Team Building

Good is the Enemy of Great

ellenpatnaude — Thu, 10 May 2012 04:30:08 +0000

Voltaire said it first, and while many people have said it in various ways, it all means the same thing. When we try to be good at too many things, we end up being great at none of them.

Consider this scenario.

Mary is the manager of a medium-sized division in her company. She is responsible for the work that her division does for the company, as well as managing the 25 associates that work in the division. She reports to a company Vice President, and is occasionally asked to make reports to the entire group of Vice Presidents. Mary has job responsibilities that extend beyond managing the people in her division. Yet she spends much of her time putting out fires with and for them. They like and trust her, and it makes her feel important to help them with their work issues.

Mary finds herself constantly feeling like she is trying to catch up at work. She often works very long hours, staying way past everyone else, and lives with her Blackberry glued to her hand. She feels guilty for not spending more time with her family. She often misses evening or weekend family commitments to take care of something at work. Mary is totally stressed out and over extended. She feels like she can’t get a handle on the never-ending ‘fires’, and wants to quit.

Mary’s scenario may not be your own. However, I would assert that too often, many of us are guilty of getting caught up in other people’s expectations or demands on our time without taking the time to consider our effectiveness.

Are you trying to be good at too many things and sacrificing being great at just a few? Are you losing sight of the bigger picture, scrambling around, and feeling trapped on a hamster wheel?

To engage in ongoing development as a leader means evaluating these questions every so often. And to really evaluate them, you need to get specific.

Everyone, regardless of your position at work, can benefit from engaging in intentional reflection. Here are some steps to get you started:

Get it on the calendar: Decide how often you want to reap the benefits of the process and then write it into your calendar. Treat it with the same importance that you treat any other meeting. We recommend allocating two hours to this process, and scheduling it once a week, once every two weeks, or at the very least, once a month.
Problem Solving Time Goes First: Spend the first hour of your reflection time on problem solving. The focus of this type of reflection is short-term and tactical. We are inundated with problems at work every day. To address them effectively, we need to reflect on them. Make a list of problems. Pick the priorities and work them out. Do as many as you realistically can.
Think Strategically and Seek Wisdom: The second hour of your time should be spent on this longer-term type of reflection. It is more proactive and requires discipline and accountability. There will always be dozens of immediate demands! But without this type of reflection, you will find it very difficult to control your time and your situation.
Take Action!: Using what you’ve done in the two hours of reflection, make a plan of concrete steps that you can follow to get you there. Take it to the next level and find someone with whom you can share your plan of action who will hold you accountable for actually doing it.

Many of us are so busy putting out fires and responding to the immediate and never-ending daily demands of our lives that we do not carve out time to gain control. Often people refer to it as ‘taking time for themselves’. It falls again and again to the bottom of the priority list.

We challenge you to try carving out this block of time even once, and see what kind of benefits you can reap. And if you want a partner in this process, and more detailed guidance on how to engage in this discipline, we’re just a phone call away.

Roche Molecular Build-A-Bike Team Building Event near San Francisco

Lisarezac — Thu, 10 May 2012 04:09:01 +0000

Roche Molecular has a long history of charitable work so they were very excited to take part in the Build-A-Bike Team Building event at their headquarters outside of San Francisco, California near Oakland. The medical research company participates in several charitable projects for the benefit of both local communities and underdeveloped countries worldwide. 100 Roche Molecular employees gathered at their main facility to have fun and grow as a company while giving back to their local community with the Build-A-Bike team building workshop.

The Roche employees were a cooperative group throughout the entire event. Clearly they already had a great team environment. Despite their commitment to working together the human nature of competition is inevitable when people get together and try to “win”. The Roche Molecular employees worked well to overcome the challenges presented to them and succeeded in completing the tasks to build bicycles for less fortunate children. Their solid leadership skills, teamwork and commitment to giving back to their community helped the teams to complete 16 bikes that they presented to the San Leandro Boys and Girls Club. Even though Roche Molecular contributes to many worldwide charities there was something special about being able to see how their efforts were benefiting others. And the 16 lucky boys and girls who got the bikes will never forget the day a group of medical researchers got together and solved puzzles and challenges in order to build brand new bikes for them.

Roche Molecular had a great day of fun, learning and giving back to their community. The team building event helped reinforce their already strong ties and leadership skills. Thanks to Roche Molecular for taking part in the Build-A-Bike Team Building event and for making an impact on not only 16 young people’s lives but also setting a great example for others to follow.

World Acceptance Rescue Bear Team Building Gives Stuffed Animals to Hospital in St. Louis

Craig Wagganer — Wed, 09 May 2012 23:01:52 +0000

World Acceptance, one of the largest small-loan consumer finance companies in the United States and Mexico, had its Missouri Managers together in St. Louis for a Rescue Bear ®Team Building Event. The Rescue Bear is a fun team event in which the end result is that stuffed animals are contributed to local charities that will use the animals in their work with children. In this case the end result was that 43 stuffed animals were donated by World Acceptance to the Barnes-Jewish-Children’s Hospital System in St. Louis, Missouri. The event was fast-paced and fun as teams had to work through situations and complete activities to gain the materials to make the animals.

The Rescue Bear Team Building Event participants from World Acceptance learned that cooperation is an important ingredient to team success. Individual team members need to learn to cooperate with each other as well as being able to contribute according to their specific talents and abilities. Team leadership is best when it is able to evaluate the members and help each grow in their specific areas of expertise so that they con offer the very best of their individual possibilities. Team leadership is not about control, but rather it is about being able to help each individual member do their best and make the most of their talents and abilities for the greater effort of the entire team. Team building is team member growth.

Thanks to World Acceptance for a great event and for making a significant contribution to the St. Louis area hospitals through their Rescue Bear Team Building Event.

Craig Wagganer

Sodexo Bike Team Building in Atlantic City New Jersey

Craig Wagganer — Wed, 09 May 2012 22:03:59 +0000

10 employees of Sodexo came together for Team Building in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for a great Build-A-Bike Team Building Event which ended with 4 children from the New Jersey Boys and Girls Clubs receiving new bicycles. The event was filled with fun activities that had the participants learning and laughing. Throughout the 2 hours there were communication and team building ideas presented both overtly and subtly. The fun activities were filled with applications that will help each of the individuals and their leadership abilities. The ideas presented weren’t theories but skills that throughout the activities the participants had opportunity to put into practice.

During the Build-A-Bike Team Building Event there were many opportunities to learn great team building and leadership skills and put them into practice. It is stressed from the start of the program that it is not a competition. The idea is to support and work with one another. It is a hard concept, especially when you’re divided into groups. By dividing into groups competition is almost automatic, even if it is discouraged. The problems that needed to be solved to get the bike parts were most easily solved when working with other teams. The most effective and efficient way to solve many problems is to ask others for help, but it is a hard thing to do, especially if you view it as a competition. But divisions, different locations, any thing that segments one company into many parts, can create unhealthy competition that keeps them from sharing vital information with other groups. Ultimately, the 10 participants from Sodexo realized that they were one team, not 3 teams, but one team- made up of 3 sub-groups, with one goal- to build bikes for kids. They did a fantastic job and not only did the 4 children that received the bikes benefit but so did the communities they live in.

Thanks, Sodexo, for a great Build-A-Bike Team Building Event and for making a generous contribution to families in New York and New Jersey.

Craig Waggganer

Add Fun Team Building Events to Any Meeting

Doug Staneart — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:28:15 +0000

Ask your team how they would describe most meetings around the office, and most likely (even if you are a really good leaders) you will still hear words like…
LONG and
BORING…

It’s not your fault. We live in such a busy world that we often have to try to fit a bunch of information into a short period of time (or even worse, a long period of time). As a result, we begin to fall into what folks in the industry call “data dumping”. Below are a couple of quick things that you can do to add fun team building events to any meeting.

Add Fun Team Building Events to Any Meeting

Cut Down on the Content: A little content covered really well is much, much better than a lot of content that everyone forgets by the end of the day. I know time is short, but if you cover a little content in an energetic and fun way, you will create building-blocks with your team so that in future meetings, you can build on the past successes. If you cover a bunch of stuff, and your team only retains a small percentage of it, you will be frustrated as the retention drops over time.
Give the Team Free Time: If your team is booked for a convention or annual meeting, and they start at 7:30 AM and end at 9:00 PM, they will absolutely hate it (no matter how beneficial the content and the meetings are). If you have a jam-packed schedule, it doesn’t matter how many “fun activities” that you add to the agenda, they will hate the meeting. Instead of having every meal with the entire group, give them a per diem and let them get outside of the hotel. If you are at a resort, make sure and give them some time to enjoy the pool or the beach.
Speed Up Your Speeches: I know this goes against conventional wisdom, but the old tip to “slow down when you are in front of a group” is something you should always disregard. When you speak faster, you are pushing energy into the room. Think about the way that presenters on infomercials speak. Are they slow and methodical covering tons of data, or do they speak quickly and with energy and enthusiasm? The do the latter, because the faster speech and energy captures attention and holds the attention of the audience for longer periods of time.
Insert Professional Team Facilitators: The bigger your group, the more difficult it is to deliver a high-energy, fun team building event. So, it is a good idea to bring in a professional facilitor if the outcome is important. Limit the team activity to a couple of hours at most, and the group will be able to stay enthused throughout the entire time period. You’ll also want to schedule the fun event late afternoon and at the very end of your meeting if possible. If you schedule the team activity too early in the day, then anything that you do later in the day will seem pretty boring in comparison. If you schedule it too late, then the group will be tired and the energy of the event will suffer. Schedule the team activity as the last thing that you do, and your team will leave the event having the fun, high energy activity in the front of their minds. That warm feeling will transfer over to the entire meeting.

Do these things, and you will add fun and energy to any meeting!

Cloud Mark Build-A-Bike Team Event Creates Strong Bonds in San Francisco

Lisarezac — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:12:36 +0000

At the headquarters of their international internet security company in San Francisco, California Cloud Mark employees from across the globe participated in a Build-A-Bike Team Event. Cloud Mark makes it’s home in San Francisco but also has offices in Europe and Asia. Being spread out among several offices, communication and creating team can be challenging. Coming together to work through the team building exercises of the Build-A-Bike ®Team Building event can help any company get to know each other better and build a stronger team. Sixty Cloud Mark employees gathered for this event and were committed to working together and using all of their unique and individual talents.

The software technicians were an energetic group with distinct personalities. Bringing their employees together for a challenging and exciting event helped them to bond as a company and develop their teamwork and leadership skills. As they worked through the challenges offered by the Build-A-Bike Team Building event, they learned how to rely upon each other, break down any walls that hindered communication and find the most efficient ways to complete the challenges. They learned that coming together as a team has everyone winning in the end.

On top of learning valuable teamwork and leadership skills, employees were also able to help out the San Francisco Boys and Girls Club through their efforts. The team succeeded in building and donating 10 bikes that will go towards helping children to enjoy their youth. Reinforcing the lessons of the workshop, donating the bikes taught Cloud Mark employees the value of giving back to their community. One of those lucky kids might grow up to work with Cloud Mark as a software technician!

Just like the challenges in the Build-A-Bike Team Building event the charitable aspect showed employees how helping out their community benefits the company as well. Cloud Mark was able to strengthen their company bonds while having fun and making a difference. Thank you Cloud Mark for a great time!

Sabre Holdings Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in Dallas, Texas Adds Energy and Fun

ellenpatnaude — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:58:08 +0000

Sabre Hospitality Solutions, a division of Sabre Holdings, included a Build-A-Bike team building event during their two-day conference in Dallas, Texas. The workshop added energy and fun to the conference while giving back to local kids in need. Sabre Hospitality Solutions provides the most comprehensive set of hotel distribution and marketing services in the industry. They provide hoteliers with many tools for reaching more customers and increasing their effectiveness in the marketplace. It was a group of these hoteliers plus the Sabre Hospitality Solutions staff that came together for the large bicycle team event in Dallas.

Build-A-Bike is a fast-paced, high-energy workshop that gives participants the opportunity to interact, compete and ultimately work together to solve a series of challenges. Due to our competitive human nature, there is typically some skepticism at the notion that the teams need to collaborate to solve the challenges more efficiently. While this group of people don’t necessarily work together in their day-to-day businesses, they did rise to the challenge and help each other, ultimately making everyone successful.

By the end of the event, they had built 30 bikes! Local kids from the YMCA of greater Dallas came at the end of the event to receive the bikes. There was not a dry eye to be found! As businesses that mostly cater to travelers, this was a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved to extend a hand to the community around them.

“The event was so well received from our team and our customers, and it was a big success! I really appreciate your working with us. It was a lot of fun and so rewarding! I hope we have the chance to work together again soon.”

– Carol Levitt, Sabre Hospitality Solutions

Everyone likes to give back to the community, especially to kids in need. Including Build-A-Bike team building in your next conference gives those you’ve brought together the opportunity to do just that while adding energy, enthusiasm and fun!

InfoComm includes Build-A-Bike Team Building Event near Washington, DC

ellenpatnaude — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:50:58 +0000

InfoComm International held their regular Executive Committee meeting near Washington, DC and included a Build-A-Bike team building event as a way to give back to the community and have some fun together. InfoComm International is the leading nonprofit association serving the professional AV communications industry worldwide. Founded in 1939, the association offers industry expertise and market research serving press and others seeking information about the industry. As a small group of 13 people, the leadership of the team wanted to make sure that the group would still have a great experience of the event. We were able to customize the agenda to fit the size of their group, as we can do with any size group, and give them the same great experience on a smaller scale.

The Build-A-Bike team activity is a high-energy, really fun workshop that gives the participants a chance to engage together in “play with a purpose” exercises. As high level managers, this team collaborated naturally and were quickly successful in every activity.

At the end of the event, the group had built four bikes and had a really great time together. The excitement in the room ratcheted up another notch when the YMCA of Fairfax County arrived with four local children who were the ecstatic recipients of the bikes! While most of the participants in this Bicycle Team Building Event were from outside of the Washington, DC area, they had deep appreciation for the difference their contribution made locally.

“This was a great exercise – exactly what the team needed to get us out of the conference room and away from our computer screens for a little while!” – Ann Brigada, InfoComm

No matter what size your group, Build-A-Bike team building is the perfect way to add spark and fun to your retreat or conference while giving back to your local community. It can help your group gel together while reinforcing important team building lessons.

Johnsonville Sausage Ace Race Team Building Workshop in Sheboygan Falls, WI

ellenpatnaude — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:32:51 +0000

Johnsonville Sausage recently included an Ace Race golf team building workshop in an off-site team meeting in Sheboygan Falls, WI, not far from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Johnsonville Sausage has been around as a company since 1978 and is known for their quality meat products. They have around 1,300 employees, and now export their products to 30 countries around the world.

The workshop involved about 40 members of their MIS team. The goal was to give them a fun experience that got them up and moving from their normally more desk oriented jobs! The Ace Race Golf Team Event began with a couple of quick warm-up activities that get at some of the fundamentals of good team communication. The group shared some laughs and the competitive spirit was high! Moving into the golf event itself, each team created a mini putting green for themselves using non-perishable goods. Each green had a unique design and some included very tricky obstacles! All of the teams then had a race to see which team could get around the entire course first, making a hole-in-one on each green.

This group started out a little low-key, but very competitive! There was a lot of laughter and cheering as they created and then played their course. At the end of the event, they invited The Salvation Army to accept their donation of half a ton of food. While a representative was unable to attend the event due to a last-minute conflict, the organization was very grateful for the generous donation and will use it in the eight food pantries it helps supply around the greater Sheboygan area.

Team building workshops that are composed of activities that have a point, coupled with a lot of fun and the opportunity to give back to the community are a great way to get people having fun together. Consider including an Ace Race Team Activity in your next conference and give your team a memorable experience!

Japanese Team Building Proverbs

Doug Staneart — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:51:04 +0000

Team Building Quotes: Below is a list of Japanese proverbs related to Team Building and People Skills. Some are funny. Some are wise. All will make you think a little…

One kind word can warm three winter months.
The reverse side also has a reverse side.
When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.
A good sword is the one left in its scabbard.
A single arrow is easily broken, but not ten in a bundle.
Adversity is the foundation of virtue.
If you understand everything, you must be misinformed.
Laughter cannot bring back what anger has driven away.
One who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger.
The inarticulate speak longest.
The tongue is but three inches long, yet it can kill a man six feet high.
The smallest good deed is better than the grandest good intention.
Vision with action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare.
We learn little from victory, much from defeat.
We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.
We’ve arrived, and to prove it we’re here.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Gives Big, With A Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in Chicago, Illinois

Connie Timpson — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:39:44 +0000

Blue Cross, Blue Shield, of Illinois, strengthened their team with a Build-A-Bike team building event in Oak Brook, Illinois, near Chicago and gave a little miracle to some kids who need it. Targeting Chicago’s inner city teens, BCBS reached out and touched some kids with kindness, and a life-changing gift. These kids are “at risk” meaning they have already lived some of the most difficult times of their lives, and the future does not look much different. BCBS wants to help change that. These caring people did not have to care about these kids. They are not family. But they care deeply. They want these kids to have a better chance in life. So, hand in hand with the Boys and Girl’s Club, and The Leader’s Institute, they competed to solve some puzzles, and build some bikes. They negotiated some things, assembled some pieces, and helped other teams. In the end, making sure the bikes were road ready.

26 bikes stood ready to roll onto the streets of Chicago, during the critical times of these kids life. Those twilight hours from 4-7 p.m. challenge these children every day. Do they do homework? Hang? Get in trouble? Now they have an incredible vehicle to help them climb mountains, both figuratively and literally, to choose a path to a healthy life-style, and make better choices. To feel like someone who does not have to care about you – does care about you, is empowering, that feeling increases self worth and pride.

But that was not all, with a room full of adults biting back tears, Illinois, BCBS Director, Jay Todd Phillips, presented a $5,000 check to help make the lives of many other kids a whole lot better. Even for this jaded facilitator, who knew it was going to happen, the tears just kept dripping. It was a proud moment for BCBS and a thankful one for Chicago’s Inner-City, Boys and Girl’s Club. By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Wells Fargo hosts Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in Minneapolis, Minnesota

chrismcneany — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:34:15 +0000

Wells Fargo builds stronger relationships amongst co-workers by hosting Build-A-Bike® team building event in Minneapolis, Minnesota. By doing the Build-A-Bike® event, the Wells Fargo team learned things about each other they didn’t know before, and had to come up with answers to questions that required people to work together instead of working in isolation. When the kids came in to receive the bikes at the end of the event, it was a complete surprise for the participants. They left knowing they had made a difference in these kids’ lives, and knew each other a little better than they did before the event.

Bringing members of a company together through a team building event is a great way to strengthen relationships and interact with people in a different atmosphere. While we often work as islands in a day-to-day work setting, participating in an event filled with teamwork activities can help build stronger relationships in the workplace, which make people more likely to work together to solve problems in the future. Plus, everyone had fun working together to build bikes for kids who value them more than the participants could ever know. The Build-A-Bike® team building event is a great way for companies to bring co-workers closer together, while also giving back to the community, whether you are in Minneapolis, Minnesota, or any other city in the U.S.

