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Author: John Ingram

The Search for Team Perfection

August 29, 2018
John Ingram
Business Think Tank, Teambuilding Tips

All organisations have a formal structure and agreed on processes to ensure its productivity and efficiency. Not all are perfect, not everyone enjoys them, and most are a work in progress. Management is the custodian of these structures and efficient processes and as such is often seen as “protector” of such.

In our work, we have encouraged Management to open themselves to input from the team members. The advantage of this is obvious, the reason why it often doesn’t happen is a little scarier:

  1. Fear of losing control
  2. Fear of losing power or authority
  3. Fear of wasting time
  4. Arrogance

Here are some ideas that Managers who believe in creating a High-Performance Environment can follow.

Introduce a Debriefing Process

Jim Murray, in his book “Flawless Execution,” introduced a process which we have adopted successfully into our business. Simply put, it means that after every activity, event or project, the full team and all those who had an impact in the outcome, meet and unpack the “good, the bad, and the ugly.”

The outcomes are either good or bad or somewhere in between; the objective is to learn from whatever we did good or bad and decide whether to make these process or behaviour changes part of our new culture of High Performance.

Beyond Teambuilding pride ourselves in creating events, activities and challenges that push any team past mediocrity, allowing them to express themselves in a way that unleashes a team synergy that is often lying dormant. Our teambuilding is done in two definitive ways; formal and informal. Both have merit and are used to create the specific objectives of your particular team’s needs.

Because an outcome can be affected by various variables, we deal with three parts of the process, namely the PLANNING, then the BRIEFING/COMMUNICATION and lastly, the EXECUTION phase.

Preceding this has to be a conditioning phase so that the team becomes open to expressing their opinions “without fear or favour”. Some of the conditioning exercises can be:

  1. Group think-tanks where a current problem is given to the team, and they are asked to try and come up with three solutions (without Management)
  2. Challenge the team to talk about their strengths and weaknesses in an open forum (as a Manager start with yourself and explain the impact of each)
  3. Have “magic wand” sessions where the team talks about what they would do to improve the business and the team with no restrictions.

The above ideas may appear quite daunting at first, but the benefits are HUGE!

Written by John Ingram, Director of The HiSide Group/Beyond Teambuilding

Successful teams do what other teams are not prepared to do! So what are you prepared to do?

 

Take your team beyond its limits with Beyond Teambuilding’s exciting events, activities and challenges that push boundaries and guarantee loads of fun.
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How to Develop Personal Integrity

August 22, 2018
John Ingram
Teambuilding Trends, Training Trends

What you say and do in the workplace has a tremendous impact on whether “others” want to work with you, will trust you or will even listen to you.

Our experience has taught us many dynamics that will make you more ‘attractive’ to work with; here are a few to consider.

  1. Genuinely greet people in the morning.
  2. Ask questions and listen.
  3. Show concern to matters other than just work.
  4. Make an effort to visit your colleagues and don’t assume they will come to you.
  5. Never have a cell phone in your hand when talking to someone.
  6. Never leave your cell phone on a table while engaging with others.
  7. Never allow yourself to be sidetracked or interrupted by others.
  8. Be conscious of where your relationship is with others; don’t rush into familiarity too quickly. Wait to be invited.
  9. Keep your conversation directed to that person you are engaging and not others.
  10. Ask others for their opinion and listen.
  11. Ask others what you could do for them to make them more productive.
  12. Always deliver what you promise.
  13. Apologise when you make a mistake.
  14. Never make someone look foolish in front of others.

Written by John Ingram, Director of The HiSide Group/Beyond Teambuilding

Successful teams do what other teams are not prepared to do! So what are you prepared to do?

Take your team beyond its limits with Beyond Teambuilding’s exciting events, activities and challenges that push boundaries and guarantee loads of fun.
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Team Building for Management and Executives

August 15, 2018
John Ingram
Business Think Tank, Teambuilding Tips, Teambuilding Trends, Training Trends

When we think of embarking on teambuilding exercises in the workplace, it’s usually not the management teams or executives that come to mind. Or rather, they are bundled up into the exercise with their subordinates.

While that is also an essential part of teambuilding and building good working relationships with their co-workers or those that they are in charge of, managers and executives are also part of other teams which are supposed to steer the company to success.

Here are a few ideas for teambuilding exercises for those at management or executive level to foster leadership skills and share new ideas.

