TLDR; For Pixel Dreams, 2021 saw new heights of personal and professional growth across the team. Core values reached next levels of clarity.
The annual all-day State of the Nation (SOTN) kicked off the year with a deep reflection and a clear vision. With all hands on deck and all eyes on one another, we travelled from our past through our present and well into our future. We reaffirmed purpose, reinforced long-term vision, and recorded the most immediate quarterly goals. The leadership team presented the organizational themes for 2021:
- Under construction
- Progress in motion
- Strengthen the foundation
The WHAT was clear. The HOW was through:
- Strengthen the body
- Sharpen the mind
- Seize opportunities
Of course, anything worthwhile comes from a strong WHY.
2020 was a gruelling year for many. As an organization, we got lucky. One word to summarize 2020 was “GRATITUDE”. You can learn more about our 2020 year in our 2021 State of the Nation and our 2020 Accountability Report.
We had many things to be grateful for in the year 2020. Yes, it was tough, which is why we focused on counting our blessings and being grateful for the opportunities that came our way. In 2020, a few blessings included strong and stable finances stemming from a massive increase in revenue over the last few years. With it, an almost doubling in team size, and a massive amount of new projects were completed.
With so much growth coupled with the uncertainty of the future, our leadership team was wise to not get ahead of ourselves with dreams of growth but rather, focus on stabilization and strengthening our core. One of our mottos was t>$, which means time is more precious than money. We recognize costs are less important than dollars invested to save time. Because time is the only finite resource on our journey through life. With that, we doubled and tripled down on strengthening the core. Sometimes gentle, sometimes loud, reminders that our job to be better is not done. We still have a long way to go.
As a values-guided organization, our core values were better clarified in 2021. Our leadership team decided not to announce the very specific core values in our January 2021 SOTN but to hold off until mid-year. Our reasoning: Let’s put our money where our mouths are. Let’s do the walk before we do the talk.
By mid-2021, our core values were felt by all. Making it clear on paper (and web) was not something that team members already didn’t feel on a day-to-day basis.
Core values
- Improve health
- Pursue wisdom
- Cultivate teamwork
You can learn more about the why and how here.
So, how did we do?
This is the essential question our leadership team asks every month, every quarter, and at the end of the year. We look at our quarterly goals, our efforts to raise intelligence and consciousness (our purpose), and the health and wellness of our team. Then we report back to the team, and to you.
1. Not so hot
In some areas, we could have done better. For example, on three separate occasions, key A+ Players experienced burnouts. We saw it coming. It was difficult to watch, like a slow-moving train wreck. When the time came, our leadership team stepped in, enforced a paid leave of absence, and went as far as disconnecting work email access. Ironically, all three were part of our leadership team!
Aside from health, we also dropped the ball on a few client projects. Not something any of us are proud of. Diagnosing the cause shed light on a few things including the need for better and stronger oversight and training. Even more important, giving responsibilities and duties to team members based on their unique strengths, and supporting them if not eliminating duties that expose natural weaknesses. Working with people’s strengths, not their weaknesses? You’d think we’d have that one covered by now!
2. Pretty amazing
Overall, our wins and triumphs absolutely overshadowed our few failures. Echoing a commonly used phrase at PD, “Killed it.” (peacefully, of course)
Below are short stories and stats on how we did. Most of the information is focused on our efforts to Raise I+C (our purpose). If you’re curious as to our cultural, financial, or quarterly goals, please reach out to our leadership team and let’s chat.
PDT Wins
The presentation deck below has been taken from our full-day State of the Nation presentation. In it, you will find:
- 2021 Overview
- 2021 Quarterly Goals
- Sales & Marketing
- Raising I+C
- Operations
- Health & Wellness
- Culture
- 2021 Major Events
- 2021 I+C Efforts
- Overview
- Team Effort
- Top Schollars
- Organizations we’ve supported
Quarterly Goals
I+C Efforts
All things pertaining to our purpose to raise intelligence and conciousness (Raise I+C). This includes team and individual data.
