For leaders whose necessary strategic decisions left teams professionally capable but emotionally disengaged.
Recent strategic decisions were essential for business survival, but your Sales Kick Off planning feels complicated. Teams deliver results yet lack enthusiasm for ambitious new targets. Traditional motivational approaches won’t work here. Post-change psychology requires trust reconstruction before energy rebuilding. This research-backed guide reveals the proven framework that transforms compliance into genuine commitment.
- You’ll discover: Psychology-based approaches, three-element trust framework, five tested formats for post-change dynamics, and case studies showing professional politeness transformed into passionate engagement.
- Award-winning methodology proven with 300+ person teams across UK and international markets by award-winning events management company.
- Result: Your sales Kick Off becomes the foundation for sustained employee partnership, not just a single motivation tactic.
When teams lose trust after difficult decisions
You’re planning your Sales Kick Off (SKO), and there’s an elephant in the room.
Perhaps you’ve had to navigate some rather challenging decisions recently. Strategic changes, restructuring, redundancies – all necessary for the business, but they’ve left your teams feeling rather bruised. Added to which, there are some ambitious targets for the year ahead.
Your teams are still performing, still professional, but that spark of genuine enthusiasm? That deep belief in what you’re building together? It’s not quite what it once was.
Most successful leaders understand that “credibility is the foundation of leadership,” say credibility experts Kouzes and Posner. “People have to believe in leaders before they will willingly follow them.”
But belief isn’t built through presentations or motivational speeches. It’s created through sustained genuine connection and shared purpose.
The good news? Belief and trust can absolutely be restored. Your team wants to feel excited about the future you’re creating together. They want to get behind those ambitious goals. They’re simply waiting for the right conditions and the right experiences to reignite their energy.
Here’s how the best leaders create authentic connection that transforms teams.
Credibility is the foundation of leadership.
Kouzes & Posner
Credibility: How Leaders Gain & Lose it, Why People Demand it
The psychology of post-change teams
Let’s start with something rather fundamental: Trust isn’t just nice to have – it’s what makes everything else possible. As research reveals: “The entire economic system is based on trust… If people don’t trust those who handle their money, their livelihoods, and their lives, they’ll just refuse to participate.”
When teams have experienced significant change, they naturally enter what researchers call “heightened vulnerability.” They’re more cautious about where they invest their energy. It’s not personal. It’s human psychology.
Think about the teams you admire most. The ones where people genuinely light up when talking about their work, where collaboration feels effortless, where challenges become shared adventures rather than individual struggles. What creates that energy?
Research shows that this isn’t just feel-good psychology; it’s measurable business impact. As connection experts note: “Connection is our most important human superpower. Lack of connection is our biggest threat as individuals and as a species.”
When genuine connection is established, people stop operating from the defensive position where they “refuse to participate” and start genuinely investing their energy. Research on collective experiences reveals why: “Collective effervescence reminds us that joy is a group phenomenon, a team game.”
But here’s the crucial insight: We know that meaningful connection in working environments drops off dramatically when people are more than 60 feet apart. But simply bringing everyone into the same room doesn’t automatically restore that energy.
Research shows that even when teams are physically together, real bonding often hovers around 2.8 out of 5. That’s not terrible, but it’s certainly not the level of connection that drives exceptional results.
This applies to SKOs. Simply gathering everyone into the same venue won’t rebuild the connection you’re looking for. What makes the difference? Intentional design. As researchers have found: “Intentionally designing teams for mutual success, bonding and trust is what matters, not where they happen to be working.”
Why traditional Sales Kick Off approaches backfire after change
Most SKOs follow a familiar format: Welcome reception, leadership presentations, team activities, awards ceremonies, ambitious targets for the coming year. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this structure.
After a period of strategic change? It’s not the format that’s the problem – it’s the approach.
Your teams are dealing with what researchers call “multiple, conflicting and compounded forces.” They want to believe in the future you’re presenting, but they’re still processing the changes you’ve already implemented. They need confidence about what’s ahead, but they also need acknowledgement of what’s been.
Traditional motivation tactics ignore this complexity entirely. They assume everyone’s ready to move forward enthusiastically. But research shows that during strategic change, people need time to process before they can fully commit to new directions.
The authenticity trap
Your teams’ emotional intelligence is heightened right now. They’re unconsciously assessing whether your words align with your actions, and whether your enthusiasm feels genuine given recent events.
If there’s a disconnect between your energy and their reality, they’ll spot it immediately. And it will actually damage trust further.