Superior Essex uses Build-A-Bike workshop to encourage team building and philanthropy in Fort Wayne, Indiana

ellenpatnaude — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:30:45 +0000

Superior Essex hosted a Build-A-Bike team building workshop for its highest level management team to encourage team building and philanthropy as part of its recent conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Superior Essex is a global leader in the design, manufacture and supply of wire and cable products. Their parent companies have been in business since 1930, and have evolved over time with technology. Superior Essex works all over the world. About 65 members of management gathered for the event.

Build-A-Bike uses a series of challenges and activities to encourage team building. Meant to be something of a caricature of behavior we can see in the workplace, the participants have a good time poking fun at themselves and each other as they move through the exercises together. As high-level leaders in the company, these folks figured out pretty quickly that they would be much more effective working together!

They wanted to keep the impact of this event local, so they selected an organization in Fort Wayne to receive the 10 bikes that they built. The bikes will be Christmas presents to children who would not have had much to look forward to on Christmas morning otherwise.

“This event exceeded all of our expectations! Everyone had a really great time with the activities, and knowing that they will be making Christmas brighter for local kids was a definite high point. We will definitely look forward to working with Ellen and The Leader’s Institute again next year!” — Amanda O’Brien, Superior Essex

Even groups that have been working together for a long time need events where they can just have fun together while reinforcing the importance of good working relationships. If you want to encourage team building while giving back to your local community, consider including Build-A-Bike in your next conference!

Walgreen’s Builds Teams and Bikes in Chicago, Illinois

Craig Wagganer — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:25:54 +0000

Over 60 employees of Walgreen’s came together in Chicago, Illinois, for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. The participants came from across the country for meetings that included this special time. There was a lot of laughter and camaraderie as everyone joined in the fun to enjoy one another and the unique opportunity. The end result was that 10 bikes were built and donated to the Union League Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago. It was a memorable event as the Walgreen’s leaders were challenged in their memory skills, some creative ventures and then the bike construction. Each part of the event focused on aspects of team building and leadership. Amidst the fun were unique learning opportunities that everyone participated in and enjoyed.

One unique feature of the Build-A-Bike Team Building Event is the downplaying of competition. In this case every activity was precluded with an announcement that what was happening was not a competition. But any time you divide into teams the competitive nature of individuals is going to come out. In this case each activity revealed the competitiveness. At the end of the event, during the debrief, the competitive issue was addressed and how competition can bring out the best in performance and that can be good, it can also be detrimental if it causes us to withhold information that can be helpful to the accomplishment of the overall task or goal. In this case the goal was to build ten bikes. If a team focused on getting finished with there bike first, or treated the activity as a competition it actually hurt them and the rest of the teams and kept them from being as efficient and as effective as they could have been. In essence it is more important to see the ten groups as members of the same team trying to acomplish a shared goal rather than 10 sperate teams trying to win a competition.

Walgreens had a lot of fun and they have a great team. It was a pleasure working with them and their shared camaraderie and commitment ot the goals came through with a great Build-A-Bike Team Building Event.

Craig Wagganer

San Diego Gas and Electric Gives Bikes to Children in San Diego, California

Craig Wagganer — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:19:37 +0000

40 managers for San Diego Gas and Electric came together at the Energy Innovation Center in San Diego, California for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. The end result was 6 new bicycles being donated to children from the San Diego Boys and Girls Clubs. The event was fun and action packed as the teams worked together to solve puzzles, answer questions, and unravel situations and decipher problems all in order to obtain the necessary parts to build the bikes. The time is spent learning team building and leadership skills in a fun and practical way. As all the activities are taking place there is a lot of fun and laughter as well as moments of application and learning.

Often times team building is seen as the process of increasing good communication. If team members communicate well then a good team will result. That is a good and necessary step, but teams need to move beyond communication to collaboration. Good teams don’t just communicate, but they collaborate so that the end result is a synergistic effort. It isn’t that everyone just does their share, but rather that each one contributes to team and the result is greater than just the sum of the individual contributions. Collaboration means that the team is working together in an effective and efficient manor. This is one of the lessons stressed through the Build–A-Bike Team Building Event.

Thanks to San Diego Gas and Electric for a great experience and for your generous contribution to the San Diego Boys and Girls Clubs through the Build-A-Bike Team Building Event.

Craig Wagganer, Team Building Event Instructor

New Camaraderie Quest Team Scavenger Hunt Video

Doug Staneart — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:20:26 +0000

We have recently posted a new video on YouTube for the Camaraderie Quest High-Tech Team Scavenger Hunt. The Camaraderie Quest is a really fun team building event that can be conducted outdoors in any downtown area or historical area, at theme parks, or any other outdoor venue that has interesting building, historical venues, or art. The team scavenger hunt can also be conducted indoors in museums or shopping areas (or even on resort grounds in some situations). Each team activity is customized for the group and the location, and these team events are really, really FUN!

Take a look at the video, and you’ll be able to see some pictures and videos from past events.

For more information about the Camaraderie Quest Team Scavenger Hunt, click this link or call us toll-free at 800-872-7830.

Blog postings about past Camaraderie Quests: Camaraderie Quest Team Events
Other Team Building Videos.

Rocket Fuel blasts off with Build-A-Bike Team Event in Las Vegas, Nevada

Lisarezac — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:01:02 +0000

Rocket Fuel held their annual sales meeting for over 70 of their employees in Las Vegas, Nevada recently and included a Build-A-Bike charity team building workshop that resulted in 14 children receiving bikes. Rocket Fuel is a digital media company driving campaign results from awareness to sales.

Like their name suggests, they seemed to be powered by rocket fuel and the sheer power to win! Competition is a normal part of a business culture as departments set goals for their teams to increase sales and grow. But when it starts to supersede everything else it can undermine communication and working as a team. It can be detrimental to the culture if it is not kept in balance. The exercises in the Build-A-Bike Build a Bike program are a fun and effective way to show what it is like when this occurs. Fortunately, the energetic Rocket Fuel participants abandoned their competitive spirits and worked together to achieve the goals to have fun, build some bikes and learn a little about team building.

The activities culminated with the building of 14 bikes that were given to children at the Community Services of Nevada. In the heart of the Las Vegas strip, 14 happy boys and girls were the very grateful recipients. Even all the lights and the flash of the Vegas Strip couldn’t compare to the joy on the children’s faces when they received their bikes. It brought the meaning of giving and how much we can make a difference to someone else.

TriQuint SemiConductors Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in Dallas, Texas

Connie Timpson — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:53:59 +0000

TriQuint SemiConductors met in Dallas, Texas to create big ideas, solve problems, and collaborate by using a fun team-building event to bring them together, and give to kids. A Build-A-Bike team building event brought the team together in heart and mind, and who says engineers can’t let loose. Competitive – you betcha. Laugh – right out loud. Collaboration, communication and getting to know each other was at the center of the event, and they came together for a really good cause. They built bikes for kids who have none. No they did not use the directions, but they did laugh a lot.

While these engineers are usually solving big, big, challenges, today they brought out their inner child and did what Einstein would have instructed them to think about, creativity is more important than knowledge. That means not only thinking outside the box, it means breaking down the walls, looking at problems with a different mind-set. Sometimes it means putting aside learning and embracing creativity to put the learning to work for you.

The payoff for their competition and working together – was giving back to some kids who really need a lift. An organization called “Summer Santa” reached out to some kids who have very little and delivered a great surprise. Their dream of owning a brand new bike came true. Diana Reyes, a key volunteer for the organization told the group that these kids need to know that someone cares about them, and TriQuint did just that.
It was not intellect that brought smiles to TriQuint participants, it was a feeling of being part of a fun event with a giant emotional payoff – seeing kids smile, and knowing they were part of it. Debbie Burke, of TriQuint said, “We will do this again. Connie was terrific.”By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Gallo Executives Rescue Bear Team Building Event in Modesto, California

Craig Wagganer — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:46:49 +0000

12 people from E & J Gallo Wineries executive leadership team came together for a day of meetings which included a Rescue Bear Team Building Event. This special event included several activities that culminated in 12 stuffed animals being assembled that were given to the Modesto Regional Fire Department. The activities of the afternoon included some very fun activities that incorporated valuable lessons on leadership and team building. Amidst the laughter, games and projects the participants were also given time to think over important principles that they can put into practice. The participants enjoyed one another, the challenges and the opportunity to see one another is a little different situation than usual.

During the team building event personality and temperament was explored. It was clear that through the activities people understood a little more about how personality and temperament plays into our every day behavior. Often times that behavior can lead us to interact most with people who are most like ourselves. The problem is that when we work in homogeneous units we fail to capitalize on the strengths of others who could be in the group. When we surround ourselves with personalities most like our own we are missing a key ingredient to seeing a total or whole picture. Many teams are formed this way and short-circuit the effectiveness of the team because key ingredients to the whole are missing by the neglect of having a rounded team that includes the various temperament styles.

The Rescue Bear Team Building Event helps expose how silos in the workplace are formed and how to break out of that mold. It was a fun and experiential learning event and there was a great feeling about giving back to such a great community organization as the Modesto Regional Fire Department. The 12 stuffed animals made and contributed will make a difference in the lives of children dealing with grief as the event made a difference in the lives of these important Gallo employees and those lessons will filter down to others as well.

Thanks to Gallo in the San Francisco Bay Area for a great event and a great contribution to the community.

Craig Wagganer

Pfizer Rescue Bear Team Building Workshop in Montreal, Quebec

ellenpatnaude — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:40:42 +0000

Pfizer’s Primary Care Unit Marketing Team in Canada included a Rescue Bear®team building workshop in their annual conference in Montreal, Quebec in Canada. This is the one time per year when the whole team comes together from across the country. Since 1849, Pfizer has been dedicated to developing innovative medications to prevent and treat diseases. Pfizer Canada is a healthcare company that’s dedicated to helping Canadians and animals live healthier lives. This event brought together 60 marketing team members from across Canada.
Rescue Bear team building® is a workshop that is designed to help people see the importance of matching a person with the right talent for the right role within the company. It helps participants identify the strengths of themselves and others and rely on those strengths when under pressure. It shows how/why “Silos” are created and how to deal with the “Silo” effect more effectively. At the end of the workshop, the stuffed animals that are put together and dressed in various fire and rescue uniforms are donated to a local organization that helps kids. In this case, the donation was given to the Starlight Foundation, which was founded in 1989 to brighten the lives of seriously ill children and their families from coast to coast. They will use the stuffed animals with those children to provide them with a small comfort in the midst of trauma.

The Pfizer group rose to the challenges and had a good time challenging each other about getting out of their comfort zones and “silos” to create a true group effort. Natural human tendencies can cause us to resist collaborating together and helping one another succeed, but this group got the message and working beautifully together.

“This was a great event! The way that Ellen tied in the message that we were reinforcing of attitudes versus personality was perfect. Well done!” — Nancy DiMatteo, Pfizer

Rescue Bear is a great way to reinforce some of the important themes of working as a team and matching the right talents for the job, all while giving your team the opportunity to play together. And the philanthropic component of the event is sure to put it all into perspective. This team activity is a great way to have fun with your team, learn something important about how your team works together, and help kids who have been through a tragedy!

Cisco Team Building Builds Bikes for Children in Raleigh, NC

Craig Wagganer — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:34:38 +0000

Over 60 employees from around the globe came together in Raleigh, NC, for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event which resulted in 10 new bikes being donated to children from the Wake County Boys and Girls Clubs. The event was an action packed, fast-paced experience which gave the participants a chance to get to know one another better, practice some team building skills, have some laughs, and give back to the local community. They got to see one another in a different situation than usual which contributed to a better understanding of each other and an improvement in relationships. Combining fun and learning is a great way to grow together in leadership skills and team building abilities.

Communication plays a vital role in leadership and team building. Too often communication is thought to have happened when people talk to each other. Teams are graded on how well they get along as well as the results they produce. The most effective teams are those that go beyond communication to cooperation and coordination. Communication is important and opens the door, but it must lead to team members actually cooperating with each other to provide the best results conceivable. Cooperation opens the door to coordination. This happens when cooperation takes the next step so that individualized efforts are coordinated so that synergy can happen. The team must be larger and produce more then just the addition of individual efforts. Synergistic efforts, like the Build-A-Bike Team Building Event bring people together so that what they accomplish as a team is much greater than just the individual contributions.

Thanks to Cisco for a great Build-A-Bike Team Building Event and for generously giving 10 bikes to the Boys and Girls Clubs in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Craig Wagganer

Women in the Workplace-How we present ourselves in the workplace

ellenpatnaude — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:42:49 +0000

Walk the Talk: How we present ourselves in the workplace

Women in leadership are still something of a rarity today. There have been a couple of articles recently in the Wall Street Journal looking at women in the workforce and analyzing our collective progress. While there are no concrete conclusions about why it’s happening, the data is unambiguous. Women are being overlooked at promotion time.

Hmmmm.

This got us thinking about our own successes and failures in various industries within the working world. We have come to the conclusion that there are five key ways to “Walk the Talk” when it comes to how we present ourselves out there. Here they are, for your pondering –

Speak how you want others to speak – both TO you and ABOUT you. Think for a moment about how others would describe you. What would they say? Is that who you want to be? The way to change it is to give them something better. The old adage is true – you get what you give.
Be authentic. No one likes to deal with someone who is two-faced, to be blunt. Be true to your values, and don’t be afraid to disagree with someone else, even if you work for them. If you find ways to do so respectfully and sincerely, you might be surprised at how well received your opinions will be.
Go out of your way for others. It seems that in many workplace environments, we’ve come to expect the worst of each other. There is a clear “every (wo)man for her/himself” attitude out there. When you extend simple courtesies to someone else, you show that person that you are considerate. Nothing helps with rapport like a small act of unexpected kindness.
Focus on your work ethic. If you don’t deliver, you don’t have credibility. It’s as simple as that.
Take responsibility for your actions and words. Lose the victim mentality. If you mess up, opt for a simple “excuse me” or apologize rather than offering excuses or reasons as to why something happened. This covers everything from being late to a meeting to not making a deadline. You write your own story, and life is not happening to you – you are not a puppet.

The bottom line is this – women have historically had a tough time out there. Many of the barriers that have stood in our way in the past have come down, and many others are still there. Nothing will change overnight. However, recognizing that you are the main character in your own story and that you can control your actions and behavior just might give you the courage you need. Stand up and lead like a woman and excel in team building and leadership.

Focus Brands Team Building Event Builds Bikes in Paradise

Craig Wagganer — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:15:13 +0000

Over 600 employees, vendors and sponsors came together for Focus Brands Foods annual meetings and Team Building Event at the fantastic Atlantis Resort and Casino on Paradise Island near Nassau in the Bahamas to build bikes for kids. Focus Brands includes Moe’s Southwest Grill, Schlotsky’s Deli, Cinnabon/Carvel and Auntie Anne’s food chains and they came together in the Bahamas with each one sponsoring a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. The four different events all culminated with bicycles being given to children from the Island of New Providence where Nassau and Paradise Island are located. Nearly 100 children received brand new bikes because of the benevolence of the Focus Brand’s generosity. Each of the events produced a lot of fun, laughter, interaction and learning as well as producing new bikes for under privileged children.

The Build-A-Bike Team Building Event is a great opportunity to bring people together, experience team building, and make a significant and important contribution to charities. It is a great event and a wonderful experience to combine team building with a generous donation to people who can use the help. The event leads people through fun and fast-paced learning concerning team building, communication and leadership and then ends with brand new bikes that were built during the event being given away to at-risk children from the community where the event is held. The four Focus Brands were each touched by enjoying the fun and then seeing their generosity rewarded when the children receiving the bikes were present at the end of each of the four events.

Because the group was such a large size, we hired a barge to ship the bicycles from Miami, Florida to Paradise Island so that the bikes could be donated to local kids in the Bahamas. Thanks to Focus Brands: Moes, Schlotsky’s, Cinnabon/Carvel, and Auntie Anne’s for a great team event, a great contribution, and a memorable event for each of the participants and the recipients of the bikes.

Gexpro Rexel includes Rescue Bear Philanthropic Team Building Event in Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas

ellenpatnaude — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:04:39 +0000

Gexpro Rexel gathered leadership from around the globe for an annual conference in Dallas, Texas and included a Rescue Bear philanthropic team building workshop. As the US presence of one of the world’s largest electrical distributors, Rexel employees apply their knowhow, productivity tools and hands-on business-building initiatives to help their customers thrive. Nearly half of their employees are dedicated to improving how they connect customers with the supplies, solutions and services they need. They’ve developed supply chain models that reduce inventory, raise productivity and cut installation costs. There were 45 participants in the program, mostly from around the US with a handful that came from Europe.

Rescue Bear is a workshop that is designed to help people see the importance of matching a person with the right talent for the right role within the company. It helps participants identify the strengths of themselves and others and rely on those strengths when under pressure. It shows how/why “Silos” are created and how to deal with the “Silo” effect more effectively. At the end of the workshop, the stuffed animals that are put together and dressed in fire fighter uniforms are donated to a local organization that helps kids. In this case, the donation was given to the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, which will use them in Welcome Kits for families newly arriving. Ronald McDonald House provides a place for families of sick children to stay while the child is treated at a nearby hospital.

The leadership team of Gexpro Rexel had a great time poking fun at various personality styles that emerged during the program, and drawing on each group’s strengths to solve various riddles and challenges. As each group acquired different materials needed to build the stuffed animals, the trading began so that the task could be completed.

“The group had a lot of fun together! This really added something unique to our conference.” — Laura Lichtenstein, Gexpro Rexel

Rescue Bear is a great event for giving people a chance to see how their natural strengths can help them be stronger communicators and better co-workers, while giving something back to the local community. It’s also just a lot of fun!

Rambus Team Event Builds Bikes for Children in San Jose

Craig Wagganer — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:53:07 +0000

Over 300 Rambus employees came together for a day of meetings that ended with a Build-A-Bike Team Building event. The event has a great philanthropic twist as the California Bay Area Boys and Girls Club provided 12 children as representatives to receive the 50 bikes at the end of the event. The event had the participants involved in fun activities that aided in their teambuilding and leadership skills. From the opening exercise to the giving of the bikes to the children the energy and enthusiasm was high and the laughter contagious. All of the activities and energy translated into a fun team building event where all the participants contributed to the success of the time they shared and did something that made a difference for them and for 50 area children.

What can a Build-A-Bike event teach us about teamwork? One simple lesson that is experiences is that teamwork goes beyond the immediate team to involve a larger team. In this instance there were 48 teams given various tasks, but it wasn’t until they learned to work together across team boundaries that the problems were able to be solved. When the smaller teams enlisted the help of others the actual team work among teams provided the benefit. Often time companies are divided by location, divisions, departments, etc. But when we work across those boundaries to help each other progress really occurs. We may compete for limited human resources, time, financial consideration, budgetary appropriation, and any other things, but competition can become detrimental to the overall welfare of the larger company. If one branch succeeds at the cost of another the company at large suffers.