Share the financials

It is something that many people think must be kept hush-hush or that the company’s financials are only for those few employees that are “in the know”.

However, being open about the numbers and sharing these vital statistics across the whole company can build trust among your staff. Communicate these numbers in a way that everyone can understand it.

Everyone should be aware of the company’s deadlines, goals, responsibilities, and progress. It will also help each employee to be aware of each group’s objectives.

Beyond Teambuilding pride ourselves in creating events, activities and challenges that push any team past mediocrity, allowing them to express themselves in a way that unleashes a team synergy that is often lying dormant. Our teambuilding is done in two definitive ways; formal and informal. Both have merit and are used to create the specific objectives of your particular team’s needs.

Encourage creativity and sharing of ideas

Very often, people are unsure of speaking up and sharing their ideas. In Jake Mohan’s “When Groups Don’t Think,” he discussed three valuable methods of encouraging people to be more confident when presenting a new idea.

  1. Model constructive dissent.Play devil’s advocate and disagree with a unanimous decision. You’ll encourage a reluctant but wise person to speak up.
  2. Have a brainstorming group write ideas on unattributed Post-it notes.Why? No one knows whether an idea came from top brass or a low-level player, so people back ideas with merit regardless of source.
  3. Encourage team members to do self-affirmations.Listing one’s skills and accomplishments before meeting with a group enhances one’s ability to let colleagues shine.

Successful teams do what other teams are not prepared to do! Are you ready?

Take your team beyond with Beyond Teambuilding’s exciting events, activities and challenges that push boundaries and guarantee loads of fun.
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DO NOT Forget Teambuilding Safety!

August 11, 2018
John Ingram
Teambuilding Tips

DO NOT Forget Teambuilding Safety!

There are three unwritten rules when it comes to teambuilding (okay, maybe more, but here are the non-negotiables). Teambuilding events need to be the right choice for your team to improve results, productivity etcetera, be well-executed, and be SAFE.

In this blog, we focus on the latter – safety.

Just because teambuilding happens outside the workplace in a new environment does not mean that the staff should let go of their inhibitions and forget their basic health and safety training at the expense of the highly-anticipated fun and exciting part.

Preparation is KEY

Teams may be less cautious on the teambuilding day and underestimate their safety or push themselves too hard, hurting themselves or others. But it doesn’t have to spell disaster. The easiest way for everyone involved is to follow a few simple guidelines:

  1. Choose a suitable event that won’t hurt or damage your team members
  2. Prepare the team for the team activities coming ahead
  3. Set the playground rules by getting everyone involved
  4. Keep it fun – but understand teams may need to take some risks
  5. Put safety first – always!
Beyond Teambuilding pride ourselves in creating events, activities and challenges that push any team past mediocrity, allowing them to express themselves in a way that unleashes a team synergy that is often lying dormant. Our teambuilding is done in two definitive ways; formal and informal. Both have merit and are used to create the specific objectives of your particular team’s needs.

Some team members may fear the unknown more than others and may need extra re-assurance before the event begins. It is why teambuilding facilitators should advise teams in advance of possible dangers and work on health and safety preparations to bring everyone on the same page.

Our Beyond Teambuilding trainers are going to make your experience safer and comfortable ahead of the teambuilding event, and ensure every team member understands its task and is ready to take part in the event, physically and mentally.

A well-facilitated and engaging team building event will add great value and return on investment (ROI).

The team building experience, formal or informal, is not recreational and includes process facilitation, debriefing, and reflective questioning.

Successful teams do what other teams are not prepared to do! Are you ready?

Take your team beyond with Beyond Teambuilding’s exciting events, activities and challenges that push boundaries and guarantee loads of fun.
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10 Quotes to Inspire Teamwork

August 8, 2018
John Ingram
Teambuilding Tips

We all have memories of school/university group projects. These memories are usually not so great. While we all wanted to pass that aspect of academia, most of us dreaded it.

First, there was always that one person who never did any work yet wanted the credit at the end. Then there may have been a scuffle or two about who would take the lead and eventually the others would fall in line. The end product was usually haphazardly put together, or one person ended up doing all the work.

Beyond Teambuilding pride ourselves in creating events, activities and challenges that push any team past mediocrity, allowing them to express themselves in a way that unleashes a team synergy that is often lying dormant. Our teambuilding is done in two definitive ways; formal and informal. Both have merit and are used to create the specific objectives of your particular team’s needs.