The acknowledgement problem
Mass communication creates mass indifference, particularly after periods of change. Sweeping statements about “recent challenges” and generic appreciation fall flat because they don’t acknowledge the specifics of the situation. After significant change or redundancies, this approach can feel tone-deaf.
When leaders acknowledge the reality of recent challenges – the uncertainty people felt, the extra effort they put in, the professional resilience they’ve shown – it creates a foundation for everything else.
The participation gap
Most kick offs are built around presentations and passive consumption. But research shows that “the most successful transformational changes happen when leaders take the stance of supporting processes for deep listening that allow the emergence of new narratives and collective meaning-making.”
Put simply: People need to help write the new story, not just hear one that’s already been written for them.
Your teams are dealing with multiple, conflicting and compounded forces.
Gilpin-Jackson
Dialectical Leadership: New Leadership Calling In an Era of Polycrisis
Three elements that actually build trust in a Sales Kick Off
After working with numerous leadership teams, we’ve identified three elements that consistently work to (re)establish trust, credibility and spark genuine enthusiasm:
1. Authentic moments
This isn’t about vulnerability for its own sake – it’s about genuine human connection. The best leaders create moments where teams see them as real people navigating real challenges, not just role-holders delivering corporate messages.
Research on organisational trust shows that during periods of change, “employees are often feeling vulnerable and much depends on their willingness to trust.” Creating authentic leadership moments helps address this vulnerability. We worked with an IT solutions company that needed to bring together teams from offices across England and Scotland for their very first company-wide event. The CEO opened their kick off by sharing the strategic vision and the weight of aligning diverse regional teams – not seeking sympathy but showing the human challenge of leadership. The response was immediate: people leaned in rather than switched off.
The company was delighted with the result. They reported that 300 attendees from across the regions felt genuinely engaged and aligned with the company strategy. The event theme, “together we thrive,” perfectly captured the collective energy that authentic leadership can create. This approach reflects our experience across multiple industries – from technology companies like the client testimonial from its Technology Group in Manchester who said we ‘absolutely smashed it’ with our ‘creativity, attention to detail, and dedication to creating memorable experiences.
2. Collaborative future-building
Here’s where most events go wrong: they present finished strategies rather than involving teams in shaping what comes next.
Trust reconstruction research identifies this as developing “shared mental models” – one of the critical stages of rebuilding organisational trust. The process involves moving “beyond the mere transactional to also involve the relational” between leaders and teams. This collaborative approach is essential because “trust is imperative for the successful navigation of strategic change initiatives.”
Connection research tells us that “learning from one another sets human beings apart from every other species on the planet.” Your people don’t just want to receive information – they want to contribute to creating what comes next.
In practical terms: instead of presenting your 2026 strategy, involve your team in refining it. Instead of announcing new processes, collaborate on designing them. When people help build the plan, they own the outcome.
3. Recognition that feels real
Mass communication creates mass indifference, particularly after periods of change. People need to feel valued as individuals who’ve contributed during difficult times. Generic appreciation falls flat because it doesn’t acknowledge the specific ways each person contributes. But genuine recognition – based on real observation of individual strengths and contributions – creates powerful emotional connection.
Research published in The Journal of Psychology shows that “expressions of thankfulness are an important stimulus for motivation in the workplace, as they remind employees about the importance of their efforts for other people, while also making them feel capable and autonomous in their jobs.”
The key is specificity. Not “thanks for all your hard work” but “team, the way you handled the client concerns during our system upgrade showed real leadership. That’s why they’re expanding their contract with us.”
The compound effect of trust-building
Combine these elements – leadership authenticity, acknowledgement and recognition, participation and collaboration – and something powerful happens. Teams don’t just feel seen and heard; they feel motivated and connected to something meaningful.
Ideas flow more freely. People take ownership of challenges rather than simply executing tasks. Collaboration becomes natural, not something you have to engineer. This energy transformation is what separates good teams from exceptional ones.
How we help create Sales Kick Offs that work
As an award-winning business, when leadership teams come to us after challenging periods, they’re often thinking about logistics – venues, presentations, catering.
But our award-winning approach, developed over nearly two decades working with global brands, focuses on understanding the psychology of what their teams have been through.
Our approach starts with listening properly. Not just to business objectives, but to the human journey your people have experienced.
We have honest conversations – with leadership and team members – to understand where people really are emotionally. We often hear, “We need a motivational kick off” and after some initial conversations, we discover that their teams don’t need motivation as such – they need to feel heard and genuinely involved in shaping what’s coming next.