This is just one of the lessons demonstrated by the Build-A-Bike Team Building event. The people at Rambus did a great job contributing the event and in making a positive difference in the life do 50 boys and girls, their families and the communities they live in.

Newmarket Builds Teams and Bikes in New England

Craig Wagganer — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 17:45:57 +0000

Newmarket, a leader in the hospitality industry, hosted a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in New England. The event culminated in 8 new bicycles being built and given to boy and girls from the Boys and Girls Club of Lower Merrimack Valley. The event was filled with fun and laughter and even a few learning opportunities concerning teamwork and leadership. It was a win-win experience for the over 50 participants and the boys and girls that received new bikes. Combining fun, philanthropy and learning is a great way to build team work and give back to the community.

The Newmarket Build-A-Bike® participants were great participants and learned that problem solving and teamwork are skills that can be learned and grown. Competition can inhibit team work, but when a common goal is shared among teams then the harmful competition can be done away with. Even though working as eight separate the common goal of building bikes enhanced each team’s ability to work with other teams to achieve the common goal. Each activity gave the teams opportunities to work together and accomplish what each team couldn’t have done alone.

Thanks, Newmarket, for a great Build-A-Bike Team Building Activity. And for making a significant contribution to the boys and girls club and serving your community in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and other Boston, Massachusetts area and New England cities.

Raytheon Built Some Bikes and Their Newest Team on 9-11 at Gillette Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts

Connie Timpson — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:54:46 +0000

Raytheon, the genius behind many military advancements, met at Gillette Stadium, in Boston, Massachusetts, 10 years after 911, for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. Against the backdrop of the Patriot’s playing field, Raytheon’s newly hired engineers, put down their degrees and picked up wrenches, and screw drivers. It was all part of a team building event for these whiz kids who are ready to research and create new military products. They collaborated, laughed a lot, worked in teams, and competed just a little bit,to build bikes for kids of active servicemen, many on the other side of the globe. Military stories and tradition, seemed to weave their way into the program, bringing understanding to what some of the families, left behind, must feel.

Surprise brought smiles, when kids and parents in uniform walked into the room. The soldiers, their dedication to America, and selfless choice to put themselves in harms way, spread a feeling of pride and caring into the event. The feel good gift went both ways. These kids met folks who cared enough to build them a bike, and learn more about leadership. Participants got close to the people in uniform, those who serve and defend with pride. Amid the applause, there were tears, and thanks.

The date, September 11, seemed to be whispered like a shadow on the sun, reminding everyone of the day that 10 years earlier shook the world. On this day there was a renewed vigor, and pride in the greatest country in the world.

By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Knightsbridge in Canada Celebrated It’s 10th Birthday with a Bicycle Team Building Event Benefiting Some Needy Kids

Connie Timpson — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:38:53 +0000

Knightsbridge celebrated its 10^th birthday in the Blue Mountains of Northern Canada with a Build-A-Bike® Team Building Event. This quickly growing company is all about solutions, and strategies, for managing Human Resources. While other companies have scaled back, Knightsbridge has ramped up and grown dramatically.

They celebrated their success, and shared it with others. During a team building event under the dome of the Blue Mountain Resort, they learned, collaborated and built some bikes. Their Build-A-Bike, event was all about kids. 40 kids to be exact. Though Canada has not been hit as hard as the U.S. with the recession, there is still a need to fill, and Knightsbridge happily did that. Teamwork, and perhaps a little competition brought the first bike to the front ahead of the others. Then in a matter of minutes, one team helped another and 40 bikes stood complete. Surprised when 40 kids walked into the dome, the participants applauded and cheered. The kids were there as part of the Salvation Army’s children’s programs. Pastor Mark Crabb told the crowd that they had just made the kid’s lives a whole lot better.

The creators of the bikes watched with wonder as the kids tried out their new rides. The sight of the kids brought more than a few watery eyes. Leslie Carter, of Knightsbridge said following the event’s conclusion, “The whole group really loved the activity. They were especially blown away when the kids came in.”

All together the kids sang out, “thank you, thank you.” That was matched by the folks at Knightsbridge, saying thanks, for the chance to give back, and the chance to meet these special children.

By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Juggling the Five Balls in the Game of Life

ellenpatnaude — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:50:05 +0000

Leadership Tips/Team Building Tips: Set Your Priorities

Author James Patterson once said that in the game of life, there are five balls that must constantly be kept in the air – work, family, friends, health, and integrity. He said that work is a rubber ball – it can be dropped and it will bounce back. The rest of the balls are made of glass. If you drop one of them, it can be scuffed, scratched, or shattered.

I myself must admit that I have sacrificed (on more than one occasion, if I am being honest) each of the other four things at one point or another, to varying degrees. When my first son was a baby, I can remember mindlessly setting the baby swing for another round of music just so that I could get one more phone call made for work. I have rearranged dates with friends on more occasions than I can count because ‘something’ came up for work. Before I had children, I routinely put in 70-80 hours as a young community organizer, once working even after being diagnosed with pneumonia. And I’ve been guilty of going along with a decision that I knew was a compromise of my integrity at work, out of fear that I would look stupid or lose my job. All of this was done in the name of ‘getting ahead’, or ‘taking care of my family’, or ‘keeping my priorities straight’.

I felt that work was the ball made of glass.

How many of us have that confused? In our experience working with clients, leaders and business people over the years, many of us do.

So how do you remedy this way of thinking before you ‘shatter’ your family, friends, health or integrity?

The first step lies in an honest assessment of your priorities. Your calendar can be a great mirror for you (if not a little painful) of where you spend your time. After all, time is the most precious resource we have, so taking a hard look at where you spend yours can be revealing.

After you have come to terms with the reality of where your time is spent, you must reconcile whether or not this is an accurate reflection of your priorities and values. In other words, if you consider those five balls – work, family, friends, health and integrity – in what order of importance do you place them?

Finally, taking some time to reflect can be a useful tool for helping you figure out how to spend your time in a way that more accurately reflects your priorities. It is a discipline – it takes time, and it is not always easy to do, but worth it in the long run.

And if you choose to make no change at all, that, too, is a valid choice. But if you make no changes, you can expect no changes. Zig Ziglar said it well:

“One definition of insanity is to believe that you can keep on doing what you’ve been doing and get different results.”

What results do you want to have?

Horizon Healthcare Build-A-Bike team building event adds fun and energy to holiday party in Newark, New Jersey

ellenpatnaude — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:35:18 +0000

Horizon Healthcare included a Build-A-Bike team building event in their holiday party in Newark, New Jersey recently as a way to add more energy and fun! Horizon Healthcare Innovations is a subsidiary of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ, created to spark a catalyst for change in the Health Care System — Improve quality, affordability and patient experience in New York and New Jersey. This team was formed about a year ago, while Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ has been around since 1932. There were about 80 employees involved in the team building event.

Build-A-Bike is a high-energy, fast-paced team building workshop that challenges teams to work collaboratively to reach their ultimate goal – building bikes for charity. Each team must engage in a series of problem solving quests that allows them to accumulate the parts necessary for building a complete bike. The Horizon team rose to the challenge, even finding creative ways to still reach their goal when some unexpected obstacles presented themselves! Horizon was looking to make sure that even though the members of this team often work in silos due to the nature of their specific jobs, they came together in a way that reinforced the fact that they are all part of one large team. The participants struggled at first to break out of their teams to share information and resources. But as the event progressed, they realized that they could much more successful by working together than apart.

“I am hearing over and over again what a blast everyone had today! Many thanks to Ellen and The Leader’s Institute for making it such a great success! We will definitely include you in our future team building plans.” — John Fuller, Horizon Healthcare

The group did not want to pull kids out of school in the middle of the day, so they chose to donate the bikes to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newark and have an adult representative come to receive them. The 14 bikes that they built will go to children in a local community that would not have had much under their Christmas trees this years. Knowing that they will help bring smiles to those kids’ faces really made the event special. The holidays are a particularly difficult time for families in need, especially when it comes to making them special for children. Including a Build-A-Bike event in your holiday party plans can help really light up the season for kids in your community! It’s also a great way to reinforce the message in the workplace that we are stronger by working together than when we stay in silos.

United Healthcare’s Golfs over 1500 lbs of Food to Food Pantry in Cambridge, Maryland

Craig Wagganer — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:25:30 +0000

200 employees of the Northeast region of United Healthcare came together in Cambridge, Maryland, for an Ace Race Team Building Event. The opportunity was a great experience for team building, fun, friendly competition, and to donate food to a local food pantry. Everyone had fun designing a miniature golf hole and then competing to make an “Ace” (hole-in-one) at each hole. The courses consisted of 2 nine hole courses and 1 six hole course, each with mats of felt for the green and non-perishable food items to construct the holes and obstacles. Each hole provided a challenge and fun to all of the participants. The fun and learning culminated in all of the food items being donated to the food pantry that gladly received the donation. There was learning, fun and a great feeling at the end of the event.

The Ace Race Tea m Building Event is a fun way to teach some basic team building principles while having fun and giving back to the community. The teams were formed randomly but each team had to use the experience and talents of the members to complete the tasks. Some people are good at the design of the golf holes, others have the ability to put the parts together in a specific order to construct the holes: others have the ability to hit the golf ball and make the critical shot; still others are able to organize the individuals to get the best from each one. The best teams are those that recognize how each individual can contribute to the team and then cheers them on to make significant contributions.

Thanks United Healthcare for a great team building event and for making a significant contribution to those in need. May the Ace Race Golf Team Building experience benefit you as your gracious gift to the food pantry will benefit so many. (The Ace Race Team Event is offered, not only in the greater Washington, DC area, but in major cities all over the world.)

Florida Hospitals Donned Costumes and Built Some Bikes And Their Team in Orlando, Florida

Connie Timpson — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:01:04 +0000

Florida Hospitals met to build some bikes, and become a better team in Orlando, Florida. Under the spell of Disney, that makes anything possible, they played dress up, and created a little magic for area kids. Viking hats, and horns aside, there was learning to done and bikes to be built. The participants learned how to be part of a team – earn a part, and Build-a-Bike Team Building Event. These wildly-dressed marketers, had a fun time building their team, learning how to negotiate, and experience the value of collaboration. The final result was a bunch of shiny two-wheelers and a lot of smiles.

Eight little ones were surprised by what the Florida Hospitals marketing department did for them. Yes, some of them were pretty shy, and not all of them knew how to ride. So they got some lessons from some folks who want them to do well in life. They visited, had their pictures taken and just kept asking, “Do I really get to keep the bike?” Of course. These kids have felt the pain of the recession, and know what it is like to go without. Today, they learned what it was like to get something, because they are good students and nice kids. Florida Hospitals has been around for over 100 years. And they want you to reach 100 years as well. Part of their philosophy is all about healthy living. Numerous events center on helping you understand how to live longer and live healthier.

By Connie Timpson/Sr. Team Building Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute and The Build-A-Bike Team Building Event.

Neuronetics includes Ace Race Team Building Workshop in their Annual Sales Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

ellenpatnaude — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:23:53 +0000

Neuronetics recently included an Ace Race team building workshop in their annual Sales Conference in Philadelphia, PA. The workshop involved 40 of their salespeople from all over the US. Neuronetics, Inc. is a privately held medical device company focused on developing non-invasive therapies for psychiatric and neurological disorders using MRI-strength magnetic field pulses. The company incorporated in 2003 and works around the country. This event was for their sales force and involved about 40 people.

The Ace Race team building event began with a couple of quick warm-up activities that get at some of the fundamentals of good team communication. The group shared a lot of laughs and the competitive spirit was high! Moving into the golf team activity itself, each small group created a mini putting green for themselves using non-perishable goods. Each green had a unique design and some included very tricky obstacles! All of the teams then had a race to see which team could get around the entire course first, making a hole-in-one on each hole.

Sales people tend to be fairly high-energy as it is, and this group was no exception! There was a lot of laughter and cheering as they created and then played their course. At the end of the event, they invited Philabundance, a local hunger relief organization that serves nine counties in the Delaware Valley and is connected to the national organization, Feeding America. A representative from Philabundance came to the event and spoke to the group about their work and the impact that the donation of nearly a quarter-ton of food will have in their communities.

“Everyone had a blast! Thank you so much! It was a great event! What a perfect was to wind down an intense week together!” — Beth Wilkins, Neuronetics

Team building workshops that are composed of activities that have a point, coupled with a lot of fun and the opportunity to give back to the community are a great way to get people having fun together. Consider including an Ace Race Golf Team Building Event in your next conference and give your team a memorable experience!

Johnson & Johnson Energizes Meeting in New Jersey with An Ace Race Golf Team Event to Feed the Hungry

Connie Timpson — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:07:34 +0000

Johnson & Johnson managers from across the globe electrified their annual meeting in New Brunswick, New Jersey with an Ace Race Golf Team Event A round of golf that puts food on the tables of the New Jersey and Greater New York Area of those who have little. This unique team building event sets up a little competition to build a better golf hole with food they win. A bridge made of mac and cheese? A yummy team effort. Swinging the clubs to make a hole in one takes a little concentration and a lot of laughter. All to aid America’s hungry.

Turning a ballroom into a golf course takes only a desire to build a stronger team, collaboration creativity and about a half ton of food. All in place, the holes played, the food will go to the food pantry of the historic Christ Church. to get to know each other, strengthen their team and give to others. Along the greens, waiting to tee off, they learned a little more about each other, besides who could hit a ball and those who laughingly could not. In this 24/7 global economy it helped put faces and personality with an email, or phone call. Bringing teams together like this, personalizes the exchanges, creates bonds and makes communicating easier. In the end, as with all things Johnson & Johnson, they came together with an impassioned belief – give to those less fortunate. One out of every six children goes to sleep wondering if they will have enough to eat the next day. The folks from Johnson and Johnson just made a lot of lives much easier, and created team bonds at the same time.

The director of the food bank told the golfers that the need for food has been fueled by a faltering economy and recent flooding in New York and New Jersey. She added that nothing is worse than having to say, I’m sorry, that is all there is. She thanked Johnson & Johnson, for being part of the community, recognizing its need, and filling it. By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Classroom Training does not equal Boring Training

Doug Staneart — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:09:57 +0000

“Classroom Training” does not equal “Boring Training”!

It is an unfortunate truth that there are a lot of “Leadership Training” or “Team Building” workshops or seminars out there that are… well… boring. It has become common to hear groans of distress and expressions of angst from people who have had, shall we say, “less-than-stellar” experience in these sessions. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. Leadership training and team building events can be a very powerful way to add energy and enthusiasm to your team while passing along time-tested skill sets that in high demand in the business world.

However, it is important to understand the semantics of the industry so that you end up with an exceptional activity or workshop versus a boring one. The more focused you are on the results that you are looking for, the more likely you will be to pick the perfect solution for your team.

Consider the following criteria when evaluating your next training workshop.

Look and listen for key words such as ‘interactive’ or ‘experiential’ in the description of the training session you are considering. And ask for an example of what is meant by using those terms. Usually, these terms mean that the class participants will actually participate in the session somehow. This is absolutely essential because we don’t learn stuff just by listening to it. We learn by interacting with the material. In short, we learn by doing. The more active the workshop, the more enjoyable it will be for the participants. The more passive the workshop, the more droopy eyes you will see from the participants.
If the person trying to interest you in the training is not asking a lot of questions about you, your company and your expectations, shop somewhere else. This is a sure sign that they have no intention of trying to meet or exceed those expectations, and could risk wasting your time and your money by delivering a training session that is not appropriate for your team’s needs. The facilitator doesn’t necessarily have to customize, or even tailor, the material to the group, but with a few simple questions up front, the facilitator should be able to match content with the needs of the group.
Understand that not all training is created equally. The more you know about what you want to get out of the training experience, the better able a training consultant will be in a position to help you find the right match for your needs. Sometimes a team in conflict really shouldn’t spend their time and money on a training session that is designed to really just let a team play together. Sometimes that team in conflict needs something a little more in depth. However, that doesn’t mean the session won’t be fun for the participants – it just means that the laughs will come from different experiences.
Do your legwork ahead of time with your team. Once you’ve chosen a training workshop, talk to your colleagues about it before they get there. Ask your training consultant or instructor to give you suggestions about how to do this. If there are negative feelings and/or experiences from the past, consider letting people air their concerns so that you and/or the trainer can dispel them prior to the workshop day. There’s nothing worse for a training consultant than to walk into a classroom prepared to facilitate a great session only to be met by enormous resistance before they’ve even had a chance to speak!

Regardless of your experiences with classroom training thus far, studies show in increasing numbers how incredibly valuable it is to the entire workforce to invest in some type of leadership development training. Whether you are looking to improve your communication skills, polish your presentation skills, or develop overall better leadership capacity, there is a training out there for you.

Just keep the concepts above in mind when you choose a workshop or facilitator, and your team will be enthused by your activity and love the experience.

Deloitte University in Fort Worth, Texas, Strengthens Its Team With A Build-A-Bike Event Building Bikes For 50 Kids

Connie Timpson — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:03:05 +0000

Deloitte University brings its new hires to Fort Worth, Texas, to learn, and build their new team, with a Build-A-Bike team building event. 340 young, and very-bright folks joined the ranks of the Deloitte elite, and built bikes for disadvantaged kids.

This was the first session at this 107 acre campus where bison roam, cattle meander, and Texan wild-life is still wild. After a challenging multiple-day course preparing them for their new positions in 90 cities across the nation, they cut loose, came together as a team, and built some bikes for kids who know no privilege.

The children who joined the new Deloitte hires were a bit shy about accepting something they only dreamed of having – their first bike. To the kids from Summer Santa, and the Boys and Girl’s Club, it was a little miracle.

In accepting the bikes, Diana Reyes, of Summer Santa drew a picture of need that most of us can only imagine. “I made a home visit and the electricity was turned off. They had no furniture, and certainly no bikes.” Mom told Mrs. Reyes that their holidays were very sad and empty. These kids are “at risk” meaning they have already lived some of the most difficult times of their lives. These caring people from Summer Santa, and The Boys and Girl’s Club, reach out to these kids in all kinds of ways.

Deloitte wants these kids to have a better chance in life, and with this team building event the kids now have a bicycle to empower them. This philanthropic team building, says, “Someone outside my family cares about me.” So, hand in hand with the The Leader’s Institute, the Deloitte folks solved some puzzles, won some parts, and built some bikes. By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Novelis Meets in Atlanta, Georgia, Strengthens Their Team With A Philanthropic Build-A-Bike Team Building Event

Connie Timpson — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:00:37 +0000

Novelis managers came together in Atlanta, Georgia, from across the globe to get to know each other, and strengthen their team with a Build-A-Bike team building event that benefits kids. Novelis is the world’s leading aluminum roller; and creator of lighter, more durable aluminum for use in everything from producing automobiles, to a lighter, more recyclable aluminum can. With plants and offices across the globe, communicating ideas in many languages can be difficult. Technology has moved faster than the human brain in some cases. It has removed many barriers like time differences, immediate response to an idea, and has constructed others. An email is only as good as its interpretation by the receiver – in any language. Now throw in many people whose first language is not English, and the interpretation morphs. The message gets, well, lost in translation.