That is not how efficient teams work, and it will certainly not cut it in the workplace. Here are some quotes that might inspire your colleagues to work together towards your common purpose.

  1. “Individual commitment to a group effort–that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilisation work.” – Vince Lombardi
  2. “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organisational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” – Andrew Carnegie
  3. “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller
  4. “Remember, teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.” – Patrick Lencioni
  5. “I invite everyone to choose forgiveness rather than division, teamwork over personal ambition.” – Jean-Francois Cope
  6. “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford
  7. “If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford
  8. “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson
  9. “Unity is strength… when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” – Mattie Stepanek
  10. “The best teamwork comes from those who are working independently toward one goal in unison.” – James Cash Penney

Successful teams do what other teams are not prepared to do! Are you ready?

Take your team beyond with Beyond Teambuilding’s exciting events, activities and challenges that push boundaries and guarantee loads of fun.
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Teambuilding Fun in Spring

July 25, 2018
John Ingram
Teambuilding Tips, Teambuilding Trends

Winter is almost behind us and a new season is on the horizon. With the weather getting warmer and sunnier days to look forward to, now is the ideal time to start planning your next team building exercise.

It will also help your employees shake off those cold-weather blues and get them fired up to take on new challenges.

Outdoor exercises are perfect for a change of scenery and for activities that will help bring your team closer together as the year rounds up to a close.

Take a look at these awesome ideas for team building during Spring!

1. Treasure Hunts

Divide your employees into teams. Put those who rarely work together in the same team. This will help foster relationships and build camaraderie. Start with a blank map with tasks emerging as you progress through your local zoo or even a nearby park. Beyond Teambuilding will add some cryptic clues to get some teamwork going. Have a prize ready for the team that discovers the treasure box first.

Beyond Teambuilding pride ourselves in creating events, activities and challenges that push any team past mediocrity, allowing them to express themselves in a way that unleashes a team synergy that is often lying dormant. Our teambuilding is done in two definitive ways; formal and informal. Both have merit and are used to create the specific objectives of your particular team’s needs.

2. Go on a Picnic

Teambuilding exercises don’t always have to involve expensive hire of fancy venues. Close up shop early on a Friday afternoon and have a potjie picnic in a park nearby. Embrace your teams’ creative side by letting them design a new age picnic restaurant, judged and debriefed by Beyond Teambuilding facilitators. Your team will appreciate both the time off and the chance to socialise informally with their colleagues.

3. Create a New Sports Tradition

Get into contact with someone like Beyond Teambuilding for some outdoorsy fun. Your employees can be divided into different teams and take part in fun activities like Bubble Soccer, Remote Control Racing, Lego Building and more.

A nice prize and customised trophy will make things more competitive. Make it an annual event, and the trophy can be passed down to a new team each year if the champions are dethroned, of course.

Successful teams do what other teams are not prepared to do! Are you ready?

Take your team beyond with Beyond Teambuilding’s exciting events, activities and challenges that push boundaries and guarantee loads of fun.
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Building Unity among Diverse Teams

July 11, 2018
John Ingram
Teambuilding Tips

Running a business means getting the best talent you can find and getting them to commit to a unified effort…very few succeed at this, both in business and on the sports fields!

One thing that differentiates man from beast: the ability to think differently. This gives us a diversity of the minds that allows for collectives to solve complex business problems and create market innovation.

On the challenging side of this diversity is the creation of conflict which if unmanaged can easily become confrontational. Every business faces this challenge: to protect the individual brilliance that diversity allows and to create a Unity of effort in achieving results.

Teambuilding exercises and workshops are one of the main avenues companies use to foster and develop good relationships and trust among co-workers.

These next tips will help you figure out how to encourage unity among diverse groups of people and for you to receive the positive impact of having diversity in the workplace.

Beyond Teambuilding pride ourselves in creating events, activities and challenges that push any team past mediocrity, allowing them to express themselves in a way that unleashes a team synergy that is often lying dormant. Our teambuilding is done in two definitive ways; formal and informal. Both have merit and are used to create the specific objectives of your particular team’s needs.

Clearly state your expectations

The starting point for any collective of humans is to unite them behind a shared commonness of either a vision of success or common goals or objectives. This will give you at least a chance to succeed.