This isn’t standard event briefing. It’s about understanding the specific dynamics affecting your team’s willingness to engage, then designing experiences that address those psychological needs first.
Because here’s what we’ve learned: You can’t energise teams whose trust is waning. You have to rebuild trust first, then energy and motivation follows naturally.
Combine authenticity, recognition, participation and collaboration and something powerful happens
Mike Walker
Managing Director, MGN Events
Five Sales Kick Off approaches that actually work after change
When we’re discussing these principles with leadership teams, the question that inevitably comes up is: ‘That sounds right in theory, but what does it actually look like in practice?’ Here are five approaches that consistently work:
1. The strategy workshop experience
For: 200-500 people who need to genuinely influence direction
Approach: Rather than presenting finished strategies, we create environments where teams can properly contribute to shaping what comes next. Multiple collaborative spaces, real-time feedback systems, and facilitated sessions that generate actual business insights.
Why it works: Teams leave having influenced real decisions, not just heard about them.
2. The honest conversation event
For: Teams who’ve been through significant change
Approach: Carefully designed journey from authentic leadership dialogue through collaborative planning to genuine commitment. We create spaces that acknowledge where you’ve been whilst building excitement for where you’re going.
Why it works: Addresses the psychology of post-change teams whilst delivering business alignment.
3. The collaboration innovation day
For: 150-400 people tackling real business challenges
Approach: Transform traditional presentations into working sessions where teams solve actual problems, refine approaches, and co-create frameworks. Dynamic spaces that encourage genuine collaboration, not token consultation.
Why it works: Generates real solutions whilst rebuilding team connection and ownership.
4. The recognition and renewal experience
For: Company-wide events focused on culture rebuilding
Approach: Multi-layered experience celebrating individual contributions during difficult periods, building collective identity, and establishing shared commitments. Recognition that feels genuine, not corporate.
Why it works: Addresses the human need to feel valued before asking for renewed commitment.
5. The partnership planning event
For: 100-600 people transitioning from compliance to ownership
Approach: Position teams as genuine partners in business success. Showcase individual expertise, develop collaborative solutions, establish shared accountability through meaningful commitments.
Why it works: Transforms the relationship from “us and them” to “we’re all in this together.”
What makes these approaches different?
Each approach combines understanding of post-change team psychology with exceptional event design. We’re creating experiences that rebuild trust whilst delivering genuine business value.
What is a Sales Kick Off?
A Sales Kick Off is a strategic company event, typically held at the beginning of the calendar or financial year, designed to energise and align commercial teams around goals, strategy, and culture for the year ahead.
Most commonly involving sales, marketing, customer success, and product teams, these events serve multiple purposes: introducing new strategies and tools, celebrating previous achievements, building team cohesion, and creating momentum for ambitious targets.
For many companies, the Sales Kick Off represents the most important internal event of the year – a chance to unite distributed teams, reinforce company values, and ensure everyone understands not just what they need to achieve, but why it matters and how they'll work together to get there.
Done well, they transform groups of individual performers into aligned, motivated teams ready to tackle the year's challenges together.
Choosing the right partner for trust-building events
Our expertise in post-change team psychology isn’t just theoretical – it’s proven through delivery:
- Award-winning approach: Runnymede Business of the Year 2023 and Growth Award winner
- Global client portfolio: Trusted by companies from technology to luxury brands including Straumann and Ralph Lauren
- Proven scale: Successfully delivered experiences for 100-600 person teams across UK and internationally
- Strategic partnership: Nearly two decades of experience as event suppliers and strategic advisors
As one client recently noted:
"This was the third event we've had the pleasure of working on with MGN Events, and once again, they absolutely smashed it. Their creativity, attention to detail, and dedication to creating a memorable experience for our employees truly shines through in everything they do."
ITS Technology Group
Ready to rebuild team trust and energy?
Let’s discuss how this approach to Sales Kick Off events might work for your specific team and challenges.
Explore our approach to strategic leadership experiences. Call 01932 22 33 33 or email hello@mgnevents.co.uk, alternatively, fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page.
In Summary: How to Rebuild Trust at Sales Kick Offs
- Acknowledge your team’s emotional journey (not corporate speak)
- Create collaborative strategy sessions (genuine participation)
- Offer individual recognition for specific contributions
- Follow through with consistent, visible leadership
- Leverage an award-winning approach used by 200+ person teams across the UK
Developed by multi award-winning event planning and management specialists MGN Events
Mike,
Managing Director
Known for balancing big vision with even bigger energy, Mike’s loud on the phone, louder about ideas, and always ready with a one-liner to keep things fun.