Our goal for a half-day team building event was to get to know each other, learn how to better communicate with others, and give back to their local community. They laughed at themselves, competed a little, and broke out of their comfort zones, all in the name of a stronger team. Along the way, they learned a little more about each other, some of it surprising, some of it – just a whole lot of fun. Putting a face with an email, learning something that brings dimension to the relationship, is crucial in today’s 24/7 global economy. It personalizes the message, creates bonds and makes communicating easier.

In the end, as with all things Novelis, they came together with an impassioned belief – give to those less fortunate. They built bikes for kids who had none. By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Aetna Build-A-Bike team building event in Hartford, CT brings holiday cheer to local children

ellenpatnaude — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:56:53 +0000

As a way to bring Aetna’s Hartford, Connecticut based employees together for a philanthropic event, they decided to host a Build-A-Bike team building workshop at their headquarters. Aetna is one of the nation’s leaders in health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, and disability insurance, and employee benefits. With more than 33,000 employees in multiple businesses, Aetna offers a broad range of insurance and employee benefits products. This workshop was with members of one of the divisions.

Local kids from the Wilson-Gray YMCA Youth and Family Center in Hartford came at the end of the event to receive the bikes. Just in time for the holidays, these kids were overjoyed and overwhelmed at receiving bikes. For a couple of them, it was their first bike ever. They quickly got into the spirit and were zooming around the room like pros!

“This was an amazing event! Ellen’s humor and energy made it a really enjoyable experience for everyone. And the kids coming at the end was just a perfect conclusion!” – Sue Barbagallo, Aetna

Everyone likes to give back to the community, especially to kids in need, and most especially during the holidays. Including a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in your next conference in Connecticut or New York gives your employees the opportunity to do just that while adding energy, enthusiasm and fun!

Prudential Financial makes a difference for local kids while team building in Newark, New Jersey with Build-A-Bike

ellenpatnaude — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:47:45 +0000

Prudential Financial recently hosted a Build-A-Bike team building workshop in Newark, New Jersey to make a difference for local kids. For over 135 years, Prudential Financial has leveraged their life insurance and asset management expertise to help individual and institutional customers grow and protect wealth. They have more than 41,000 employees in 38 countries around the world. This particular group is part of a very fast growing team within the organization and wanted to do something fun, while getting to know each other better, working on communication, collaboration, leadership, and giving back to community. They chose Build-A-Bike as a way to help them meet those goals during a recent conference.

Build-A-Bike Team Building is a fun, high-energy, fast-paced series of activities designed to give the participants a chance to play together, while reinforcing important team building lessons and giving back to the community. The teams must work together to achieve success. Due to human nature, some participants are reluctant to cross team lines to collaborate, and it provides everyone with a great learning experience!

Prudential wanted to keep the impact of this event local, so they chose to partner with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newark to donate the 20 bikes that they built. Representatives from the organization came and brought the children who were the lucky recipients of these bikes with them for a memorable moment. The children didn’t know why they were coming to the event until they walked through the doors, and the looks on their faces when they realized that they were all getting brand new bikes were priceless!

“Ellen and Craig did a fabulous job of pulling everything together for this event! It was all that we hoped it would be and so much more. And seeing the kids at the end – well, words just can’t describe it! Thank you so much!” – Holly Milewski, Prudential Financial

Including Build-A-Bike Team Building in your next conference in New York or New Jersey is a great way to help your team get to know each other better, reinforce the importance of collaboration and good communication, all while giving back to your community.

Fifth Third Bank hosts Build-A-Bike charitable team building event in Toledo, Ohio to give back to the community

ellenpatnaude — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:33:29 +0000

Fifth Third Bank hosted the charitable team building event Build-A-Bike in Toledo, Ohio recently as part of their quarterly meeting. Bank managers and other members of the management team gathered to build 22 bikes for children in the five areas around Northwest Ohio represented at the meeting. Fifth Third has its roots in the Ohio Valley, where it has been in the banking business for more than 100 years. Today, Fifth Third employs more than 21,000 people and offers a full line of banking products.

This high-energy, fun workshop gives participants the opportunity to interact, compete and ultimately work together to solve a series of challenges. Due to our competitive human nature, there is typically some skepticism at the notion that the teams need to collaborate to solve the challenges more efficiently. But this group was accustomed to working together across lines, and they rose to the challenge!

By the end of the event, the group had successfully built 22 bikes while reinforcing the important lessons of teamwork, collaboration, giving back to the community, and innovation – all things that the team organizing the workshop were hoping to emphasize! The largest group of bikes was donated to the hosting community of Toledo, and a representative from the local Boys and Girls Club was on hand to accept it on their behalf.

“What a great event! Ellen and Rob were able to give our group exactly the kind of experience we were hoping for. Best of all, they were able to incorporate our internal core principles and really help drive home the themes we’d been working on together during our quarterly meeting. Just fantastic!” — Carol McAnall, Fifth Third Bank

Build-A-Bike is not your ‘typical’ team building event! If your group is looking for a workshop that can reinforce the lessons related to working together more effectively while giving back to your local community, consider including Build-A-Bike in your next conference.

New Ace Race Golf Team Building Video

Doug Staneart — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 01:25:51 +0000

We just completed a new video of our new and increasingly popular team building event, the Ace Race Golf Team Building activity. We have had an awful lot of fun delivering this particular team event over the last few months, and folks who have attended have given us fantastic feedback. take a look at the new video and let us know what you think.

Gain Cooperation: Encourage and Facilitate Two-Way Conversation

Doug Staneart — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:43:40 +0000

Education is a kind of continuing dialogue, and a dialogue assumes, in the nature of the case, different points of view. -Robert Hutchins

Oprah Winfrey was the most successful daytime TV star of all time and is still one of the most influential people in America. When she promoted a book on her television show, it would typically be on the bestseller list within a week. However, I’d wager that Ms. Winfrey’s success would have been far less dramatic if she had spent all those years lecturing her audience for an hour a day. One of the characteristics of her show that has made her so influential is the fact that she created a one-on-one dialogue with her guests as well as with her audience. Her audience, and her influence, grew year after year.

We can learn from her success. We too can have more influence over others if we create two-way communication. One of the most common complaints I hear from front-line employees is that top management does not take their ideas seriously and does not address their concerns. Many companies today have a top-down communication in place that can stifle creativity and build resentment in front-line employees.

Many of these employees have ideas that could revolutionize the company, but far too often, the ideas are overlooked because the people at the top are too focused on the status quo.

Herb Peterson was a McDonald’s franchise holder in 1972 when he had an idea to add breakfast to the menu. At that time, McDonald’s was just a hamburger place without a lot of additional items, and no one would want to go to a hamburger place for breakfast. Herb went ahead and crafted a Teflon circle in his garage in order to be able to easily cook eggs Benedict on a hamburger grill, and he took the idea to the McDonald’s headquarters in Chicago. Today, it’s estimated that McDonald’s sells about $4 billion worth of breakfast per year.

Those dialogues that we create with the people who work for us can provide us with valuable information – both good and bad. This information is critical in helping us make solid decisions in the marketplace.

If you want to influence others in a positive way, take a lesson from Oprah and McDonald’s and create dialogues rather than monologues. Practice good listening skills and communication skills, and create two-way communication to build a good team.

Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation: Encourage and Facilitate Two-Way Communication

Texans Can! Teachers in Fort Worth, Texas Learn How To Create A Team Culture

Connie Timpson — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:26:12 +0000

Texans Can! worked to Create A Team Culture, learned how to communicate better, and shared some inner beliefs in Fort Worth, Texas. Texans Can! is a unique approach to learning and teaching. The kids you might call drop outs, and others call “push outs” from the regular public school system, seem to do better in this more personal, open environment.

When the public school system and the student having a tough time, creating a workable structure for learning, Texans Can! swings open its doors. It is a different approach, one that works with the students’ reality, and his or her needs. The goal of these educators is picture perfect – excite the kids, that others gave up on, about learning. Help them pick up the lessons they missed out on, and make them want to graduate. And it works.

On this day the teachers and administrators were also students, when they conducted a Creating a Team Culture Team Building Workshop. Although all are well educated, and accomplished, they recognize the need for team building and training. In this interactive learning setting, they worked together as partners, as a large group, and explore areas they have just been too busy to think about. One of my favorite parts of this event is how we close the training. In small groups every person listens while someone else gives them a strength-centered compliment. That may not sound like a cure for anything really important, but it is. In many cases it is soul mending. To hear other people say nice things about you, based on an action they have observed you taking is totally empowering. A few people reached for a tissue and others blinked away something that had gotten into their eyes. They all walked out with a little lighter step.

The Vice President of Education, Yolanda Cruz, told me after the event, that the session was extraordinary, and the last part of the day brought a tear to her eye as well. By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Belvedere Trading Includes Build-A-Bike Event in Corporate Meetings In Ft Lauderdale, Florida

Connie Timpson — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:20:09 +0000

Belvedere Trading, put a Build-A-Bike team building event at the center of corporate meetings in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Belvedere recognizes that team building is critical to the future of their ever-expanding company. Their core values are clear – the way forward is through synergy, collaboration, growing the company while keeping a small company feel, being innovative, pushing to think outside the box, and give to charity.

Stock traders, are by nature, just a wee bit competitive, and team-building is no exception. No matter what team they were on, they came together quickly, solved problems, and built bikes in record time. In minutes it became a “team mentality.”

The payoff for their competition and working together – was watching twenty Ft. Lauderdale children walk into the ballroom and touched the first bike they have ever owned. Even the tough-guy traders were reduced to soft-touch guys, who gave bike lessons and shared their lives with the kids. Tim Albury, of the Fort Lauderdale, Police Athletic League, told the group that the target of his organization, PAL, is the same target area where there were drug arrests and danger for years. Now there is help with homework, encouragement and fitness. The message – every child can do well in life, if they just get a little help. Belvedere Trading stepped up and hopefully inspired these kids to believe that with hard work – anything is possible. A simple bike, can be a gift of empowerment for a child. It gives them control over one thing in their life, in a world where they have little control over anything.

The folks of Belvedere Trading went away feeling fortunate and richer that they had given back to kids who really needed a lift, encouraging words, and an example to follow. By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leaders Institute

Targray Technology International includes Build-A-Bike team building workshop in recent conference in Montreal, Quebec

ellenpatnaude — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:11:28 +0000

Targray Technology recently held their annual conference in Montreal, Quebec and included a Build-A-Bike team building workshop as a way to give back to their community and have some fun together! Founded in 1989, Targray is a rapidly growing supplier of materials to the Solar and Optical Media industries. They have global operations in more than 50 countries across three continents. This group consisted of more than 65 sales and product managers from around the globe. They were gathered together for their annual week long conference, and wanted to conclude the week with some fun that had meaning.

Build-A-Bike is a great way for a group to have fun together, reinforce important team building lessons, and give back to the community. The event consists of a series of puzzles and team activities that challenge the participants to think outside of their boxes. While this group has done a lot of team building events together, they were still highly challenged by the event’s activities, and had a great time together!

Targray Technology has had a long-standing partnership with a local organization called LaCourt House that works with kids in one of the poorest areas of Montreal. Many of Targray’s employees work with this organization regularly, donating their time and resources. That connection made the donation of 10 bikes even more meaningful for the group, and for the organization! There were not many dry eyes when the representatives and kids came through the doors.

“This event was just great! We have done a lot of team building activities together, but this was one of the best ever. And being able to donate the bikes to an organization that so many of us individually support was really powerful. Thank you, Ellen and The Leader’s Institute!” — Karen Walker, Targray Technology International

Team building events are plentiful, but few can compare to Build-A-Bike. If you’re looking to give your team a unique experience that reinforces good communication and collaboration, as well as the importance of philanthropy, consider including it in your next conference.

Milford Pipe Supply Shows Christmas Spirit by Donating Bikes to Children in Midland, Texas

Craig Wagganer — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:02:32 +0000

Over 40 employees of Milford Pipe Supply came together in Midland, Texas, for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event that benefited 8 children and families from the Midland Boys and Girls Clubs. The event was a fun time with some learning opportunities sprinkled in. Everyone enjoyed the laughter, seeing each other in a little different than usual situations, the learning opportunities; and even few tears were shed when the children were introduced to receive the bikes that had been constructed during the event. Milford Pipe Supply was a great inspiration to the community and its employees for sponsoring such an event.

Everyone likes to feel like they contribute to their community. For a company, like Milford Pipe Supply, to bring their people together for an team building event like this- it not only gives the individuals an opportunity to contribute, but the company as well. This helps the individuals to feel good about the contributions, as well as their company. The individual and the company working together to make a difference for kids, their families and the communities they live in. This event is a win-win-win situation. The individuals benefit, the company benefits, and the receiving children, their families and their community benefit. The Build-A-Bike Team Building Event provides a great opportunity for everyone.

Thanks, Milford Pipe Supply for a great team event and for contributing to your community.

To Gain Cooperation from Others, Show Enthusiasm and Energy

Doug Staneart — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:50:02 +0000

Enthusiasm is by far the highest paid quality on earth,
probably because it is one of the rarest; yet it is one of
the most contagious. –Frank Bettger

Have you ever noticed that the most successful people in just about any industry are the early risers? Ben Franklin called this group of people the “Six O’clock Club.” Franklin spent the first hour of his day planning the events of his day (to do this he invented the Franklin Planner) and reading. He often claimed that the first hour of his day was the most important. How does this relate to raising your own energy level? We have a choice every morning when we wake up. Do I want to hit the snooze bar a few times, or do I want to put some energy and enthusiasm into my day?

Frank Bettger, in his book How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling, said that if he had to narrow down to one thing why he has been so successful, it would be enthusiasm. His enthusiasm was what moved him from a “second rate bush league making $25 a week” to the starting shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals. His enthusiasm was also what transformed him from a washout in sales to the most successful insurance agent of his time. Where did his enthusiasm come from? He says that he didn’t have any enthusiasm in the beginning, but he faked it. He acted like he was enthusiastic, and behold he was. After a few successes, the enthusiasm came easy.

You have the same choice in your own life. When a dirty job has to be done, jump in with lots of enthusiasm and gusto. When you have a challenging project that no one else wants to do, you can use that project as an opportunity to get yourself noticed.

Everyone wants to be around people who are going somewhere. The person who sets out to enthusiastically get to the next level will attract tons of followers. Enthusiasm is contagious.

Take the advice of Franklin and Bettger and raise your energy level and the people around you will stop and take notice.

Week #3: Gain Enthusiastic Cooperation; Show Enthusiasm and Energy

Picerne Military Housing includes Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in Annual Retreat in Providence, Rhode Island

ellenpatnaude — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:37:29 +0000

Picerne Military Housing, a fully integrated development, construction and property management company that provides housing for America’s service members and their families, recently built and hand-delivered bikes to children served by the Kent County YMCA of Greater Providence, RI. Employees from the company’s Management Information System (MIS) department built the bikes at The Leaders Institute’s Build-A-Bike team building workshop during its annual retreat. The retreat is designed to cultivate camaraderie among employees by working together to give back to the community. Picerne Military Housing chose to support the YMCA because of the organization’s commitment to promoting a healthy lifestyle for today’s youth.

“We’re proud to help the YMCA achieve its goals in our community,” said John Hood, Vice of President of Management Information System for Picerne Military Housing. “At Picerne Military Housing, we value our co-workers and know each of them contributes something valuable to our team; we chose to participate in the Build-A-Bike event because it allowed our employees work collaboratively with each other while benefiting the community where we live and work.”

The Leader Institute’s Build-A-Bike program presents each participating team with puzzles to solve and codes to decipher to gain the materials needed to build the bicycles. Through the team building workshop, each group practices and recognizes the power of effective brainstorming, problem-solving, communication and collaboration. Picerne Military Housing is an active and influential member of the RI philanthropic community. In June 2006, Picerne Military Housing President and CEO John G. Picerne established a private charitable foundation, Our Family for Families First Foundation, to support military families pursue higher education. The foundation provides scholarships to local and national community and four-year colleges and universities for service member spouses and children. In addition to this initiative, Picerne Military Housing employees have also recently volunteered with Ronald McDonald House and Habitat for Humanity. About Picerne Military Housing Picerne Military Housing is a fully integrated development, construction and property management firm, founded in 1998 to provide dramatically improved housing for America’s service members and their families. Through the Army’s Residential Communities Initiative (RCI), Picerne is partnered with the Army in the ownership of approximately 20,000 homes at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Fort Bragg, Fort Meade, Fort Polk, Fort Riley, Fort Rucker and Fort Sill. Through integration of services, Picerne is able to focus on its core mission—taking care of soldiers and families. This approach of putting Army families’ and soldiers’ needs first adds value in all aspects of privatized on-post housing. Picerne is broadening its opportunities to provide housing for our country’s military through such projects as the senior unaccompanied housing pilot program for the Army at Fort Bragg called Randolph Pointe. Through its commitment to improving residential experiences for service members and families, Picerne has become the Army’s premier housing partner. Picerne actively seeks to engage local small businesses and subcontractors with the expertise and qualifications to help it meet the expectations and standards of the RCI program. No matter what size your group, Build-A-Bike is the perfect way to add spark and fun to your retreat or conference while giving back to your local community. It can help your group gel together while reinforcing important team building lessons. We offer this and other team building events throughout New England including Providence, Rhode Island, Boston, Massachusetts, and other New England cities.

Procter and Gamble Managers Create a Stronger Team Culture While Gathered in Cincinnati, Ohio

Connie Timpson — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 16:22:51 +0000

Procter & Gamble executives met in Cincinnati, Ohio to create a stronger team culture. Cincinnati became home base for this burgeoning global company, over 100 years ago, and gave its employees a chance to buy-in way back in 1887. Just fifty years after they entered production. All you have to do, to understand a bit of their business, and the diversity of products they produce, is to look around your own home. Gillette razors, Tide of course, toothpaste, check out the dog food and pet supplies, and they make luxury products too, like Olay, Dolce & Gabbana, and Hugo Boss. You are likely to find many P&G products on your own shelves or in your closet. They partner with many across the globe. On a more local level, P&G joins Wal-mart to present Family Movie Night.

Keeping track of development, and fine-tuning a global strategy, brings P&G managers from across the world to meet in Cincinnati. Part of their strategy is to create a more effective team culture. So, they called on The Leader’s Institute for our expertise in strengthening teams and building leaders. We spent about half a day doing just that. Creating A Team Culture team building event turns a day of learning into a fun and rewarding learning process. We focused on how to be better, more-effective leaders, how to communicate on a much effective level, and laughed while we did it.

Learning how to take a step back and recognize each other’s gifts, become more cooperative and far less judgmental of each other, was the lesson of the day. And it was all done in a very interactive way that also helps strengthen memory, by thinking in the way the brain really thinks – in pictures.

In a way, it is most of the good and kind stuff our moms taught us. Somewhere along the way most of us learned to be managers – with subordinates, and processes, rather than leaders who inspire and guide. All you have to do is be willing to change. Yes, there is learning how to undo a lot of bad stuff that we have learned over the years. But Creating a Better Team Culture, by creating more effective leaders will take any team into a stronger, more enjoyable future.