It is often assumed that everyone knows what is expected of them in a professional environment, but this is sometimes not the case as most people tend to act in accordance with the law of WIFM (what’s in it for me?).

Build trust

Trust is the glue that allows your team to work with each other and for management to delegate. When trust fails, the team will disintegrate and become a series of DIY experts, but the sum will often not exceed the potential sum of all.

Trust is formed by the team getting to know each other’s competencies and skills as well as being able to rely upon to promises and commitments we make to each other.

Build confidence

The trust in a team member allows them to become confident of themselves and the team. This enhances the reliability issue and steers the team away from the “hope and a prayer” approach to delegation.

A team that has confidence in itself and all the team members becomes one able to make BIG decisions and make BIG commitments. Mentoring, open review processes and developing a high-performance culture are all ways that you can stimulate this confidence.

Successful teams do what other teams are not prepared to do! Are you ready?

Take your team beyond with Beyond Teambuilding’s exciting interventions, activities and challenges that push boundaries and guarantee loads of fun and learning.
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Is River Rafting Safe?

April 26, 2018
John Ingram
Business Think Tank

Let’s face it, life itself can be a hazardous journey fraught with dangers around every corner.    River rafting is right up there with activities like skydiving, bungee jumping and being the Finance Minister of South Africa.  Unlike being a Finance Minister, you can ensure that when rafting, the journey can be very safe.

How do we make rafting safe?

 

Rule 1: Stay in your raft. 0% of persons who have stayed in their rafts have drowned. Some get stuck in trees and stuck on rocks but never drowned. So the first rule of Hadeda Creek Safety (HCS) is to always stay in your raft while on the water.

 

Rule 2: Pay attention to the safety brief. It is no good when heading into a meter high wave to tell your partner that you weren’t listening to that port of the safety brief.

Our super guides give the brief in a similar way to when flying on Kulula or any airline. If you have rafted many times, you tend to skip the listening part, but if it’s your first time…pay attention!

Beyond Teambuilding pride ourselves in creating events, activities and challenges that push any team past mediocrity, allowing them to express themselves in a way that unleashes a team synergy that is often lying dormant. Our teambuilding is done in two definitive ways; formal and informal. Both have merit and are used to create the specific objectives of your particular team’s needs.

Rule 3: Ensure your rafting partner is better than you. Imagine if you are the owner of a company, would you want to employ “idiots” to run your company or those as smart or smarter than you?

When the going gets tough, and all hell is about to break loose, your partner should have arms of steel, a heart of gold and a desire to live a long and hardy life, which hopefully includes you.

We allow you to pair up and then watch you for a few minutes. If you spin around uncontrollably, we will reallocate your skills to someone else. Don’t choose a partner just because he’s cute or nice or you are trying to date his sister or has little or no idea of what he is to do, or has suicidal tendencies and doesn’t care if tomorrow happens. Let them go with someone else.

 

Rule 4: When in the water, either voluntarily or by some freak accident, don’t try to swim. You are wearing a helmet and life jacket for a reason.

The helmet is to protect your head, so if swimming, it means your head is out front trying to hit rocks…ouch! Also, swimming with a life jacket on means your face is under water…does not make much sense as this is what you are meant to use for breathing.

Lay on your back, relax, enjoy the bird life and only when you hear the sound of a waterfall or a guide calling your name should you back paddle towards your friendly guide/life saver.

If you are one of the 80 % of the guests that cannot swim and have never swum before, do not worry, you are not alone. You will be scared, nervous and look for any reason to say no….once you walk off the river alive and smiling you will think you have won the Powerball plus bonus!

 

Rule 5:  Don’t run, drink the river, jump over wet rocks, or smack people with your paddle. 99% of injuries on the river are caused by the above, the other 1% by freak happenings that are unexplained even by scientists.

We have done this for 25 years, and we are the best at it. We ensure all clients who go on the water come off alive, well fed and smiling. Anyone who complains, we leave behind.

So is rafting safe? Only you can make it safe by doing the right thing. There are times when some people “freak out” and are overcome with fear, fright and anxiety and sometimes all three at the same time. Our super guides will grab you and toss you into their boat, and all is good again.

See you soon for one of the best days of your life, better than even birthdays, weddings and a day at work.

John Ingram

Director Hadeda Creek Rafting
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Teambuilding on a Budget? No problem!

