Trail Ventures – Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
Teamwork is one of the cornerstones of any modern organization. Building and maintaining a well functioning group is a joy on multiple levels. How do we make the most of the talent that we have? Can we build relationships that are based on a deeper understanding? And what does the great outdoors have to do with the world of business?
Trail Ventures provides a proven method to get outside the ordinary and make some lasting changes to your organization’s dynamic.
Our program brings you to an outdoor setting. The point of the location is to have a wilderness feel – the complete opposite of four walls and a roof. No matter where your company is located, there will be a riverwalk, preserve, or park system within a reasonable distance. The proverbial walk in the park? Yes – under a vast sky, in spaciousness and beauty. This is the start of the Venture. We hike a distance suited for the group (usually 2-3 miles). For some participants, this might be the first time they have set their eyes on redwood trees. Some are outdoor enthusiasts who will be very comfortable on the trail. Others will not, and still, others may have apprehensions. How everyone deals with their comfort levels, and how people naturally begin to help one another, is a key transition brought about by the extraordinary power of place. The workaday corporate hierarchy is changed, broken up. Walking on the trail brings out another persona, perhaps one that has been dormant, or silenced in the nine to five. Now that we are all here, and in a state that is not our usual, what is next?
Our walk provides the perfect environment to introduce the team challenges, and our facilitators will stop every so often to try one out. We have found that puzzles or challenges will build a parallel way of interacting with one another. The activities are fun, stress-free, and there is no ‘failure’. How do you encourage the introverts to talk and share? What about individuals who come from different business cultures, perhaps the result of a merger? How do you encourage deeper relationships between people that may be just barely missing the chance to be extraordinary? And how about recognition for a group of people that are already performing well? Everyone loves their work to be appreciated.
Perhaps the group tries to improve their time by touching numbered discs laid out on the ground; here the emphasis is on weighing options, decision-making, and process improvement. Or the team divides and sends messages across a meadow using Morse Code. How is this similar to your organization’s way of communicating? What can it show?
We create a space of experimentation by introducing situations that are safe, unusual and enjoyable. In doing so, we stimulate problem-solving skills that might never have surfaced otherwise. The blend of shared experience in the outdoors will always get results.
So go take a hike, and do it with us on a Trail Venture.
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She brings enthusiasm, 30 years of team development facilitation and an interest in growing with our client teams to her roles as Managing Director and workshop facilitator. Instead of coffee, she often opts for a chilly dip in the bay to begin her day.
Interested in learning more about our team building and training options?
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