We flew to South of Sardinia, Italy, for our team building retreat, away from the hustle and bustle of London and busy lives. Known for its summer and beach destination, we thought we would be chillaxing in this beautiful island. Little did we know that we would cycle a total of 100 km through the mountains, valleys, coast and villages of Sardinia in the span of three days. None of us cycles regularly, let alone cycle in the mountains.
Pedalling through dirt, rocky road, motor way with speeding cars and sandy beaches made me realise how much of this was my personal journey as well as a collective collaboration with the team. Like obstacles in our lives, may it be personal or professional, the road was long and full of ups and downs. And we overcame it by embracing and pushing through the hurdles, knowing that we cycled together, and that someone would wait for you when you're left behind or picked you up if you fell.
Above all the struggles, right before our own eyes were the beautiful landscape of this island: a majestic abandoned mining site, vast mountains that made us feel small yet on top of the world, infinite blue sky hovering above us and long golden sands on the shore. This made us forget about the pain and the intense heat of the sun. We knew that at the end of the journey, as a team, we have a common goal, and a common destination with a shared intense sense of accomplishment (and cold cold cold beer!).
We were brought to a secluded (beautiful nevertheless) beach for trust and team building exercise so we could listen to each other without speaking. Despite the sounds of waves crashing, the silence was still so loud. We had to communicate with each other not with our phones, or slack, or emails, but with the unexplainable and powerful connection that only a team possesses.
We came home with bruises, broken bottoms, burns (and tans for the lucky ones) and memories of this adventure together as a team with a bond stronger than before.