Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The value of off site team building

I was recently asked to write an article on 'the value of offsite team building' by Australian Business Solutions. It occurred to me that most companies that engage our services have very high performing teams. In fact, it is rare that we work with a dysfunctional team. It seems that the companies that have high performing teams place a high value on the importance of off site team building. This truism was reinforced over the last two days when we conducted a team development program for a fantastic team of accountants that built upon a program conducted 12 months earlier.

Incidentally, the article will be published in their November edition.

Monday, September 17, 2012

The Perfect Conference?

Looking forward to my idea of a perfect conference with 20 delegates. It starts with a half day session based on the Five Dysfunctions of Teams that combines theory with experiential activities. The afternoon builds on the morning theory with a film making Sales Pitch session. The films are shown during the evening as part of a Game Show. The conference concludes on day two with an ACE Race around Daylesford. Great blend of theory, activities, fun and interaction in a spectacular setting.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Surprise of the Month

Last week we were scheduled to run an outdoor Survivor team session in Daylesford. The weather forecast was for rain, hail and snow. The air temperature was 5 degrees and unlikely to get warmer. We had come prepared to run an indoor program yet the client chose to run the session outdoors. The weather forecast was accurate and the rain was constant. Despite the freezing conditions, everyone had a great time. For the last eight years the client had run team building sessions in winter and the group were prepared for adversity with some even wearing gum boots.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Lowlight of the Month

It's not all glamour and five star luxury on ACE programs. Last month, we had to endure a faulty smoke alarm in the next room that beeped every 30 seconds for the entire night. The after hours emergency contact person was unavailable so we had no option but to try and sleep through the beeps.

ACE Franchises Coming Soon

We have had some strong interest in creating ACE Franchises for the mainland Australian states. We are now undertaking the legal procedures required to make it happen. By early 2013 we hope to have offices in Brisbane and Sydney. Stay tuned for updates.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Team Building for Miners (not Minors)

We had an amazing experience in remote outback Queensland running two team development programs for the operators at the Coal Seam Gas plants at Spring Gully and Talinga.
 Here are some numbers from the programs

10 - days until we do it all again
9 - hours spent in four wheel drive
8 - hours in each program
7 - program starting time
6 - time for set up
5 - time for breakfast
4 - time to wake up
3  - number of aeroplane flights
2 - no. of team building programs conducted
1 - safety induction programs completed
0 - minutes of down time