Teamwork and Rocket Ships

So one of the requests that is common for us is to come up with a teambuilding exercise that incorporates sustainability and will inspire the team both during the exercise, and then into the future as they return to their normal routine. There are many ways of doing this - we could be inspired by a Sports Day as below. What I love about this is that the entire school is divided into four teams - and they just have to wear a shirt of that color, and boom - they are in! They are led by the grade sevens to develop a team cheer, and they have an awesome day. What I love about this particular picture is that the anchor for this tug of war is one of the smallest in the class - but she believed she could do this job. (not a massive surprise as this is my daughter).

Earlier this week, we watched (again) Apollo 13 and yes, I cried through a lot of it, for me a sign of a great movie, even when I know the ending. Here is the thing about Apollo 13, it really shows what happens when a culture has been built that embraces the team. Each member is valued for their individual contribution, and each knows what they can offer to the team and where they fit. When push came to shove, the entire team was willing to stand as one, to stay awake and keep focused on the task at hand that they could all contribute to, and to support each other all the way until the end. There are other examples of this out there, but this one really is a brilliant showcase of the power of both teamwork and a strong organizational culture.

When people ask us to create teambuilding for their organizations, ultimately this is exactly the type of response you would hope to create. The thing is that what we have to do really is to first understand the culture that exists, to determine what teambuilding / simulated exercise would best suit their objectives, and then to use this as a building block that supports (or is part of a transformation exercise, depending on the objectives) the organizational objectives. Ideally, this building block will be an enabler that should your organization face a critical situation - and there are many possibilities of what this may be - that your team will better understand each other, their roles and fit, and how they can contribute to the solution. Ideally, they will be able to "bring it home!"

I know I have many events that I have had amazing teams to rely on - at this time of year, it is a big shout out THANK YOU to all of you! (you know who you are)