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The Leap of Faith

Written by on June 28, 2009 · Leave a Comment

We recently installed a classic ropes course element out at the ROPES Course at Butler School – The Leap Of Faith.  Participants must climb up a tree, and can either stop at a platform that is 20 feet off the ground, or continue up to the 40 foot platform.  This element is HIGH, and when you feel the wind up on the top of the highest platform, things get pretty exciting!

We had our last group test out the element, and the kids had a great time!  The high school students from a local Greek Academy used the Leap of Faith as their final activity after a day on the ropes course.  We didn’t any great pictures this time, but a couple of shots can give you an idea of the element.  I will post better pics in the future…

leapoffaith1 The Leap of Faith

Standing on the 40 foot platform - getting ready to jump!

leapoffaith2 The Leap of Faith

Ready, Aim, Jump!

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The Six Ropes Activity Station

Written by on June 28, 2009 · Leave a Comment

We recently installed a brand new, and quite experimental element on the ROPES Course at Butler School.  “Six Ropes” as it is called, was designed originally to be used as a station for indoor elements in a gymnasium.  The benefits of the design are that the element can be easily ‘secured,’ is extremely adaptable, and contains both low and high element potential in a 12′ x 12′ area.

The element installation itself includes the standard element cable and belay cable, from which we hang six 2″ multiline ropes.  These multiline ropes can then accept different element additions which are afixed to the ropes using prussik cords.  With the prussik cord attachments, we can create a number of different activities – giant ladder, flying squirrel, climbing’wall’ (using foot and hand loops), ascender practice, a vertical playpen, and more.  In addition, the space can either serve as a high element or as a low element, which gives the Six Ropes activity area incredible flexibility and potential.  I like it so much, I will probably install a couple more around the course…

sixropesinstall1 The Six Ropes Activity Station

Eriq Installing the Six Ropes Element

sixropesinstall2 The Six Ropes Activity Station

The High Element Six Ropes Installation

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Trust is at the Root of Innovation

Written by on April 4, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I work part-time as a school teacher at a local Montessori school here in Maryland.  My students are ages 3 to 14 years-old and one of the best parts of teaching them is the creativity and ingenuity they possess, seemingly without even trying.  They share their questions, ideas and dreams with me, and we all benefit from the experience.  The reason they tell me their ideas, no matter how outrageous they might be, is the bond of trust we share.  The kids know they can share their ideas with me without worrying about me judging or mocking them.  Trust lets us communicate freely, and the free flow of communication is where a creative idea has a chance to grow into an innovation.

Every one of us has the potential to think creatively.  Unfortunately, so many of us don’t have trust in ourselves and the people around us, so whatever germ of a creative idea we have, we rarely share with anyone.  Building trust is at the root of creating a space for sharing creative ideas and making room for innovation.  Teams that trust one another are more likely to take the risks necessary to float a new idea.  The expression “that idea is so crazy, it just might work!” isn’t mentioned in a group that does not trust its members.  A team that in search of innovation needs to first find trust.

For some great ways to build trust between the members of your group, check out our team building options…

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Teams Benefit from Slowing Economy

Written by on March 15, 2009 · Leave a Comment

A Slow Economy is Time for Business Process Improvement

You’re probably thinking “How could anyone benefit from a slowing economy?”

Well, this statement certainly needs clarification.  Not every team will benefit from economic hardship.  In fact, many teams will shrink (labor statistics are a blatant example of this sad reality) and many benefits will be cut.  Managers and business owners are ‘tightening their belts.’

For some teams, however, the slowing economy is an opportunity to test their resilience, ingenuity and team performance.  Successful organizational teams use the conflict created by the ‘recession’ to streamline their processes, create new products and move forward with renewed enthusiasm.  Rather than fearing the next year, a high performance team will see this as an opportunity.

Here are a few things teams can do to weather the economic storm:

  • brainstorming sessions to identify emerging trends
  • improve business communication with clients and customers
  • business process improvement – streamlining the way businesses perform their daily tasks
  • planning for the future – vision for the short-term and long-term
  • training and development in techniques for meeting facilitation and team building
  • innovation training to learn how to be more creative
  • focus on teamwork and collaboration – utilize and celebrate the many talents of your staff

Out of conflict comes opportunity, and taking the time to reflect on what is working and what processes need improvement will go a long way towards dealing with a tumultuous economy.

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Making the Case for Team Building

Written by on January 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment
gmv mouse trap challenge250 Making the Case for Team Building

Mouse Trap Trust Exercise

Over the years I have had the good fortune of working with groups from a wide variety of fields and populations – from youth camps, schools and Scouts to NGO’s, small businesses and government agencies.  The individuals who contact me to secure a team building program usually have a general idea of team building and often have a general goal of getting to know each other, enhancing interpersonal communication and building trust between the members of the group.  They may have previously participated in an activity that was billed as a team building event, but they generally have mixed feelings about the efficacy of the actual team building component, as opposed to the obvious recreational aspect.  So, this begs the question:  What is team building and why should we do it?

From my perspective, a ‘team’ can be as simple as an assembly of individuals whose purpose is to work together on a project or towards a common goal.  In order to be an effective team, there needs to be a level of trust, good communication, and shared responsibility.  The team will generally face multiple conflicts such as challenges to leadership or lack of group commitment.  Overcoming these challenges allows the team to grow and evolve, and taking part in a well presented team building program gives teams an arena in which to make this evolution.

The tools and techniques used by team building providers are not as important as the facilitator’s ability to lead a team in identifying its strengths and opportunities for growth.  NEXTeams uses a combination of experience-based activities and traditional meeting-style techniques, but the true value of its facilitation comes through the conversations that organically emerge during the process.  These spontaneous and often passionate discussions are where the change in the group dynamics takes place.

Team building, if done well, can be the catalyst to change within an organization.  The only way that this change can be significant or lasting, however, is through effective and timely follow-up.  The follow-up process helps the team to take the lessons learned during the team building activities and build upon them during the day-to-day interactions within their organization.  Follow-up enables the transference of the gains made during the actual team building event.

See Our Team Building Program Options…

For More Information Contact Eriq Powers

Eriq Powers
GO-NEXTeams
(240) 603-4150
info@nexteams.com
www.nexteams.com

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Book List

Written by on December 27, 2008 · Leave a Comment

In order to improve and enhance our offerings as a team building service provider, we make a point of keeping up with trends, research and literature related to team performance and innovation.  I came up with a list that I felt was most useful for building a successful team. The following list is linked to a site that describes and sells these excellent books.  Granted, this is a long list, and much of the information found within any one book is similar to that found in many others. However, each of these books had some kernel of truth that I felt teams needed to master in order to become a ‘learning organization,’ capable of innovating to meet the future head-on.


The Fifth Discipline Fieldbook
Work Like DaVinci
The Power of an Hour
The Emotional Intelligence Quickbook
The Ten Faces of Innovation
Leadership and Self-Deception
Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Eat That Frog!
What Got You Here Won’t Get You There
The Speed of Trust

As time goes on, we will add other books that we hope will be of use to leaders who are interested in building a high performance team.  And, if you know of any books that you think should be added to this list, please let us know!  You can either email us, or simply add your suggestions in a Comment.

Good luck!

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