Quality Business Publication

I am very impressed with the quality of the magazine called Australian Business Solutions http://absmagazine.com.au/ which claims to be Australia's premier business publication. It is definitely worth a look or you could consider subscribing.

In this month's issue there are lots of excellent articles including an interesting article about the benefits of offsite team building (that I wrote).

ACE is Spreading its Wings

The ACE push for world domination is progressing with a couple of new webpages for Sydney
http://www.acetraining.com.au/team_building_sydney.php
and Brisbane
http://www.acetraining.com.au/team_building_brisbane.php

For the next few months we will be running interstate programs for the Melbourne office, then in 2013, we hope to have some new offices in Sydney and Brisbane. More information to come.

Can you franchise team building?

I am often asked about whether ACE has franchises interstate. The answer has always been 'no but we are happy to travel.' Well after extensive travelling over the last few months, I have been exploring the possibility of an ACE franchise in each Australian state. I even employed a company to conduct a feasibility study. The results strongly suggested that the ACE team building brand has a huge scope for a franchise. More information in the coming weeks and months. If you are interested or would like more information, drop me a line or check out www.acetraining.com.au

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.

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.

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.

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.