The Decelera formula
Each company has its own unique formula, and we want to share ours.
Decelera’s last program took place at Andaz Mayakoba Resort, in Riviera Maya, Mexico. We were lucky to find a partner that shared our vision and purpose, which helped to create a program that is fully consistent with its values and objectives.
Oftentimes, we think that the internal culture of a company and the experience that it delivers to a client are two different things that go separately. However, not only do they go hand-in-hand, but they are also the two main ingredients of the same potion.
Nowadays, we talk repeatedly about positioning the ‘person’ in the center. In most cases, when we refer to the ‘person’, we’re focused on the user/client for whom a project is intended. However, the most consistent thing is to start by placing ourselves at the center of our work.
The first main ingredient will always be the one that marks how things are done, while the second will be the reflection of the first, towards others.
Creating an internal culture requires a common purpose among people. A common purpose is not the same as a common interest. A purpose is the engine that drives each person to direct their interests towards the same path, no matter what it costs or entails.
To realize this common purpose, it is necessary to work in a team, apply what we want for others, in ourselves, to take care of each other. In conventional companies, it is believed that the ‘personal’ must be separated from the ‘professional’, and this could not be farther from the truth. People must get used to being people in their professional lives and not operate like machines.
It is only when we find the union between who we are and what we do that we show our true value and have our first ingredient.
The second ingredient arises when the values of everyone within the company are combined, to create an experience towards others.
Andaz Mayakoba Resort, in particular, was a scenario where we managed to combine these two ingredients and reflect together on our mutual interest in sustainability, teamwork, love for nature, and the development of technology to create a positive impact on the world. Most importantly, it reflected our mutual agreement of the human and ethical approach with which today’s companies must lead and work.
We found in Andaz Mayakoba Resort and its surroundings the perfect context to design a unique and unforgettable experience, where people disconnect from their routine, slow down and pave the way to endless emotion and learning at different levels.
Physically, these experiences enable us to leave the “I want to but I can’t” mentality, to know our bodies and their connection with our hearts and minds.
Psychologically, these experiences allow us to set success aside in order to dare to talk about failure, to be empathetic with others and patient with oneself — To know that getting excited is human.
Mentally, these experiences permit us to leave our assumptions and our egos to be able to learn from others and share without apprehension.
When we create these experiences, I would daresay that we discover the true “I” that is within each person, thus being able to better understand their concerns and needs.
Oftentimes, we forget the importance of the work environment and how it can affect our mood and willingness to do things.
Andaz Mayakoba gave us the perfect space for all these activities to be carried out in a creative, fun and disruptive way.
All these ingredients are part of our unique formula and formed the key for Startups, Experience Makers and invited Investors to achieve our main objective — slow down to achieve a future where technology and human values go hand in hand and have a positive impact in the World.
Valentina Villa-Gómez
Experience and Innovation Designer at Decelera