Paul Flaherty, of P&G told us quote, “This program was fantastic.” In a short amount of time, this program can make a big impact.

By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Adecco Came to Jacksonville, Florida to Collaborate, Build a Team, and Create Smiles

Connie Timpson — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:48:23 +0000

Jacksonville, Florida – Adecco marketers and recruiters from New York joined their colleagues in the Jacksonville, Florida to get to build a better team in a Build-A-Bike team building event for kids who really need a break. Adecco matches people and their skills to the demands of employers looking for “just the right person.”

Putting faces with names, and learning to collaborate, and communicate will make their world of email, texting, and phone calls much stronger. Adecco has done well in this down-turned economy and today they shared their good fortune with some kids who are going through difficult times. They got to know each other a lot better, by brainstorming, collaborating, and having a whole lot of fun, while building a stronger team, and 14 new bikes.

14 kids from Jacksonville’s Northwest side got to feel the Adecco “love.” They not only got a bike, based on good behavior, they got to see the world in a different way. They met people who cared that they do well in life. The area these kids call “their neighborhood” is a rough one. Just walking to school can be a bit dicey. It has the highest violent crime rate in the city. These bikes are a subtle message of support, “We want you to do well.” The folks from Adecco left knowing they left a positive imprint on these kids. They also went away knowing how to better communicate, collaborate and work together as a team.

By Connie Timpson/ Team Building Facilitator for The Leader’s Institute. Similar Articles: Florida Team Building Events;

HealthSouth Print Solutions Gives 6 Bikes to Boys and Girls in Birmingham, Alabama

Craig Wagganer — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:18:23 +0000

Nearly 30 employees of HealthSouth Print Solutions came together for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in Birmingham, Alabama, that resulted in a lot of fun, laughs, learning, and 6 new bicycles being given children from the local Birmingham Boys and Girls Club. The event had significant impact on the participants as well as the children that received the bikes. The team building event was a memorable end to a day of meetings and goal setting. It provided some activity as well as opportunities to explore team building in a fun way that stretched the individuals and their teams. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of questions, and a lot of learning.

Learning can be a difficult task, but people seem to retain and learn best when they are enjoying the activity. This is the basis for the Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. It joins together excellent learning opportunities with the ability to have fun and enjoy one another’s company. HealthSouth Print Solutions expressed a great delight in the program and the significant opportunity to give back to the community as well as explore team building in a fresh way. The activities each had a common purpose but allowed for and demanded individual contributions. That is what team work is all about. Each team participated well. In fact, the program works because each individual contributes to the smaller group they are in, and each group contributes to the overall program. By the end of the program it is realized that although in several different groups, there is only one team.

Thanks to HealthSouth Print Solutions for a great program and a great way to give back to the Birmingham Community. Six children, their families and the communities they live in shared with you in a great Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. You make a positive difference.

Craig Wagganer teaches team building events for us in the MidWest and South including Birmingham Team Building Events and team events in Atlanta, Georgia.

Acknowledge the Importance of Other People

Doug Staneart — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 03:09:45 +0000

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. –William James

Most people have one defining need that very rarely gets satisfied. Many of us will move Heaven and Earth to satisfy this need. This one attribute is the single most motivating factor that leads to success. It is the need, the want, to feel important. The person who can satisfy this need in others, the person who can sincerely make other people feel important, can be very influential and is typically regarded by others as a good leader. In fact, you can tell a lot about an individual by what makes him feel important. My dad builds houses, and one of the most satisfying things to him is to complete a building and have others admire his work. Al Capone got his feeling of being important from power and control. Mother Teresa got her feeling of importance by helping the helpless. There are usually two reasons why people do things. The reason we tell others… and the real reason. When we give money to charity, do we really do it to help others or do we do it because of the satisfaction we get from helping others. We feel important because we feel like we made a difference in someone else’s life.

We you look around your office, you will see people from all walks of life who crave this feeling of importance. If any one of those people all of the sudden stopped doing their job, it would cause a lot of challenges for your company. Every single job that they do is important to the success of the company – to your success, because without them you couldn’t do your job effectively.

When was the last time that you told them how important they were to you?

One of my class members about ten years ago decided to use this principle with his sales assistant. She was the assistant for five different salespeople, and her job was to put together marketing materials and, ultimately, their contracts when they sold a big deal. During the class, this salesman decided that the work that this woman did for him was critical to him closing deals, so on his way into the office, he bought her a big container of popcorn and just put a sticky note on it saying how important she was to him and to his success.

When he gave it to her, she was shocked and surprised, but awfully grateful as well since he was the first person in years to treat her like an equal in the office. When he came back to class the next week, he told us that she had taken the sticky note off the can and stuck it under the plastic protector that covered her desk so that she could see it every day.

I saw this man a couple of years later and asked him about the sales assistant. He told me that she is still there and still doing a fabulous job. He said, though, that she now has over a dozen of the sticky notes on her desk. She keeps every one.

Great leaders use this aspect of human nature to make people feel important. One way to be a great leader is to find some way every day to make the people around you feel important.

Team Building Principle #15: Acknowledge the Importance of Other People

Amcor in Roanoke, Virginia Built Some Bikes, Strengthened Their Team & Made 18 Kids Smile

Connie Timpson — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:02:40 +0000

A team from Amcor in Roanoke, Virginia builds bicycles in a team building event in Wyethville, VI. Amcor – maker of many things plastic, like those easy to grip Gatorade bottles, halted production lines to build some bikes for area kids, and learn how to be a stronger team.

Folks at Amcor are thankful that in this economy they have jobs, and today they gave back to the community where they all live. It is a rural area, where a deer, or a wild turkey, is just as likely to cross the road as a car, where everyone pretty much knows everyone else, and they care about each other. Like many areas, the economy has not been kind to everyone. For kids it is hard to understand why they can’t have what other kids have, and today Amcor tried to even the odds. As part of a team building day they chose the Leader’s Institute’s Build-A-Bike program to learn a little, get out the wrenches, and build some bikes, for kids who had none.

Along the way, they learned a little more about each other, some of it surprising, some of it – just a lot of fun. Yes, there was a little competition, but by the conclusion, they were in total agreement about one thing – the result – bikes for kids, made them all winners. They met the kids. (All a bit shy, but happy.) They taught some how to ride, and then invited them to a home cooked meal. Sweet potatoes, deep-fried turkey – the works. After the kids and their families ate, the bike builders sat down and broke bread together. Oh, did I tell you it was in honor of Thanksgiving and Wyetheville is just a long hop from Roanoke, Virginia where many of their forefathers broke some land and created their new lives, after a long voyage from the old country. In those days, you can bet any turkey they ate was one of the wild ones, and this group is thankful for their ancestors’ sacrifice.

By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute, who teaches team building events in the greater Washington DC area.

Similar Articles/Postings: Team Building Washington DC; team building events

Thirdware Build-A-Bike team building event in Ann Arbor, MI adds energy to annual Family Day

ellenpatnaude — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:47:39 +0000

We had a great time in Ann Arbor, MI recently with Thirdware at it’s annual Family Day gathering where adding a Build-A-Bike team building program really took the energy level up! Starting as a small technology support firm in Mumbai in 1995, Thirdware has grown to over 1,000 employees and has earned many awards in their field. They have had offices in Michigan since 2004, and have been hosting this annual Family Day as a way to bring people together ever since. Adding Build-A-Bike to their agenda this year gave everyone an opportunity to interact and enjoy the morning together in a whole new way.

The majority of the participants were raised in India and have spent their careers working with technology. They jumped right into the activities with a competitive spirit and energy. Husbands and wives competed against each other with friendly banter, and co-workers got into the spirit and joined right in as well.

With so many families in the company coming over from India quite recently, they decided to donate the four bikes they built at the event internally. The four kids who helped build the bikes during the event got to ride them around as the happy recipients at the end. The universal feedback we got at the end of the event was how much the participants were able to learn about each other from interacting in a completely different way than they normally do in the workplace. With every observation and lesson pointed out by the participants, they were able to tie them back to similar challenges they sometimes face in their working environment.

“This event was exactly what we were looking for to spice up our Family Day! Ellen brought great energy and sense of humor to the activities. Our team had a fabulous experience, and we look forward to more of this type of activity in the future.” — Dharm Sadasivan, Thirdware

So if you’re looking to bring more energy and fun to your next corporate gathering in the metro Detroit, Michigan area or any other major city, include the Build-A-Bike Team Activity in your agenda and create a memorable experience for everyone!

Children from Salvation Army in New York Benefit from Pfizer Build-A-Bike Team Event

Craig Wagganer — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:25:36 +0000

Over 60 people from around the globe came together in New York City for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. These Pfizer employees from the Emerging Markets Group in New York, NY enjoyed the fun, laughter and learning as they built 10 bikes that were presented to children form the Salvation Army’s Chinatown operation. It was a fast-paced hour with 10 teams working together to solve problems, answer questions, and figure out clues to garner the parts to build the bicycles and then complete the construction. With several countries from around the world there were some language and communication barriers, but everything was solved and the task completed in the allotted time. From Europe, Asia, the US, and from the land down under, the participants worked together to have a great time and learn some valuable team building and leadership skills.

Teamwork is often viewed as the simple inter connection and effectiveness of group members. But this event showed how people from many different countries can come together to make one event a big success and contribute to the needs of people in the community. Although the participants represented many countries, the real difference was the experience they shared. It was learning (even if by accident) a little about teamwork and leadership, it was giving back, it was hearing the representative from the Salvation Army; helping families in the local community. Pfizer is concerned about improving the world through its oncology work and the emerging markets. Their work makes a difference everyday for people throughout the world. But the Build-A-Bike Team Building Event was a nice reminder that making a difference really does make a difference.

Add Fun to the Work Day

Doug Staneart — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:25:56 +0000

Do you really want to have fun at work or just add fun to an ordinary work day? Below are a few simple team building tips that will help you have fun while building the team.

Go to Lunch

One of the most overlooked team building activity is the lunch. Really… Just a simple lunch out of the office. Quite often, coworkers will run to get a bite to eat with each other, and they will likely group together when they do. Every once in a while, if you are the boss, invite yourself to the group. “Hey are you folks going over to Chili’s for lunch? Mind if I tag along?” If you have never done this before, you will likely get some subtle resistance. (I mean, who wants to eat with the boss, right?) However, when you pick up the tab at the end of the meal, the whole group will be appreciative. You are likely during the meal to really get to know your team on a more personal level, as well. It is easier to communicate with your team when you they like you and trust you, and food is a great conversation starter.

Share Success Stories

When you get a compliment from a client or a project runs very efficiently, make sure and share the story behind the success with the whole team. Most managers think that just telling the result is good enough, but the team will only get to see the complete picture if they get access to the whole story — the story behind the numbers. For instance, instead of “We hit our goal by the skin of our teeth. Good job, everyone,” tell the team what put us over the top. “On Thursday afternoon, we were still $25,000 under goal and had just one day to get the generate the last bit of revenue. John was able to go back to an order that was shipping on Friday and called the customer back to offer to double the order in exchange for a 2% discount. That was just enough to put us over the goal!”

By the way, most of the people that work for a big company do their job very well without ever knowing how their work affects the bottom-line. They are the part of the team who need most to hear about the success stories that occur at the end of the project. They will feel more of a feeling of accomplishment as they hear how their activities led to the success.

Make Time to Play

One of the big mistakes that I see big companies make is that they try to re-create a team culture from another organization. For instance, a lot of high-tech companies have started creating gourmet meals for their employees for free and bring in pool tables for recreation because Google does it. Or they try to add comedy to their announcements because Southwest Airlines does it. Remember that it took years for these organizations to create their culture, and if you take what works for them and insert it into a different culture, you’ll likely get a lot of resistance and confusion. Instead, start slow and build on the team culture.

A good way to start is to and a small fun activity. It could be a goal for the group to accomplish like a sales goal or customer retention goal, or it could be an outing where you shut down the office early on a Friday night and go to a ball game or go bowling. In reality, it doesn’t really matter how you start as long as you build on the first step. You can’t do something fun once and then stop. Instead, get creative an add fun activities to your culture in a step-by-step fashion.

So if you want to build a team culture and have fun at work, go to lunch with your team from time to time, share success stories, and make time for play. If you do, you’ll begin to build your team culture.

Hilton Hotels in Baltimore Maryland Create a Memorable and Philanthropic Rescue Bear Team Building Workshop

robjackson — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:11:01 +0000

Hilton Hotels in Baltimore Maryland Create a Memorable and Philanthropic Rescue Bear Team Building Workshop: Fun and Team Building were the goals of this exciting and memorable event located on-site to one of Baltimore, Maryland‘s most beautiful hotels located right next door to the Historic Camden Yards (home to the Baltimore Oriels). Members of the Luxury Brand of the Hilton Family of Hotels participated in tam building activities that focused around communication, problem solving, and most important, FUN!!
And, the big winners were the Baltimore Police Department. They will be the recipients of the awesome stuffed animals that the teams worked together by solving clues to earn all the supplies necessary to assemble the stuffed animals. To say that everyone fun was said to be an understatement. The laughter was from beginning to end with this incredible event.
If you would like your group to participate in a fun, challenging, and true bonding time contact The Leaders Institute to get information on the Rescue Bear Team Building Workshop.

Microsoft Build-A-Bike charity team building event in Chicago strengthens teams

ellenpatnaude — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:04:03 +0000

Microsoft held a corporate conference for 100 of its employees in Chicago, Illinois recently and included a Build-A-Bike charity team building workshop as a way to give the participants a high-energy experience with a philanthropic surprise at the end. Founded in 1975, Microsoft is a worldwide leader in software and employs over 90,000 people across the globe. We have partnered with Microsoft to deliver quality team building programs to many of their corporate conferences across the country.

Throughout the event, there was a lot of energy and an air of competition! The initial activities presented opportunities for the teams to get to know each other better, and to step outside of their comfort zones. The level of enthusiasm in the room was impressive! Everyone had a great time cheering for each other and showing off their creative sides.

The main portion of the program required the participants to abandon their competitiveness and work together to gain knowledge and resources in order to be successful. Skeptical and a little reluctant to share what they each had at first, eventually everyone adopted a spirit of cooperation and together they were able to build 16 bikes for kids.

The High Ridge YMCA club in Rogers Park brought 16 boys and girls to the event to be the excited recipients of the bikes at the end of the program. All the tension and struggles of learning to work more cooperatively melted away as the participants looked at the kids’ faces.

“This event was so much fun for everyone! Ellen did a great job, and the kids from the YMCA were just precious!” — Julia Kim, Microsoft

Everyone likes to have fun, and everyone likes to make a difference to children in their communities. Build-A-Bike is a great way to combine the two and add a new dimension to any corporate gathering.

Verizon Employees in Basking Ridge, NJ, Built Some Bikes and Became a Better Team

Connie Timpson — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:58:49 +0000

In Basking Ridge, New Jersey, a sprawling campus brings thousands of Verizon workers together for a bike team building event. On a glorious fall day about 150 Verizon employees poured into the auditorium to get revved up for new ventures, by doing a little team building. Are they a competitive group? Oh, just a bit. In fact they probably play as hard as they work.

On this day, their competitive nature helped build 22 bikes for kids who need a little boost in this down-turned economy. Verizon’s business continues to expand, grow, and create a larger footprint in the telecommunication’s world. And for all they have – they are grateful. In fact giving back to their communities is part of their mantra.
Folks who help kids on scholarship in the after-school program of the YMCA came to say thanks and talk about the kids in their care. They were bubbling over with thanks and couldn’t stop talking about what a huge gift this was for their kids. Wheeling out 22 bikes to help make their kids smile, made the folks at Verizon who built the bikes, smile even bigger.

Janet Schijns, Vice President of Verizon’s Business Solutions Group, told us that the Build-A-Bike program surpassed expectations, adding that she wants to do more. By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute covering New Jersey and New York Team Building Events.

Google gets in the Holiday Spirit with a Build-A-Bike Team Event Donating 14 bikes to children in San Jose California

Lisarezac — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:49:41 +0000

In the heart of the holiday season, 90 Google employees came together for a an opportunity to have some fun and give back to the community. They sponsored a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in San Jose, California, that resulted in 14 new bicycles being built and given to the local San Francisco Bay Area Boys and Girls Club. The participants got the opportunity to take a break from their hectic schedules to make a difference, learn some team building principles, and get to know each other in a different way. Everyone worked together to build some bikes and make a huge difference to some children who might not otherwise receive anything for the holiday season.

There are many things a team building event can teach us about teamwork. We can do it alone but we will not be as effective if we work together as a team and share information. First acknowledging that competition is inherent and detrimental to the overall goal is important and communication is the key to working through this. Going beyond the individual and working as a team makes us more efficient, effective and happier because we have the support of each other. Work life gets very busy, especially at a company that is growing and changing like Google. It is challenging to keep up with the every day demands. Taking time out to re-focus the priorities of the individual and team to work together is essential. The Google participants of this Build-A-Bike Team Building Event not only learned some important team building skills, but got to make a difference to some grateful children as well.

Thanks go out to Google for a great Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. And thanks to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Silicon Valley for providing 14 happy recipients for the bicycles! This article was written by Lisa Rezac, Regional Instructor Leader’s Institute.

Team Building Activities Support Best Places to Work

Colette Peterson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:23:15 +0000

Team Building Activities Support Best Places to Work

How do team building activities help your company become one of the best places to work? Fortune Magazine recently released its annual list of the 100 best workplaces and while the perks are nice, that’s not what really motivates employees to do their best.

More and more decision makers are turning to charity team building workshops as a way of keeping employees engaged. You might think that the best workplaces on the Fortune list have fantastic perks and lots of fun every day – and that’s part of the formula. Teresa Amabile, professor at Harvard Business School, and her research team analyzed nearly 12,000 work diaries from professionals in seven different companies. “Sure, the techies at Google love the free gourmet food, and Zappos employees get a kick out of playing Nerf Dart war. But all of that misses the most important element of employee engagement: helping them succeed at work that matters.”

Team building activities are an important tool for setting the tone with new employees and reinforcing the message to those with tenure. Instead of reading about the company values in the employee handbook, the message is much more powerful when delivered in a team building workshop. For example, Nestle Purina subscribes to the servant leadership model, so including team building activities like the Build-A-Bike where they can serve their local community is a natural fit as part of their meetings.

According to Amabile, “The single most important thing that can keep workers deeply, happily engaged on the job is moving forward on work they care about — even if the progress is an incremental ‘small win.’ Your bosses — and how they manage you — make all the difference.” When you have a quarterly or annual meeting it’s a great opportunity to reinforce your corporate culture through interactive team building activities.

The best managers in the Harvard Business School study set clear goals and gave people autonomy in meeting those goals. As a result, their employees stayed committed, productive and creative. Top performers have to be clued into and bought into a shared vision in order for company results to remain strong.

Sure, cool perks are nice. But many businesses see an inspired workforce as key to creating a great place to work – they go hand-in-hand. Consider adding team building activities to reinforce your corporate culture and engage your employees…and create a great place to work!