April 15, 2018
John Ingram
Teambuilding Trends

Corporate events and teambuilding activities can become an expensive exercise for any organisation. If your company has a limited budget to work with, the following points can help to keep costs down while still having a great time.

Plan your event budget carefully

Your event expenses usually include venue, transport, accommodation, food/drinks, and costs with teambuilding activities. Being aware of all the costs incurred will help you determine where you can afford to cut costs, depending on your business goals and team requirements.

Keep activities costs within budget

If you are planning a team building event on a budget, it is best to focus on your choice of activities first and then the setting. While a great location and venue is important, team members are guaranteed to remember foremost the challenges, fun and excitement on the day. Invest in the activity.

Beyond Teambuilding pride ourselves in creating events, activities and challenges that push any team past mediocrity, allowing them to express themselves in a way that unleashes a team synergy that is often lying dormant. Our teambuilding is done in two definitive ways; formal and informal. Both have merit and are used to create the specific objectives of your particular team’s needs.

Select the right venue

The right choice of venue can do wonders for your low budget. Enquire about all-inclusive packages or group discounts that preferably include catering, accommodation and transport. Consider winter teambuilding to benefit from the low season rates offered by some venues.

Skimp on fancy catering

If budgets are limiting, consider a less expensive choice of catering, or look for more affordable menu options at your venue or event organisers. Outdoor picnics are a wonderful idea in summer, while hearty, inexpensive meals are perfect for the colder season.

Limit travelling

Often transportation takes a big chunk of any event’s budget. If a teambuilding on-site is not an idea to entertain, choose a venue not far from the business itself to keep costs down. Alternatively, incorporate the transfer budget in your teambuilding activity – just ask us how!

Make it super fun!

Finally, all the above considered, remember that a teambuilding event should be exciting, fun, inspirational and practical. Some of the best teambuilding activities and games can be set up with little, but achieve great results nonetheless. Keep this in mind next time you are budgeting for teambuilding events.

Successful teams do what other teams are not prepared to do! Are you ready?

Take your team beyond with Beyond Teambuilding’s exciting events, activities and challenges that push boundaries and guarantee loads of fun.
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What Makes a Teambuilding Awesome?

March 25, 2018
John Ingram
Teambuilding Tips, Teambuilding Trends

Teambuildings are undeniably the best choice of motivating and engaging employees to collaborate and work better together. Think a good dose of effective planning, great communication, and problem-solving skills.

But if you want your teambuilding to turn out amazing and be remembered for months (and years) to come, be sure to consider the three ‘A’ elements below.

All-inclusive Teambuilding

Teambuilding needs to involve everyone in the team to be effective and boost team member interaction and engagement. If the ultimate goal is to unite and strengthen the team, the choice of activity should be inclusive and open to everyone.

Trust and comfort are essential, as well as the active interest in the teambuilding as opposed to forceful collaboration imposed by management. Make sure the team approves of the activities and can fully participate and immerse in the experience.

Choose an activity that not only unites the team but has an element of interest and enjoyment too. Survivor challenges, amazing races, or sports games are ideal to keep teams together and even encourage them to rise above their comfort zones.

Beyond Teambuilding pride ourselves in creating events, activities and challenges that push any team past mediocrity, allowing them to express themselves in a way that unleashes a team synergy that is often lying dormant. Our teambuilding is done in two definitive ways; formal and informal. Both have merit and are used to create the specific objectives of your particular team’s needs.

A Laughing Attitude

The most successful team building exercises provide a sense of humour and excitement While staying focused on the importance of collaboration and bringing team members together, the chosen activity must also have an element of fun to keep spirits high and team members focused on their task.

The ability to have fun and laugh while learning can make a big difference to your teambuilding results. Treasure and scavenger hunts, singing, drumming, funny games and so on can be very effective in enforcing a positive attitude and unite the team.

Amazing Facilitators

Teambuilding facilitators have the most important role in inspiring and engaging the participants and must convey trust, confidence, and experience. An effortless interaction between team members and facilitators goes a long way in ensuring the success of the teambuilding activity and the training programme.

Bonus tip: Avoid winning at all cost! Keep in mind the goal you want to achieve with the chosen teambuilding activities and make it exciting and fun for all participants. That is what successful teambuilding is all about.

Successful teams do what other teams are not prepared to do! Are you ready?

Take your team beyond with Beyond Teambuilding’s exciting events, activities and challenges that push boundaries and guarantee loads of fun.
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