After having worked remotely for a long time, we decided it was finally time to meet in person.
That’s why we organized a weekend-long team event for all team members of Nordic Minds – some of whom had onboarded recently during the pandemic and hadn’t yet met the rest of the team face-to-face.
We wanted to bring the spirit of our digital events – such as last year's online Christmas cooking session or our virtual monthly after-work get-togethers – into real life and connect the team even more. Our Nordic spirit is an essential part of how we work and who we are.
As Assistant to the Managing Director & Partners, I was in charge of the organization and planning process – and had a number of things to take into account.
A key criterion was travel time and convenience; after all, we have consultants at different locations in Europe. Productivity was also important – proximity to our headquarters in Hamburg would allow us to combine this event with a business meeting for the partners. Finally, we also wanted to include some private time to relax together with the entire team. That's why we decided to spend a weekend in St. Peter Ording at the coast of the North Sea.
Based on personal recommendations from friends as well as Marcus' own experience, I booked the hotel 'Zweite Heimat'.
For our workshop and activities, I chose the 'Beach Motel' next door, which created a nice balance between private and working time. Besides that, it was important to be able to combine our Nordic spirit and productivity, to have a good choice of restaurants, access to nature, and the possibility for fun activities. In the planning process, I made sure to consider the needs of all our team members.
We all went biking – windswept by a lovely Nordic breeze – and for a fantastic dinner, we did yoga together, and had our first team photoshoot! But we were also productive and focused.
Work and play
Fanny, Christian, and Marcus had developed a workshop together. Its philosophy centered around crucial questions regarding the mission of Nordic Minds as well as our company culture.
The workshop had two main parts: first, the definition of workplace culture and its roots in shared values, belief systems, attitudes, and assumptions; second, the concept of purpose and why it’s bigger than any product, service, technology, charismatic leader, or team – it’s the very reason why the company exists, beyond profit.
Together, we had inspiring discussions and developed really good ideas – some of which are already being implemented!
To me, it was fascinating to see how collaborative, relaxed, and familiar we all were. Despite having worked remotely for such a long time, we have grown so close. It was as if we had already been working together for years, even with our new members.
That’s a fantastic feeling, which proves to me that we at Nordic Minds truly embody and live the values for which we stand.
Professionally, I took home what really makes a team thrive – both in the business world as well as in the personal sphere. Our event reminded me that the right attitude in and with the team increases both success and joy.
But my personal highlight was the beautiful speech that my colleague, Hannele, gave on our last evening. She emphasized kindness as one of our most important values. This aspect had not yet come up in the workshop, and she used it to refer to the way we treat each other. The entire team at the table had goosebumps – a truly unforgettable moment. That's undeniably an integral part of our Nordic spirit.
Jasmin Christensen-Matassa is the Assistant to the Managing Director & Partners and has been working for Nordic Minds since November 2020. She is the first point of contact and in charge of organization, event planning, communication, and marketing. You can reach out to her via mail here .