This article was written by Colette Johnston. Colette is a Corporate Team Building Consultant with The Leader’s Institute headquartered out of Dallas Texas. You can reach Colette at 800-872-7830.

Verizon Brought Hundreds of Its Employees to Build-A-Bike, Strengthen the Team and Give To Others in Los Angeles California

Connie Timpson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:21:53 +0000

Irvine, California – where Verizon employees worked at becoming better team members in this Los Angeles suburb, by building 36 bikes for kids affected by domestic violence. They learned how to collaborate, better communicate, and laugh a little along the way. Their final goal though, something they will always be proud of. All 36 of their two-wheeled creations were donated to Laura’s House, a haven for abused women and children. Laura was violently murdered by her estranged husband. Not even a restraining order stopped him from coming to her house, breaking in, and killing her as she dialed for help.

Every 9 seconds a woman is assaulted or beaten, usually by a husband or significant other who pledged to protect her. Verizon wants to help stop the clock on domestic violence.

A child who loses a mother at the hands of someone who was supposed to take care of the family is forever changed. They have a hard time ever trusting anyone or ever feeling truly safe. The impact on the children of abused and murdered women cannot be measured. Helping them see that there are good people in the world can open a window to recovery. Knowing that people like those at Verizon care about them enough to give them a beautiful new bike is like good medicine. It helps them find a little normalcy. A new bike is a bit of empowerment, one thing a child can control in a world spinning wildly out of control. Verizon gave these kids a message – we want you to do well. There are nice people in the world. And this, was a nice event.

Verizon’s, Dave Latimore, told us that the Build A Bike team building event received very positive feedback from his team and even better feedback from Laura’s House! Besides, he added, you worked to tie in the language and principles for our whole Training Summit.” Who got the most out of this event? Laura’s House, Verizon, or this team building instructor? It was a privilege to have been part of it. By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Kaiser Permanente, Team Building Event Builds Bikes For 40 Kids To Ride Trails in Atlanta Georgia

Connie Timpson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:13:21 +0000

KP means what it says, every body walk, ride, run – just get moving. They want us all to “get healthy.” Families of Kaiser Permanente in Atlanta, Georgia met along the Beltline for the second year holding a Build-A-Bike team building event for kids along the old railroad track bed. The rails have been ripped up, and wood chips laid down as part of the “Rails To Trails” program.

Folks from Kaiser Permanente want families along the old route to get healthy, to have what other kids have – a bike. So 250 Kaiser Permanente employees, plus their children, came together to do a little team building and make some lives more mobile. Together they earned the pieces of the bikes, put them together, and made them shine. They tried not to be competitive, but human nature won out. The “first finishers” were mighty proud. Kids from along the old rail line, came to see that people outside their immediate family care that they do well in life.
Mayor Kasim Reed came by to meet the kids with their new bikes, and people from Kaiser Permanente got to feel really good about themselves. Since 1945 KP has been at the forefront of healthy living, providing local jobs and giving back to the communities where they do business. This day, it was all about the kids, living healthy, and having a little competitive fun in Atlanta, Georgia. 40 new bikes are ready to be tried out along the Beltway, yes, safety first, always – a helmet. By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals includes Creating a Team Culture workshop in their team development strategy in Boston, Massachusetts

ellenpatnaude — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:07:11 +0000

I had a great experience recently on Thompson Island in Boston, Massachusetts where Vertex Pharmaceuticals hosted a Creating a Team Culture team building workshop for one of their research and development teams. Vertex is an innovative leader in the area of drug research for several serious diseases. They conduct ongoing research worldwide and employ more than 1,800 people. As their research and development team embarks on a critical project, they wanted to gain tools for improving their communication skills while deepening their level of trust and rapport. Escaping to beautiful Thompson Island in the Boston Harbor for an afternoon and evening of team building was a great way to do just that.

With each set of Leadership Principles introduced, the group engaged in one or two exercises where they got the opportunity to apply those principles. They were able to laugh at themselves and each other while bringing home the lessons of improved workplace communication.

There were four areas of communication covered in the Creating a Team Culture workshop. The first was the foundational issue of building trust and rapport. The second dealt with managing conflict, and was followed by ways to gain cooperation. Finally, the group delved into ways to put it all together and build their team.

“Our team loved this program! We were looking for something to really take our working relationships to the next level and build greater trust and respect among the members of this team. Ellen’s sense of humor and expertise with the material really delivered!” — Mary Beth Walsh, Vertex Pharmaceuticals

If your team is facing communication challenges, or just looking to strengthen the foundation of what they already have, including Creating a Team Culture as part of your team’s development plan will help them reach the next level.

Nike, Stepped up In New York City, Built a Stronger Team, and Some Bikes For Charity

Connie Timpson — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:29:24 +0000

Nike put one of its many fine shoes forward in, New York City, with a Build-A-Bike team building event for charity. Nike, Converse, Cole-Haan, Hurley, Jordan Brand, Nike Golf, Umbro, and did I mention high-tech wristbands that measure your “use of fuel”. Really. Participants laced up and worked to create a stronger team, and share their good fortune with less fortunate. This ever-expanding company called time out, and learned how to incorporate good team principles, like communication, collaboration, appreciating each others’ skills, and accomplish a common goal. The goal this day, was to solve some puzzles and earn some parts for bikes, they then presented to kids from the Salvation Army.

The folks from Nike knew about one family in particular that had gone through a really tough year, mom had a stroke and medical bills brought the loss of home and possessions. Nike wanted to help. In fact, one of them personally donated a mountain bike for the older child. It was a rough and tumble beauty, perfect for a 16 year old. The littler kids got bikes that sent a powerful message – “life may be difficult, but there are many who care about you”.

This was a day to remember, to take to heart, and learn about each other, while practicing the principles of teamwork, all designed to strengthen their team. By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

BP Build-A-Bike Team Building Event Donates 18 bikes To Children in Los Angeles California

Lisarezac — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:23:20 +0000

As part of it’s conference in Newport, California, just south of Los Angeles, BP included a Build-A-Bike team building event to add energy and fun with a philanthropic component. 120 BP employees from around the globe came together to strategize for the upcoming year, get to know their colleagues and give back to the community. Through this charitable team building program, all this and more were accomplished in one afternoon!

Build-A-Bike is a fast-paced, high-energy workshop giving participants the opportunity to interact, compete and ultimately work together to solve a series of challenges. Due to our competitive human nature, there is typically some skepticism at the notion that the teams need to collaborate to solve the challenges more efficiently. But in the end, this group learned some new ways to create a team and had a lot of fun in the process!

By the end of the event, they had built 18 bikes for local kids from the Boys and Girls Club of East Bluffs in Newport. The children were elated and the adults were thrilled at what they had accomplished. It was a beautiful day not just because of the bright blue skies, but in the good feelings that were felt by those who received, and also by those who gave.

BP came together to plan their upcoming year, give back to the community and find their common voice as a team. ”Whatever the strength of the individual, we will accomplish more together. We put the team ahead of our personal success and commit to building its capability.”

Giving back to the community, especially to kids in need, adds a whole other element to your team building activity. Including Build-A-Bike in your next conference gives your employees the opportunity to do just that while adding energy, enthusiasm and fun!

Microsoft Build-A-Bike team building event in Orlando, Florida adds fun to conference

ellenpatnaude — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:00:01 +0000

Microsoft included Build-A-Bike team building fun in their annual conference while in Orlando, Florida recently. They wanted to give the participants a fun, energetic team building experience that included an element of philanthropy. Microsoft was founded in 1975, and has grown to be a worldwide leader in software. We have partnered with Microsoft to deliver quality team building programs to many of their corporate conferences across the country.

Build-A-Bike is a series of activities, challenges and exercises that test a group’s ability to share information and resources. This Microsoft group in Orlando jumped right in and had a ball, racing against the clock and each other to complete each activity! There were about 200 people in the group and by the end of the event, they had built 26 bikes.

The YMCA clubs of Central Florida were on hand with 26 children to receive the bikes at the end of the event. For most of the kids, this was their first bike! The level of energy in the room was already high during the event, and the appearance of the kids just took it up that much higher!

“This event was exactly what we were looking for. Ellen and her team were very professional, and were great to work with. The kids being there at the end took everyone’s breath away!” — Cathy Lewis, Microsoft

Even in midst of one of the world’s most famous playgrounds for children in Orlando, there are kids in need. If you are looking for a powerful way to give your team a really fun experience while giving back to the community, Build-A-Bike is a must-have team building event for your next conference!

National Credit Union Administration completes Creating a Team Culture corporate team building workshop in Chicago, Illinois

ellenpatnaude — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:54:36 +0000

The National Credit Union Administration held a meeting in Chicago, Illinois recently for a new team of people and included Creating a Team Culture, a corporate team building workshop, as part of their meeting. The NCUA is the independent federal agency that regulates, charters and supervises federal credit unions. Established in 1970, the agency has grown as credit unions grow and thrive across the country. Many of the people working on the team that met in Chicago are spread out in different locations, which can make clear communication challenging.

The group of 35 people gathered with some skepticism about doing a team building activity. They didn’t want anything “touchy feely” or hokey. They were experiencing some real communication challenges and wanted a workshop that would help them address them.

We discussed four sets of Leadership Principles relating to improving communication and team culture. With each set of principles, there were exercises for the group to do that helped them interact with the principles and try them out. The first set of principles dealt with building trust and rapport, which is something this group was struggling with most. We also covered ways to manage conflict, gain cooperation, and build the team around you. As the workshop progressed, the level of interaction in the group rose steadily, and by the end, they were much more relaxed!

“This workshop was exactly what I was hoping for! Ellen really knew how to handle our group and get everyone talking. We are looking forward to more great team building workshops with you in the future.” — Staci Hawkins, NCUA

Team building workshops done in a classroom don’t have to be dull or lecture style. If your team is struggling with communication issues and wants to enjoy a seminar where they will get to interact with each other and share some laughs while still addressing core issues, include Creating a Team Culture in your plans.

Wells Fargo Team Building Event Builds Bikes for Boys and Girls In Charlotte, North Carolina

Craig Wagganer — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:49:38 +0000

Over 120 employees of Wells Fargo came together for a unique team building opportunity. They sponsored a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in Charlotte, North Carolina, that resulted in 20 new bicycles being built and given to the local Boys and Girls Club. It was a fun and fast-paced experience where the participants got the opportunity to have some fun, learn some team building principles, and see one another in a little different circumstance than they are accustomed to. It was great experience to laugh, learn and give back to the community.

What can a Build-A-Bike event teach us about teamwork? One simple lesson that is experiences is that teamwork goes beyond the immediate team to involve a larger team. In this instance there were 18 teams given various tasks, but it wasn’t until they learned to work together across team boundaries that the problems were able to be solved. When the each of the teams enlisted the help of others the team work provided the benefit. Often time companies are divided by location, divisions, departments, etc. But when we work across those boundaries to help each other progress really occurs. We may compete for limited human resources, time, financial consideration, budgetary appropriations, and any other things, but competition can become detrimental to the overall welfare of the larger company. If one branch succeeds at the cost of another the company at large suffers. This was an important lesson for the participants and they experienced the learning a fun and practical atmosphere.

This event was produced by our Atlanta, Georgia based team. Thanks to Wells Fargo for a great Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. And thanks to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Charlotte for providing recipients for the bicycles.

FNB of Fox Valley Build Teamwork with Camaraderie Quest in Green Bay Wisconsin

Craig Wagganer — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:41:35 +0000

60 employees of The First National Bank of Fox Valley came together for a unique team building experience in Appleton, Wisconsin — just outside of Green Bay, WI. The Camaraderie Quest Team Building Event is a high tech team building scavenger hunt in which the participants learn the importance of clear communications, alert observations, and having fun to build teamwork and camaraderie. The venue was downtown Appleton and the 7 teams had to find items, take pictures and even make some videos around landmarks and important places in this beautiful city. This event is similar to events that we have conducted in Chicago, Illinois and other major cities around the world.

The Camaraderie Quest Team Building Event can be a great opportunity to get out of the office and do a fun activity together. Even if we are not in physical proximity, our interactions too often can become predictable and repetitious. We get used to seeing each other in certain surrounding, working on similar tasks, doing the same things and in the same environment. We do a good job and it becomes routine, which can be dangerous. That is one reason the group from Irdeto came together- first as a reward for a great year, but also to spurn on excellent continuation of the progress made. When we get out of those surroundings and get to know each other little better we get new insight into each others personalities and a different revelation of what other individuals are like. We also get to expose our selves to others and prosper form being a little more vulnerable. These can produce positive growth in each individual and so foster growth within the team and the entire organization.

Thanks to First National Bank of Fox Valley for a great Camaraderie Quest Team Building Event. What a great way to have fun, see each other in a little different light, and learn some great team building skills.

Build Morale when Times are Tough

Doug Staneart — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:45:12 +0000

Times are tough, and as a result, morale can suffer. So what can the leaders of an organization do to help team members feel more confident and at ease? Below are a few simple tips:

Give Sincere Compliments: When times are tough, we can easily be distracted (sometimes just trying to stay above water). That is the time that your team members need reassurance, and a sincere compliment can go a long way in helping your team feel more comfortable. Remember that the team member doesn’t have to be perfect — just improving.
Share Information: People fear the unknown a lot more than reality in most cases. If your team knows what’s wrong, they can often help you fix it. Often, leaders will try to protect the team by keeping negative information to himself/herself, which just makes the team wonder what you are hiding. Fear causes people to react aggressively, so share information, and your team will help you.
Set a Goal: A shared goal can help the team work together toward a common result. A number of small successes can improve morale dramatically.
Brain-Storm: Challenges are often opportunities in disguise. When challenges develop, get your team together and brain-storm solutions. One big idea can open up additional revenue streams.

Get your team working toward a common goal by praising them and working on tough challenges together. Your team culture will grow, and you will be way ahead of the game when things turn around.

Galderma Laboratories hosts Creating a Team Culture and Structures team building workshops in Dallas, TX

ellenpatnaude — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:29:36 +0000

I had the pleasure of working with a dynamic group of women from Galderma Laboratories in Dallas recently as they completed a full day of team building workshops, including Creating a Team Culture and Structures Team Building Event. Founded in 1981 as a joint venture between Nestlé and L’Oréal, Galderma now employs more than 3,200 people around the world. They are one of the world’s leading dermatology companies. This group of women that I had the pleasure of working with provides all of the administrative support to the sales, marketing and production department leaders.

We began the day with Creating a Team Culture, and specifically with taking a look at personality styles. This prompted a very lively discussion as the women grappled with how they have experienced different personality styles in the workplace. They found it very insightful and helpful to learn about typical strengths and weaknesses of each style, and had a passionate discussion.

This led nicely into exercises centered around the four sets of Leadership Principles. We covered the areas of building trust and rapport, managing conflict, gaining cooperation, and building your team. By the end of the Creating a Team Culture portion of our team building day, they were conversing and interacting much more freely than at the start of the day!

The second half of the day was Structures – a wonderful team building workshop that engages the participants in solving a series of puzzles and challenges in order to accumulate the parts needed to build two dollhouses. They must be creative and work very closely together in order to be successful. With the success of the morning workshop, this was easier for them than it otherwise might have been!

The dollhouses were donated to the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas where they will go to be available for children to play with when they are in residence. It added a dimension to the event that reminded everyone that there is a larger picture to keep in mind.

“Ellen did an amazing job with our team! Everyone found the morning session to be eye-opening and extremely helpful as we strive to understand each other better. The afternoon session really cemented it all together for us by giving us the chance to play together. This is a different team now!” — Josie Razo, Galderma Laboratories

Engaging in a full day of team building activities can be a great way to bring your team together. With Creating a Team Culture as a morning classroom-based workshop to address principles, and Structures as a more active team building exercise in the afternoon, it creates the perfect combination!

Symantec Build-A-Bike team building event in Las Vegas, NV brings energy and fun to annual corporate retreat

ellenpatnaude — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:23:39 +0000

As part of it’s annual conference in Las Vegas, Symantec included a Build-A-Bike team building event to add energy and fun with a philanthropic component. Symantec has been helping consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world for more than 25 years. With more than 18,500 employees in over 50 countries around the world, they have become one of the largest software companies out there. This annual conference in Las Vegas was for 200 software engineers from around the globe.

Build-A-Bike is a fast-paced, high-energy workshop gives participants the opportunity to interact, compete and ultimately work together to solve a series of challenges. Due to our competitive human nature, there is typically some skepticism at the notion that the teams need to collaborate to solve the challenges more efficiently. But this group was accustomed to working together across lines, and they rose to the challenge!

By the end of the event, they had built 30 bikes! Local kids from the Boys and Girls Club of greater Las Vegas came at the end of the event to receive the bikes. There was not a dry eye to be found! In the midst of all of the opulence and extravagence of Las Vegas, Symantec helped children who don’t have their own bikes to have hope.

“This was an amazing event! Ellen and her team pulled everything together flawlessly. And the children coming in at the end – well, I could barely see through my tears! We’ll definitely do this again!” — Ariana Glinski, Symantec

Everyone likes to give back to the community, especially to kids in need. Including Build-A-Bike in your next conference gives your employees the opportunity to do just that while adding energy, enthusiasm and fun!

Wells Fargo Build-A-Bike Team Building Event Contributes 34 bikes To Children in San Francisco California

Craig Wagganer — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:19:57 +0000

When people come together with a common purpose and contribute their individual talents a lot of good things can happen. That was the experience of nearly 200 Wells Fargo employees as they joined together for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in the San Francisco Bay Area (Concord,California). The event was very active and solicited each individual to make contributions to the team effort. The final analysis was 34 bikes were given to a local boys and girls club, each participant was able to contribute to the effort and teamwork was defined as when common purpose collides with individual contributions. It was a fast-paced, fun learning experience that benefited the individual participants as well as the boys and girls clubs and the over 30 recipients of brand new bicycles.

The Wells Fargo employees were separated into 32 groups and each group had activities to participate in. Completion of the activities was only possible by each member making significant contributions to the different projects. For each activity there was a common purpose, whether it was tasks to accomplish or problems to solve, the goal was clear so that each group knew what had to be achieved. The common purpose also highlighted individual contributions. Good team work isn’t when individuality is lost, but rather when each individual is able to contribute their best for the good to the team. The common purpose is the goal of the team work.

That common purpose must collide with the individual efforts and contributions of the team members. Through the activities each person was able to contribute according to their own talents, skills and abilities. Whether a person is artistic, organizational, mechanical, analytical, motivational, etc., whatever is possessed by the individual they were able to contribute to achieving the common purpose. Through the Build-A-Bike Team Building Event every individual was given opportunity to contribute to the overall goal of the program. That was team work at its best.

Thanks so much to Wells Fargo for a great team building experience and for giving back to the community in a very significant way.

What is Your Favorite Team Building Game or Team Activity?

Doug Staneart — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:23:34 +0000

Everyone has been a part of or led some type of fun team building game or team activity. What was your favorite? Was an event, an outing, or just a fun game that everyone loved?

