Team Building Joke Tuesday

See, team building is't so scary. As long as you stick to a few survial tips :-)

Company Picnic at Smokey Glen Farm with UEI

Next week, April 2, 2013 is the annual Smokey Glen Farm Trade Fair. It was originally going to be this week but with the cold weather, they decided to postpone the event. Upward Enterprises has had a long and rewarding relationship with Smokey Glen. It's a great picnic facility and we highly recommend Jim Sweet and his staff to put on a memorable event for you group.

For over 10 years, UEI has been the exclusive operator of the double zip line at the Pavilion. We also offer portable rock climbing wall rental as an additional event. We can even bring our portable team building program out to Smokey Glen. The Trade Fair is always a fun day, where we get to meet our old clients and hopefully make new ones. We will have the zip and wall running for you to test your adventurous side while Smokey Glen will have the barbecues fired up to serve samples of their delicious food.

So come out if you can to meet Clive and the staff at Upward Enterprises. The crew will be out there from 10am to 1pm. Yum, I can smell the chili and hot dogs cooking now!

NCAA Tournament Madness or Team Building Opportunity?

Even if you aren't a basketball fan, most people have heard of the NCAA men's basketball tournament otherwise know as "March Madness". 45% of Americans plan on watching some of the tournament and/or participating in an group pool to pick the winner. For the first week of the tournament most of the action occurs during office hours. Employers can either get upset at this unproductive time employee spend to follow the games or take a different approach and embrace the madness.

Here at Upward Enterprises we always like to encourage fun ways organizations can build camaraderie. Its something we do every day at our ropes challenge course. The NCAA tournament won't be at our ropes course (oh well) but companies can use the NCAA tournament as a team building event that boosts moral among workers. And if your employees want to start an office pool, how about this great idea of skill swapping?  It sounds like a great way to get you know your fellow co-workers and isn't that part of what corporate team building is about?

March, in like a Lion

As I work to prepare our ropes course in Buckeystown Maryland for the upcoming outdoor team building season which begins in full force the end of March, mother nature is here to remind us that winter is not yet gone. Tonight and tomorrow it is predicted that we will get anywhere from 8-14 inches of snow. Will this be another Snowmageddon like that occurred in 2010? If you do find yourself snowed in tomorrow, break out the Guinness and enjoy a little winter music. Enjoy the break while you can. I hear that by next Monday, the temperatures will be back up into the 50's and I will be back out at the course getting the canopy tour and high elements ready for your next event.

Antonio Vivaldi - Four Seasons Winter born on March 4th 1678

Team Building Outside the Office

In most all business across the country, be white collar or blue collar, the push has been increasing worker productivity. Companies downsize and work intensifies for those still working there. And employers, focused on competition, might ignore the well-being of their employees. How much more can workers give before burnout will become overwhelming? Burnout can set in. Workers will disconnect from the group. Sick days will be used. As a manager, these should be warning signs that your biggest asset, your workers, are needing a break.

Maybe its time for an employee mental health day outside the workplace.

When a corporate group comes to Upward Enterprises for team building I always suggest they get away from the office and come to the ropes challenge course. Indoor table top team building has its benefits too but just getting away to a different environment changes perspectives, de-stresses employees and lets the group open up to connecting and trusting one another again. Strong teams are not built just at work alone. Take the trust building exercise "Leap of Faith" we do on the course. In the 20 years I have been teaching team building, I have found this activity to be the most empowering in opening the group up to think as a team again.

Challenging Yourself to go Outside your Comfort Zone

Have you seen this video by Kid President challenging grown-ups to take the path that leads to awesome and to not to give up? His message of pushing us not just to sit on the sidelines of life but to change up and do something different that can change our life and the lives of others. Remember, we are all on the same team of life.

This message resonates with what we try to achieve at the ropes course with every team building group. We encourage everyone to experience personal and group growth that can change lives.  "Boring is easy, stop being boring."