Thank you to all our clients for the great feedback!

"Truly amazing experience at the ropes course this year and I don't think there is anything that we would have changed."
Eric H.,  Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Inc.

Spider's Web at Upward Enterprises Team Building

"I think the kids enjoyed themselves and learned a lot. Thanks Clive. Looking forward to working with you in the future."
Kristy N. Upper School Counselor, Friends School of Baltimore

"Thank you for such a great experience on Saturday! The tightrope activity was an especially good way to get us all working together."
Bridget, Georgetown University

"The students had a great time on the course. It was definitely one of the highlights of their weekend. Larry was a great facilitator and brought the students to a different level in their team building."
Chuck T. Programming Coordinator, George Mason University

Cyprus Friendship Program Team Building at Ropes Course

Last week a group of teens visiting the United States from the country of Cyprus came out to the ropes course for team building. They were taking part in the youth program Cyprus Friendship Program, a year-long peace building and leadership program that aims to build cross-cultural friendships between teens on this small island country in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. WUSA Channel 9 News came out to capture the event at our ropes course for a story on their 6 p.m. news. Check it out below.

Being a Leader

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.      

~Maya Angelou

Be the "The Man in the Arena"

Frequently we have groups out at the ropes course where a few participants stand off to the side who need encouragement to join in.  Today I wanted to share an inspiration quote to all of those individuals to give them confidence that there is great learning in pushing yourself to dare greatly.

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.

~ Theodore Roosevelt

Being Together, Without Being Together

Communication is a key element we teach on our ropes course. Face to face interaction is dwindling as we filter our communication through technology. Team building requires us to put down the cell phones and talk to one another, to think, and share ideas face to face to solve problems. The greatest chance of success in life and on the ropes course is through communication with each other in the here and now. Let us teach your group to build connections with each other that will stay with them throughout their lives.

I found this interesting talk given by Sherry Turkle, a professor at MIT. What are your thoughts on her topic "Connected, but Alone" ?

The Qualities of Leadership

As a small business owner with a team building company, I frequently contemplate my leadership roll. Over the years I have had many employees, facilitators and even clients out at the ropes course who have looked at me as more than just a boss or the leader of a team building exercise. I become their mentor. While sometimes that leadership roll can feel overwhelming, I try to bear that honor graciously knowing that my leadership skills can help others which is a truly rewarding experience.

What makes a successful leader? In my opinion, it is the ability to empower others. "All for one and one for all" the cliché goes. A well functioning team like a sports team does its best when individuals
work together as a group instead of in isolation. And as I look around, I see more and more isolation in society. We isolate in our homes never knowing our next door neighbors. We isolate in our social life using Facebook to stay in touch with "friends" over phone calls or going out to lunch. And we can isolate at work staying in our cubicle or if we telecommute at our desk in the basement.

As a leader of many different groups, it is my responsibility to draw people out, get them to open up and shine. I was inspired by Deepak Chopra's book The Soul of Leadership: Unlocking Your Potential for Greatness . He uses the acronym L.E.A.D.E.R.S. to layout the skills he believes necessary for a successful leader. These are skills that I try to use every day at my ropes course to inspire people to come out of their shells, participate as a group and feel the power that a well function group of individuals can have.

Scrum - New Corporate Lingo for Team building?

Someone mentioned to me the other day that they were hoping to be picked as a "Scrum Master". You're looking to play rugby I thought? Is this a new term for a rugby captain? No, A Scrum Master is the new corporate buzz word for a self-organized team leader. The goal of a "Scrum" is to take a group of individualistic people and create a cohesive, agile team where each member supports each other, ideas are shared and used to push a project forward even when it seems stalled.

When I talk to businesses interested in organizing a team building event, I often hear about how the employees are hesitant to participate in team building activities. They imagine that the ice breaker exercises and trust falls will be silly and the ropes course physically intimidating. Employees question whether or not they will learn anything about each other to function as a better team. I can tell you from over 37 years experience as a professorial team builder, that by the end of the day, I have never left a group who has not grown better for the experience. It's just getting them over the first hurdle of questioning and doubt that is key.

 

So where does my point of a "Scrum" come in? I see that the successful elements of the new corporate "Scrum Team" are no different than the teams I build on the ropes course. I am the Scrum Master. I give my groups a problem to solve. They brainstorm solutions. I encourage their success. We all sprint to a solution. Our sense of team is developed and pride is gained through what we have accomplished by the end of the day.

Where do kids get inspiration from these days?

I watched Felix Baumgartner parachute to the earth from inner space the other day and wondered if the youth of today would be inspired by this huge feat of adventure. 24 miles above the earth's surface wearing a space suit. Truly inspirational!

It got me to thinking about where the youth of today really do get their inspiration from. As a team builder I work a lot with youth of all ages and with my adventure ropes course. Many of these youth have sporting heroes for inspiration but events in recent times have left them wanting.  Drug enhanced performances in the cycling world and baseball and poor moral judgement from top athletes in golf and basketball to name just a few.

How does this effect the the youth that idolizes these heroes?

I know I felt flattened and disappointed when the results of an athletic achievement I thought I witnessed, now all have to be erased from the history books because of cheating. And the players I inspired to live up to, are now socially outcast because of their indiscretions.

I realized that coaches and teachers are not without fault and even religious organizations have had bad reports in recent years. I guess it all comes back to the parents who must step up to the mark and be all they can be for the kids that they are responsible for to the best of their abilities. I will become a father again in the new year and my inspiration will be to do just that. It is my responsibility to inspire not only my own children, but all children, by doing my utmost best to ensure that I do not let them down. If I can help other kids through my work and adventure then maybe I can sleep well at night.

Sports Teams can Benefit from Team Building

On Saturday, March 5th we had our first big group of the season out on the course and we were happy to welcome back the rugby team from Arch Bishop Spalding Catholic School to the course.  The boys ranged from 14-18 years old and were all up for the various challenges ahead of them.

Getting a team to work together off the pitch is a great way to improve how they work as a team during the game. We worked on various communication activities, where vocal communication wasn't allowed! This helps to make people look at each other and feed from other forms of communication to enable them to understand each other.

Trust is another big part of any team, and when your playing a contact sport like rugby you want to be able to trust in your fellow team members that they have your back when that huge winger from the other team is barreling towards you.  We can help teams build trust through all of our activities, and in the simplest of ways by teaching them to 'spot' for each other.  Knowing that someone is watching out for you while you are taking part in an activity and are there to protect you from falling is huge.  We teach all of our clients the importance of correct spotting at the beginning of each day as it ensures a safe environment for everyone to fully enjoy the day.

With any group of people when you take them away from their normal surroundings, it instills a level playing field for everyone. For their time on the course there is no 'boss' or 'team captain'.  People get to see each other in a different light and see what other skills each of them have.  It's an inspiring moment when somebody gets to shine in an area which they are not normally associated with.  We like to give everyone the opportunity to 'lead' the team in an activity.  Building respect for each other is another important factor that we like to include throughout the day - Respecting each others abilities as well as being respectful of people's inabilities.

The Spalding Rugby team is just one of many teams that we have worked with on the UEI Ropes Challenge Course and many come back to us year after year, as team's change and develop. 

In this photo the team had to exchange places on the raised poles, without talking.  Not as simple as it sounds.