CUNA Hosts Ace Race Golf Team Building to Benefit Mission Central Food Pantry In Dallas

Craig Wagganer — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:02:16 +0000

80 members of the CUNA Select Leadership Team came together in Dallas, Texas for an Ace Race Golf Team Building Event. The opportunity was a great experience for team building, fun, friendly competition, and to donate food to the Mission Central Food Pantry. Everyone had fun designing a miniature golf hole and then competing to make an “Ace” (hole-in-one) at each hole. The twelve hole course made with mats of felt for the green and non-perishable food items to construct the holes and obstacles provided a challenge and fun to all of the participants. The fun and learning culminated in all of the food items being donated to the Mission Central Food Pantry. There was learning, fun and a great feeling when a representative of the food pantry explained how the food would be used and the tremendous difference it would make in the lives of individuals.

This Golf Team Building event is a fun way to teach some basic team building principles while having fun and giving back to the community. The teams were formed randomly but each team had to use the experience and talents of the members to complete the tasks. Some people are good at the design of the golf holes, others have the ability to put the parts together in a specific order to construct the holes: others have the ability to hit the golf ball and make the critical shot; still others are able to organize the individuals to get the best from each one. The best teams are those that recognize how each individual can contribute to the team and then cheers them on to make significant contributions. One “sentence” that was reiterated was, “None of us is as smart as all of us.”

Thanks CUNA for a great event and for making a significant contribution to the Mission Central Food Bank. May the Ace Race experience benefit you as your gracious gift to the food pantry will benefit so many in need.

Pfizer Team Building Event Stuffs Animals for Kids in Hospital in New Brunswick, New Jersey

Craig Wagganer — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:53:17 +0000

Over 400 Pfizer employees came together for a quick, one hour, Rescue Bear Team Building Event in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was quite a sight to see when the stuffed animals were collected at the end of the event and lined up on the stage in front of the room. 200 red and blue bags lined the stage each one containing a stuffed animal that will be given to children connected with the Robert Woods Johnson University Hospital. This event with Pfizer was a great team building experience that provided a substantial contribution to children and their families that will sincerely appreciate them.

What can 400 people stuffing animals learn about team building? Each team had to work together as well as learn to work with other teams to finish the project. Each team member was needed to collaborate with each other and then stretch beyond their own team to collaborate with other teams so they could experience completing the animals. The collaborative efforts resulted in effectiveness in execution of the tasks. Effective collaboration leads to efficient execution which means that the goal(s) can be achieved. Collaborate, execute, achieve; these were the bywords for this teambuilding event. Thanks to Pfizer for providing the Rescue Bear Team Building Event that was instructional for the participants and made for a very appreciative children and families connected with one of the top children’s hospital in the greater New York area and across the US.

Walgreen’s Build Bikes for Boys and Girls in Deerfield, IL

Craig Wagganer — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:30:37 +0000

Walgreen’s brought together over 20 of their district security people to Deerfield, Illinois, for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. The fun, learning experience culminated with 4 new bicycles being built and given to the Union League Boys and Girls Clubs. The event was entertaining and informative, but when the children were introduced at the end of the event there was nothing but smiles on the children’s faces as they received new bikes and pride on the participants faces as they awarded the bikes to the children. The event provided learning value, entertainment value, and philanthropic value; a great combination and a great experience for any afternoon- and a very special one for these Walgreen’s VIPs.

When the group was divided into smaller groups and given tasks to compete there was a certain air of competitiveness that began to grow. It was reiterated several times that nothing in the afternoon was a competition, but the goal of every activity was for every group to complete it to the best of their ability. Having concentrated on that fact, nothing was a competition, you would think that the competitive dealings would have stopped, or slowed- but they didn’t. Whenever a large group is broken down into smaller ones competition will happen. Even if it is stressed that it shouldn’t, it is the nature of teams to be competitive.

Likewise when a company operates different locations, different departments, different divisions, etc… competition will result. Not all competition is destructive. It can be very positive it is brings out the best in every team and the overall efforts of the larger group don’t suffer. Too often the competitive nature becomes destructive because for one group so succeed it means another must not. In other words- if we are the winners there must be losers. But if one segment of a company wins or has successes at the cost of another, then the whole team has really suffered. We often times find ourselves in unwitting competition because of budget restrictions, human resource allocations, time differentials, and what ever else can cause differing segments to compete with each other. Too often information is withheld, solutions are shared, ideas aren’t communicated because if we do we have lost that competitive edge. One group within the organization may win, but the team as a whole has suffered.

Congratulations to Walgreen’s in the Greater Chicago, Illinois area for sponsoring the Build-A-Bike Team Building Event and making a positive difference in the live of 4 children, their families and communities- all the while having fun and learning some important team building lessons.

Can Team Building Increase Productivity in a Recession?

Doug Staneart — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:18:58 +0000

When the economy is slow, company managers and leaders have to be very cautious with every expense. As a result, we will often put off hiring new employees until more certainty in the marketplace develops. Although natural efficiencies will develop in a downward economy, can team building activities help increase productivity so that we can avoid the expense of adding on new personnel? The answer to that question is… “Well… It depends…”

Don’t Confuse “Morale” with “Productivity”

Team Building is almost a generic term that is used for both “morale building” activities and “productivity building” activities interchangeable, but if you confuse the two activities, you can make some costly mistakes. Morale building activities can include anything from going out to a movie together to an office holiday party to entertainment style activities at annual meetings ans conventions. These activities provide a shared-experience that builds temporary camaraderie and provides a fun relief to the normal day-to-day rat-race. Productivity building activities are training events or innovations that help teams do more with less. Although people will often call both of these types of activities “Team Building”, the activities themselves get totally different results. Both are needed to create a team culture, but quite often, managers and leaders will schedule one type of activity hoping to get the needed result from the other type of activity and be sorely disappointed.

Although productivity will often improve (sometimes dramatically) when morale improves, an increase in morale doesn’t always cause a team to be more productive. For instance, if a manager came into the office and announced that the entire team would get the whole week off and still get paid, morale would skyrocket, but productivity would drop to zero for the week. Morale building activities like team outings and company parties are extremely important, but they can’t entirely replace productivity building events and activities.

Since the team atmosphere created by morale building activities can be temporary, you’ll want to schedule activities like this regularly so that the individual team members get to interact with each other in a more fun way to build camaraderie. Charity team building events at annual meetings or conventions can be a great way to insert a morale building activity. These team building functions are very economical, because the company can generate great public relations without increasing the cost of conducting a convention or annual meeting. For instance, most conventions are going to have some type of entertainment or at least a company outing of some kind. Many companies are replacing these activities with a charity bike build or a team scavenger hunt where team members build gift baskets for soldiers. The investment in each activity is fairly similar, but the results of the charity activities often provide impactful, lasting memories that build great camaraderie between team members.

Build Teams by Training Team Members Together

In addition to morale building activities, a team also needs to develop new skills in order to keep them productive. Many years ago, a mentor of mine told me that “You can’t build a team by training individuals, but you can build a team by training individuals together.” I didn’t really understand the power of this advice until I started my own business, but I understand it more and more as my company grows and grows. For instance, many big companies offer tuition assistance for higher level degrees for their employees, but what often happens is that a company will invest a ton of money into the development of an employee only to have the person leave the company and start working for a competitor. This happens because the individual employees is growing, but the team as a whole is stagnant.

Oddly enough, any skill development activities will work to build the team culture in an organization if the skills developed gives the team a competitive advantage in the marketplace. For instance, Apple decided to eliminate cash registers inside their Apple Stores and replace them with the ability for any employee in the store to be able to use their smartphones to ring-up items for purchases on their smartphones. Because Apple is doing something that no one else is doing, the employees who have been trained in this new technology feel like they are a part of an elite group that is different from other retail stores. Whether they are or not doesn’t really matter, because the team believe that they are ahead of the curve. Customers can find an Apple employee and within seconds create a purchase and have the receipt sent to the customer via email and be on their way. A dramatic increase in productivity and decrease in cost while creating more of a team atmosphere among employees.

“Soft-Skills” Team Building Training is Most Productive

The most effective team training to increase productivity comes from “soft-skills” training, though. While Hard-Skills are ones essential to doing individual jobs within a company — for example hard-skills for an engineer might be calculus and physics — soft-Skills are skills that improve productivity no matter what specific role that a person has within an organization. Soft-skills would include communication skills, presentation skills, the ability to persuade people, the ability to coach and mentor others, etc. If the engineer improves in any or all of these soft-skills, then he or she will likely improve their individual success as well as the overall success of the team.

When teams train together in these soft-skill areas, they automatically develop that same type of team culture that Apple developed with the technology change. Team members know that they are a part of a unique, elite group that is different from most organizations (because most organizations don’t train this way).

For example, a few years ago, I was hired by a commercial construction company to help them deliver high-level sales presentations better. Companies that build skyscrapers or have groups of construction projects often bid out these huge projects in one big contract, so they will often ask for huge proposals and have each qualified contractor come in and do a presentation to narrow down the field. The company that hired me was closing about one out of six of these presentations, but wanted to increase their numbers. So we conducted a series of presentation skills classes with the teams of presenters. Because they trained together, they developed a team culture that showed up when they conducted their presentations. Quite often, at the end of their presentations, the board members who were in the audience would say, “We chose this group because they just seemed to work very well together.” The team culture showed, because the individuals within the group had been trained in soft-skills together, so they saw themselves as having an advantage over other presenters (and they had one.)

Presentation skills, people skills, coaching, mentoring, and other soft-skills training can really help teams become more productive as long as the teams are going through the training as a team. I remember my college football coach telling us, “You don’t fight for records or awards, you fight for the guy who is next to you in the trenches.” When teams train together, they build a rapport that lasts.

Chartis Opened Minds To Team Building And Hearts To Kids Devastated By Flooding In Stowe Vermont

Connie Timpson — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:53:59 +0000

Chartis, a global insurance giant, came to Stowe, Vermont, to build a stronger team and give back. They gave back, by gifting the “Community Connection” with 20 bikes, all part of the Build-A-Bike team building program. Then, they dug even deeper, and “payed it forward.” Very patient Chartis employees marked time, waiting for kids delayed by flooded-out roads, by adding a generous surprise to the mix.

When the kids arrived, CEO Peter Hancock, handed the Community Connection director an envelope. Inside was hope for a recovery from the flooding. Employees of Chartis, had pulled out their wallets and stuffed the envelope with cash. The director of the kids program was at a loss for words. Over two thousand dollars, plus 20 bikes will go a long way toward healing the lives of kids who lost nearly everything to the flood.

This group came to Vermont from all over the world for the team building. Though all of their home countries differ from one another, they share many commonalities. These folks were competitive, racing through bike construction while collaborating, and using each team’s strengths, laughing while they did it. They were generous, and self-less, giving back to a community most never dreamed would be hit by a tropical storm. They even made time for a bike lesson or two. Everyone went away with a sense that teamwork pays off, and that giving more, means getting more. Their hearts richer, for all their giving. Their minds on the futures of these kids, and this community, all the while knowing – they truly made a difference.

By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute. Connie teaches team building event in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, and other New England locations.

Boeing Team Building Event Builds Bikes for Boys and Girls Club in St. Louis Missouri

Craig Wagganer — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:46:52 +0000

Engineers and managers came together St. Louis from across the country for 2 days of meetings and team building events. Their time together began with a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in which 6 bicycles were built and donated to the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Clubs. The event was a challenge for the participants which were largely engineers. It stretched them in their comfort zones and challenged them to look at things and do things a little differently than they are used to doing. Besides stretching them, they also got to see one another in a little different circumstance than they are used to. It was a fun activity, with a lot of laughter, and some learning thrown in for good measure.

The Build-A-Bike Team Building Event helps people to see things from a little different perspective than they may be accustomed. We too often do things the way we have done them previously and continue to repeat the process over and over because it has become the routine. There may be better ways, but we can’t see them because of the repetition we have created. In this event one of the dynamics is to try and get a little different perspective so the participants can approach a problem from a different angle and work it through until the bikes are completed. What happens is that things aren’t always as they appear and sometimes we need to step back and get a fresh look. This is a valuable lesson to help us in our team work and leadership.

Thanks to Boeing for a fun learning experience and for giving back to the community by giving 6 new bicycles to children from the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Clubs.

Sodexo Explores Personalities and Gives Bikes to Children in Ft Lauderdale Florida

Craig Wagganer — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:41:01 +0000

Members of the Sodexo Senior Living Division came together in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to take part in a half day team building event that helped them explore personalities as well as build bikes for children from the Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County. The event combined a Personality Traits Team Workshop with a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. The result was learning and laughter as the combination program brought together a classroom style team building event with a philanthropic opportunity. The participants benefited from both activities and putting them together helped reinforce the material covered.

This unique combination of two events gave a great opportunity to explore personalities, discuss and practice some skills related to personalities, temperaments, and how to improve communication. There was a strong emphasis on leadership skills and learning to build on strengths, be aware of weaknesses, take opportunity to grow and develop and to make sure we don’t become complacent by excusing our own problematic behavior while being judgmental concerning others. Special emphasis was put on becoming a more accepting and understanding listener; and in being able to encourage others by giving strength-centered compliments. These two skills work regardless of an individual’s personality both as the receiver or giver.

Thanks to Sodexo for a great combination of events and for giving back to the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida community through the donation of bicycles through the Build-A-Bike portion of the event.

Wells Fargo Advisers Rescue Bear Team Building Gives Stuffed Animals to BJC Hospital in St Louis

Craig Wagganer — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:52:34 +0000

Over 25 Wells Fargo Senior Advisers came together in St. Louis, Missouri for a Rescue Bear Team Building Event. This special event included several activities that culminated in 25 stuffed animals being assembled that were given to the Children’s Hospital of the Barnes, Jewish, Children’s Hospital System. The activities of the afternoon included some very fun activities that incorporated valuable lessons on leadership and team building. Amidst the laughter, games and projects the participants were also given time to think over important principles that they can put into practice. Personality types were explored with unique suggestions on improving communications and better understanding of one another.

During the team building event personality and temperament was explored. It was clear that through the activities people understood a little more about how personality and temperament plays into our every day behavior. Often times that behavior can lead us to interact most with people who are most like ourselves. The problem is that when we work in homogeneous units we fail to capitalize on the strengths of others who could be in the group. When we surround ourselves with personalities most like our own we are missing a key ingredient to seeing a total or whole picture. Many teams are formed this way and short-circuit the effectiveness of the team because key ingredients to the whole are missing by the neglect of having a rounded team that includes the various temperament styles.

The Rescue Bear Team Building Event helps expose how silos in the workplace are formed and how to break out of that mold. It was a fun and experiential learning event and there was a great feeling about giving back to such a great community organization as BJC. The 25 stuffed animals made and contributed will make a difference in the lives of hospitalized children just as the event made a difference in the lives of the Wells Fargo Advisers.

PS 21 a Charade Murder Mystery Team Building Caper in New York City Brings Investigators and Laughter

Connie Timpson — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:40:52 +0000

New York City’s Staten Island – home of great teachers, and a murderous puzzle they must solve. Whodoneit? A Charade murder mystery team building event at its finest. Who murdered the school’s principal, or did she just choke on a cigar and die? Nope! It was Murder. The room abounds with suspects, normally dedicated teachers who think only of children. But today, they were the ones in the principal’s office. And she is dead. Clue by clue, teams of deputized teachers worked through the evidence, questioning suspects to determine who had a motive, the means, and the guts to knock out one of New York’s finest. (Well, she may have been embezzling, or was that one of the suspects?)

The Leader’s Institute’s® Gum Shoe Crew, headed up the murder mystery team building event that proved once again – teachers have a really difficult job. Their workload tries their mind, students try their patience, and those same students capture their hearts.

Today, the kids were out, and the teachers got to have recess. It was much more fun to solve a murder than grade papers, or plan for next week. Oh, but these teachers were way ahead of next week. The principal has already decided that next school year’s theme will be “all about America.” As part of the team building (before the murder) they learned a cool way to help kids remember the original 13 colonies. Learning really can be fun. And collaboration, how else would they have solved the crime? Building a team, sometimes takes a mystery.

By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

UnitedHealthcare Hosts Bike Team Building Event in New Orleans and Donates 12 Bicycles

Craig Wagganer — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:26:48 +0000

UnitedHealthcare brought members of their National Clinical Excellence Team together in New Orleans, Louisiana, for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. One of the end results of the program was 12 new bicycles being given to The Future Leaders of America. Other results were a great amount of fun, laughter and learning. The activities focused on building collaboration, improving communication and understanding each other as co-workers and team mates. The event was action packed and fast-paced and kept the participants moving. The overall result was ton of enjoyment and some important lessons learned and reinforced.

One important aspect of the event was the focus on being one team. Many times when we are placed in groups we become competitive with others. Just like the everyday situation where we work in departments, are separated by locations, or divided into divisions. Often times the result is competition within the organization. Competition can be good if it brings out the best in everyone concerned, but too often competitiveness results in hoarding materials, information and/or resources. In the program individuals experienced the destructive side of competition and how it hurts the overall progress of the team. There was a lot of laughter, and fun, but the points were well made during the experience.

Congratulations to UnitedHealthcare for sponsoring the Build-A-Bike Team Building Event and giving their people an opportunity to have fun while growing in their leadership and team building skills. And for the special opportunity of giving back to the community by donating 12 bicycles to children and families that can really use and will really appreciate them. The communities around New Orleans (including coastal cities in Texas and Mississippi) have really rebounded since Katrina, and we are glad to be a part of the recovery.

Jazz Up Christmas Banquets and Year End Meetings with Quality Team Building Activities

Doug Staneart — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:21:41 +0000

Want to jazz up your Christmas Banquet, holiday event, or year end meeting this year? A quality team building activity can add some fun and enthusiasm to the meetings and support a charity in the process. Charity team building events are still a fairly new invention, but these activities are growing in popularity by leaps and bounds every single year. These activities combine fun (and funny) exercises to build camaraderie to either build something or accumulate something that will later be donated to a charity on behalf of the sponsoring company or group.

For example, the grandfather of all of the charity team building events is the world-famous Build-A-Bike® team building event where participants work together to accumulate pieces of bicycles to build brand-new bikes for underprivileged kids in the area. This event is still the most popular, with good reason, because it combines fun and energy with an emotional appeal of helping kids. The big ending for these events is when kids come rushing into the room, and each individual team gets to donate their individual bike to a single kid. This leaves every participant feeling that his/her contribution was important to the success of the activity. Lots of fun!

Golf team building for a cause is the newest charity team building activity, and it is quickly becoming a popular choice because of the new economy that we are working in. This activity has participants accumulate non-perishable food items that are used strategically to design a custom golf-course for the group. Of course, once the course is dismantled, all of the food items are donated to a local food pantry. These food pantries are really struggling to keep up right now, because the number of families coming to them for food each week is increasing while donations are really low because of the economy. So they directors of these pantries are extremely grateful for these big donations (most often over 1000 lbs of food).

Another good choice is to do a scavenger hunt where participants race to accumulate items that are used to create care packages for soldiers who are away from their families. Especially around Christmas time, these care packages are a welcome to soldiers who are stationed in foreign countries.

