simple as having lunch or coffee regularly with members from other teams. Some consultants also committed to learning about other industries from consultants specializing in those areas via short knowledge sharing sessions.

To ensure accountability, each consultant committed to incorporating these habits into their routine and reporting back in our weekly commerce team meetings.

Once the session wrapped up, the group was treated to delicious homemade pizza by our Chief Commercial Officer, Victor, as we reflected on the insights and discoveries of the day.

Reflections and Next Steps

The session clearly reinforced the importance of taking time to invest in our own development—not just as individual consultants but as a collective team. Strengthening collaboration across industries and geographies not only enhances our internal culture but enables us to better serve our clients and candidates by offering broader, more integrated insights.

Through this experience, we were reminded that team development isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity. With the right framework and commitment, small shifts in behavior can drive meaningful change, fostering a workplace that is more connected, agile, and innovative.