The Leap of Faith
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... [Read More...]
Let’s Not Call It Team Building
As a provider of team building, retreat facilitation, and experiential training for organizational improvement, I make a point of researching the trends in my industry. With no shortage of information available on the internet, I am painfully aware of the confusion and the negative feedback that surrounds the ideas and the execution of activities under the umbrella of “team building”. There are many companies that promote themselves... [Read More...]
Team Building Gets a Bad Rap
I just read another blog posting about how useless team building exercises are with regards to effective work teams. You know, the kind of article that starts out with a cliche about some ‘touchy-feely’ ice-breaker and what a waste of time it was. And have you seen the Geico commercial that shows the CEO taking a trust fall with the Gecko? Yikes! Team building really gets a bad rap! It is unfortunate that there are so many poorly facilitated... [Read More...]
Trust is at the Root of Innovation
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. ... [Read More...]
Ten Characteristics of Authentic Leaders
Ten Characteristics of Authentic Leadership All of us have dealt with leaders, both effective and ineffective. Sadly, many of the people in charge are the latter. What are the skills and qualities that separate a good leader from a bad one? First of all, it is important to create a working definition for leadership. Leadership is a set of skills and qualities that helps to motivate individuals and groups toward a common goal. Leadership can come... [Read More...]
The Trouble with Team Projects
Team Cohesion Improves Team Performance I used to dread “group-work” in high school. I’m sure you all know what I’m referring to – our teachers would force us to “team-up” with 3 other students to collaborate on a small group project. It was expected that this quartet of misfits would bond through shared experience, put their heads together, share the work-load equally, and come up with a product that was... [Read More...]