For information about a charity team building event, call an event specialist at (800) 872-7830.

US Bankruptcy Court in St. Louis Creates Rescue Bears That Help Firemen Rescue Children in Trauma

Connie Timpson — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:40:01 +0000

North of St. Louis, Missouri, the US Bankruptcy Court gathered to learn, strategize, build their team, and some Rescue Bears for Children in trauma. Volunteer firemen from the New Haven fire house drove up in their shiny ladder truck to accept the animals that were dressed like firemen and rescue workers. Giving a cuddly animal to a child in distress, can comfort the child and make the fireman’s job a little easier. Firemen train as a team, coming to understand the strengths of individuals and capitalizing on those strengths to become the most effective team possible.

That strategy is the same kind that makes any group stronger. Participants learned how to understand each-others’ temperament, have some fun doing it, and built some bears for some of America’s finest.

We heard first hand, from one of the participants, what it really means to know that when you dial 911 firemen will answer. Sleeping, she woke to the smell of smoke and in seconds the whole house was in flames. Firemen got there immediately, but if she had not followed their orders to get out of the house, she would have lost more than material possessions.

These firemen are dedicated. The captain has been manning the fire hose for 30 years. All have other jobs, but all answer the call when it comes in, no matter the time, or how much sleep they will miss. The Rescue Bear team building program brought the group together, in a fun and transformative way.

By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Minnesota Power Builds Teamwork and Helps Children With Event in Minneapolis, MN

Craig Wagganer — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:45:56 +0000

90 members of the Minnesota Power Leadership team came together for two days of meetings and fun which included a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in Minneapolis, MN. The team building activities were fun and fast-paced and had all the participants laughing and learning. The activities culminated with the building of 14 bikes that were given to children from the Twin Falls Boys and Girls Clubs. The children appreciated receiving the bikes and the event participants enjoyed the exercises and assembling the bikes. It was an enjoyable time and along the way some team building principles and skills were reiterated.

Throughout the team building exercises the group was split into teams. The teams were given various tasks to complete, but in doing so they needed to solicit help from other teams. This isn’t easy to do. Although it was stressed that the activity was not a competition, the split into teams brought out the competitive nature of the groups. With that spirit of competition there comes a lack of cooperation. This slows down and inhibits the overall goal which was to build the bikes. Competition can be god if it brings out the best efforts, but often times hinders the ability to work together and slows progress. One of the goals of the Build-A-Bike Team Building Event is to demonstrate how important it is for people to work together and not make separation by division, locations, departments, or such breed competition that will hinder the corporate processes and growth.

Thanks, Minnesota Power, for a great program and for giving back to the community with this worthwhile event. What a great time- to have fun, get to know each other better, contribute to children and the communities they live in and to –even by accident- learn something. Thanks for a great Team Building Event.

American Airlines Bad Team Building

Doug Staneart — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:01:05 +0000

I saw this ad from American Airlines on TV a few nights ago. It is about a bad team building event, and it cracked me up. Rough week for American Airlines, but this is really funny. I guarantee that our team building events are NOTHING like this one.

Youth Connection Charter School in Chicago, IL does Creating a Team Culture team building workshop

ellenpatnaude — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:17:19 +0000

About 50 teachers and administrators from the Youth Connection Charter School in Chicago, IL gathered for a Creating a Team Culture team building workshop recently as part of a two-day retreat designed to help them build greater trust and rapport together. YCCS serves at-risk students and high school dropouts in Illinois who are ages 16-21 and who have been under-served and /or disconnected from traditional education. Teachers and administrators working on two campuses came together for team building designed to help them work collaboratively to put forth the best possible programs for their students.

We began the session talking about personality styles and how they affect our communication styles. Looking at the natural strengths and weaknesses of each personality style created lots of dialogue about how and why people react the way they do to many different situations.

We honed in on the sets of Leadership Principles that deal with building trust and rapport, and managing conflict in this abbreviated workshop. Without first addressing these fundamental principles in these two key areas of communication, it is difficult to move forward with a strong team. The material and exercises challenged the group to move out of their comfort zones and interact in a way that had previously been avoided.

By the end of the workshop, the participants had a much better outlook on their ability to work together, and were more open to each other. It did a great job of setting the tone for the remainder of their retreat.

“This was exactly what we needed to get the ball rolling! The conflict between these groups hurt us during the last school year, but now they have tools they can use to move with more solidarity into this new school year. Thank you, Ellen!” – Daisy Lopez, Youth Connection Charter School

Communication difficulties can cause problems in the workplace that extend beyond the workforce and begin to affect our customers in adverse ways. Include Creating a Team Culture team building workshop in your plans to give your employees the tools they need to be more successful together!

Siemens Opened Their Hearts and Hands to Orlando Kids With a Build-A-Bike Team Event

Connie Timpson — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:09:45 +0000

Siemens met in Orlando to strengthen its team, and give to the community with a Build-A-Bike team building event. Participants learned about themselves, each other, how to solve problems and collaborate. The result of the team event was some shiny new bikes, and a better understanding of group dynamics. But the best was yet to come.

Under the ever-present shadow of Disney World, many kids’ lives have been walloped by the recession. Their dreams put on hold. But Siemens wanted to, and did, make some dreams come true. As kids from the local Boys’ and Girls’ club walked into the room and were told there was a bike for each of them, there was a collective intake of breath, and a lot of “Oh wows!” While some adorable kids claimed some shiny new dreams, there was a skip in more than one heart, and watery eyes for many.

They mixed with the kids to say hello, get to know them a bit, make sure seats were the right height, exact a promise to wear helmets, and take a picture or two. One of the participants told me that, this was the best thing they had ever done. The truth of that, lie in the heart of learning a little and giving back to their community. The bikes are physical empowerment for these kids, giving them control of at least one thing in their stressful lives. For the participants – they won the best door prize ever, a bunch of smiling kids, and the heart-felt knowledge, that they made it all possible.

By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor & Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

Team Building in Cities Outside the Major Metroplexes

Doug Staneart — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:55:26 +0000

Just because your city has under 20 million people doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to schedule one of the best team building events in the world! Because of the size of The Leader’s Institute® Team Building company and because our team building instructors are based in cities across the United States, we can deliver team building events in just about any city in America, Canada, and Europe.

The following is a list of cities where we offer teambuilding programs and team building activities.

We offer over a dozen different programs including philanthropic events, workshops, seminars, and breakout sessions. For details about all of the options that are available in each location above, click the Team Building Events link in the tool bar at the top of the page. We look forward to working with you on your next program!

Boeing Team Building Gives to Back to Community by Giving Away Bikes in Chicago

Craig Wagganer — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:35:59 +0000

Boeing Team Building Gives to Back to Community by Giving Away Bikes in Chicago, Illinois. Over 40 employees of Boeing came together at the Allegra Hotel in Chicago for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. The activities were facts-paced and fun as the participants completed challenges that culminated in 6 bikes being given to a local Boys and Girls Club in Chicago. The children were excited to get the bikes just as the Boeing employees were excited about giving them. It was a wonderful event and the sight of the children receiving the bikes to the cheers of the event participants was heart-warming and very rewarding. The event was action packed with many learning experiences and loads of fun and laughter. But the most satisfying part was giving back to the community in a very real way.

More and more responsible companies are realizing they have a debt to the communities they are located in. Boeing was able to recognize this and give back to the community in a very practical way- by giving bikes to children that may never gotten the opportunity without them. When a company works within a certain locale it is very rewarding and beneficial to be a part of that community. It is more important than just being an employer. Boeing understands this and helped solidify their place within Chicago by holding the event a few blocks from their office and giving the bikes to local children. It also brought the employees together in a fun, learning environment in which they could have a good experience together, but also feel great about producing something for the benefit of others. Along with the learning opportunities along the way, a real sense of teamwork and camaraderie is felt when the bikes are completed and given away.

Thanks to Boeing for a great event and for being an important part of Chicago. The Build-A-Bike Team Building Event was a great demonstration of your commitment to your people and the communities you are involved in.

Microsoft Build-A-Bike in Seattle, WA brings unique team building experience to adults while changing lives of kids

ellenpatnaude — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:31:09 +0000

Microsoft conducted a Build-A-Bike workshop with 100 of it’s employees in Seattle recently. Their aim was to bring a unique team building experience to the adults while changing lives of the kids who received the bikes. Microsoft has grown to be an industry leader in software in its more than 30 years in existence. They employ more than 90,000 people around the world. We have partnered with Microsoft to deliver quality team building programs to many of their corporate conferences across the country.

Microsoft held this event at the newly renovated Joel E. Smilow Clubhouse and Teen Center in Seattle. With half of the team being field-based, Microsoft finds it valuable to gather everyone together twice a year, and chose to include Build-A-Bike as a way to inject some fun and energy.

The competition was heated as groups completed challenges and activities one by one. They had a great time getting to know each other better while drawing larger lessons about how we choose to interact in the workplace. In all, they built 16 bikes, and when the kids came through the partition into the gymnasium, their faces lit up!

“This is just a fantastic event. Our group really enjoyed themselves. It was made particularly special by having the kids come at the end to receive the bikes!” — Gina Jackson, Microsoft

Build-A-Bike is a great way to provide fun, high-energy team building experience to your group while connecting to a larger philanthropic commitment to your community.

Team Building in Cities Outside the Major Metroplexes

Doug Staneart — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:55:26 +0000

The following is a list of cities where we offer teambuilding programs and team building activities.

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Fidelity Investments Builds Bikes for Children in Boston

Craig Wagganer — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:15:26 +0000

Over 25 senior marketing advisers for Fidelity Investments came together in Boston for a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event in Boston, Massachusetts. The end of the event culminated in 4 new bicycles being given to representatives from the Dorchester Boys and Girls Clubs. The quick one hour event was fast-paced and loaded with laughs as the participants completed the tasks necessary to build the bikes. The interaction of the individuals in collecting the items required to assemble the bikes was instrumental to their success. It was a fun activity and a pointed learning experience.

Team building is often left to chance within organizations. People work in units and nothing is ever achieved without a team; but the actual working of teams, and improvements are usually assumed to happen. In team building activities the focus is on how to make and improve the mechanics of how teams work. In this instance part of the focus was on understanding how team members fit into the process, and how they can improve their awareness of that process. Great teams don’t just happen. Individuals learn to interact and depend on each other and the team grows in its effectiveness.

The members of the Fidelity Investment marketing team had a great time and a learning experience while contributing and giving back to the community. The Build-A-Bike Team Building Event was a great success thanks to the participants that laughed and learned while making a vital contribution to deserving boys and girls.

American Express Host Bike Team Building Event in Dallas, Texas

Craig Wagganer — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:26:41 +0000

38 work at home professionals from American Express Travel came together from across the Southeast to enjoy a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event at the Las Colinas Four Season Resort and Spa in Irving, Texas (Dallas, Texas). As a result of the fun learning experience 6 bikes were given to deserving children from The Salvation Army. These children were just a few of the many children that benefit from the children’s program at this local Salvation Army. The children that came, as well as the people that participated in the event were very excited when the bikes were presented. The event was filled with laughter and learning experiences, and even a few tears at the conclusion of the event.

The theme of the meeting taking place for the American Express employees is “Transforming to Extraordinary”. Certainly the events of the Build-A-Bike event set the stage for the upcoming conference. Basics were shared and experienced concerning communication, collaboration, and team leadership. These workers were also from different locations and, although they have spoken with each other, many had never met face to face. This event gave them opportunity to put faces with the voices and get to know each other in a much better way.

Often times when working with people over the phone or in virtual situations we come to understand them by the situations we find ourselves in with them. We get to know them and attribute to them certain characteristics that may not be true about them, but rather come about because of the situation shared. The way we come to understand each other is more from the situation than from the actual person. Of course, the fundamental error is that we will attribute their actions to character or personality rather than the circumstances. This event brought the people together in a fun non-threatening way in which they could really come to understand and appreciate each other.

The Build-A-Bike Team Building Event was a perfect solution to a common problem facing many companies. American Express made a good and beneficial choice that will provide dividends for along time. Along with that 6 children received brand new bicycles. Thanks to American Express and The Salvation Army for making a great event and a great contribution.

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Solves a Murder Mystery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, All in The Name of Team Building

Connie Timpson — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 02:23:04 +0000

A Murderous Good Time in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, All Part of A Charade, All in The Name of Team Building. Charade, or murder? (Well at least a murder mystery team building.) After all, they all saw the Chief Judge stagger and fall? Members of the Iowa’s Northern District of the US Bankruptcy Court were determined to find out what happened, and who done it. While gathering evidence, and questioning suspects, they also learned how to build a stronger team. In fact they learned how to be better leaders, team mates and individuals. Could it have prevented the murder? Perhaps.

Their jobs are not easy, as the jobless numbers grow, so does the number of people who just can’t make it, and file for bankruptcy. These folks process the claims, and meet people in economic trouble almost every day. Iowa does have one of the lower unemployment rates in the nation. But while their number of cases may be lower…they are still way too high, it takes an emotional toll. A morning of team building, rejuvenation, and stress relief for today’s economic upheaval that has been heaped on them. And more important thing – figuring out a crime that happened right in front of them was on the docket.

At Usher’s Ferry, a historical landmark, dotted with homes-turned-museums, from the last century, they put aside the misery of the economy and had a morning of team-building fun. The group called in the Leader’s Institute’s “Gum Shoe Crew” to help solve the crime. (No, the judge is not really dead!) But that did not stop the team from having a lot of fun while figuring out who the bad “girl” was.

Almost no one suspected the “shy one” of a desperate faux crime. But don’t kid yourself, she did it, and one team figured out why, and how! By Connie Timpson/Sr. Instructor/Performance Coach/The Leader’s Institute

ACDI VOCA Creates a Unique Team Building Experience and Gives Bikes to Washington DC Area Children

Craig Wagganer — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 03:43:00 +0000

170 employees of ACDI VOCA came together for a unique team building experience in Washington, DC. They enjoyed three sessions on Creating a Team Culture and joined that with a Build-A-Bike Team Building Event. The participants got the opportunity to get to know each other better, collaborate on several projects, solve problems, learn important leadership and team building principles and build 20 bikes that were given to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. The children were present to receive the bicycles and it was a heart-warming experience to welcome the children and share their joy in receiving such special gifts. All the activities were entertaining and fun, but were strongly reinforced with learning opportunities.

All the activities brought out an important fundamental that collaboration is key to company success. It doesn’t stop with the immediate team, but we need to be able to collaborate within the team, with others in the company and with the beneficiaries of the services provided. Team work isn’t just the immediate team members we work with from day to day, but also the people with in our company that we can contribute to and receive contributions from. Often times the most effective way to create opportunities is reach beyond existing boundaries to new circles, to gain new insights and perspectives, to acquire information and awareness, to work together in a more functional and with greater acuity.

Thanks to ACDI VOCA and their contributions to a great event combining Creating a Team Culture and Build-A-Bike into a fun growth opportunity for their employees growth and for making a great contribution to boys and girls in the DC area.

Best Cities for Annual Retreats and Team Building

Doug Staneart — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:56:19 +0000

Our instructors travel all over the world to conduct team building events for our client companies, and we each have our favorite locations to travel to and lead team building event. This list is not necessarily the “Best Cities” but they are the cities that we most like to travel to and teach in. We hope you agree.

Las Vegas, Nevada: Las Vegas is still an extremely fun and cost effective location to hold an annual convention or team building event. Hotel expenses are literally a half to a third the expense that you’d invest in other cities, and the huge casinos are like cities in and of themselves. Your team will likely never have to leave the casino and still feel like they have seen “it all.” Also, because the hotels and event planners are well seasoned, planning and delivering a world-class event is very easy and turn-key. More information about team building in Las Vegas.
Orlando and Miami, Florida: Orlando is probably one of the most popular convention cities in the world because of the great weather and famous attractions. Just like in Las Vegas, a great bonus is that the event planners and hotel staffs are well-seasoned and very easy to work with. Be sure to insert free-time into your agenda so that your participants can enjoy the resort-like atmosphere that most convention hotels in Orlando have. Miami is also very popular for similar reasons, but Miami is a little more tropical and “adult oriented.” Either location will give you a fantastic convention or team building event, but Orlando is a little more family-friendly. More information about Orlando Team Building and Miami Team Building.
Chicago, Illinois: The Navy Pier, The Magnificent Mile, and a nice compact city center make Chicago a fantastic place to hold your annual convention. In many locations, participants can walk to additional attractions and location, but a short cab-ride is also easy to find. Just like with the Florida location and Vegas, Chicago has a vast pool of great event planners, but because hotel space is a lot more limited in Chicago, your event will take a little more planning. A Cubs game is a nice bonus for visitors as well. The food in Chicago is impeccable as well. Whether you favor a Chicago Dog or Deep Dish Chicago-style pizza or a great steak, Chicago is a great place to gain a few pounds. More Chicago Team Building information.
San Francisco, California: San Francisco is a great place to hold a convention or annual meeting, but logistically, San Francisco can cause a few transportation challenges. Because of city politics, many of the big convention hotels are located outside of San Francisco proper (and also because of the high concentration of companies south of San Francisco in Silicon Valley. So getting your group from their hotel to some of the attractions can increase your total cost a little, but the hotels are still a great value compared to other major metropolitan areas. Attractions like the Wharf, Alcatraz, and Candlestick Park offer great outings for your group. San Francisco Team Building information.
Washington, DC: Although it takes a little more planning because of the congestion, Washington, DC is one of the absolute best places to conduct a convention — especially if your group favors a historical perspective. The city has a number of nice convention hotels and attractions galore. The city is easy to get around in via walking or cab rides as well. The major drawback to Washington, DC is the customer service. Unlike cities like Vegas and Orlando where, no matter who at a hotel you communicate with, you will always get a warm and friendly response and immediate service, in Washington, DC, So, you might have to make simple request more than once to get satisfaction, and the service may not be as fast as you might require. Information about Washington DC Team Building.
New York, NY: New York city is a fabulous place to hold a convention, because it is the center of economic activity and the home of Broadway and Times Square. The sites and sounds of New York can make any convention a memorable event. The city has three major airports and taxi-rides into the city are fairly inexpensive as well. The one major problem with New York as a convention destination, though, is the hotel rules. Most of the staff at the hotels have strict union rules that can cause a few challenges for the uninitiated. For example, the union rules demand that setting up a station at an event generate a minimum of two hours of labor for the waiters/waitresses, so you will often find a waiter standing next to your food or beverage station while you team is on break — not refreshing, but just standing — and then often pack up station early. As long as you know their rules, you will have fewer challenges, but a good, local event planner in New York is really worth it to you. New York Team Building information.

These are just a few of our favorite cites for team building, so this is, by no means, a comprehensive list. For instance, our home base in Dallas, Texas is a great place because of it’s central location and attractions. Atlanta, Georgia is also a great team building city because of it’s airport and great downtown area. Seattle, Washington is probably one of the most overlooked location to do team building, but has a lot of advantages. And, of course, Los Angeles and San Diego are fantastic team building locations.

Whatever location that you choose, make sure and contact one of our team building staff for details about delivering one of out world-famous team building events.