Sunday, March 30, 2008

Building better teams by design, or..

doing what we do best.

While many of our colleagues in this business take a great deal of pride in disclosing exactly who they've worked with, after 16 years in the business we prefer not to "kiss and tell".. we never have.. and most of our clients feel the same way. The list of folks and organizations we have worked with over the years is
impressive... they have come, and continue to come from, literally, around the world.
(especially with the increasingly favorable exchange rate)
And while our website discusses "standard programs".. there really is no such thing. Every single program we design for a group is unique. It is customized for the individual group. After all, as each organization's product, mission and culture is unique.. so should the development program activities be customized to fit.
Too many of the one-size-fits-all approach to team building programs have given rise to the belittling of the importance of functional team development.

One of the first questions we ask a prospective client is "what are your goals?" Unfortunately, as a response we often get cookie cutter answers... "a ropes course, whatever that is", "uh, goals?" "team building", "some sort of group thing"... and when we ask their past experiences in team building, we often get the same answers.
For a group to "do some team building" sounds important and like a great use of company time, but without a solid program, the words are empty... bluster without substance.

Our goals are to optimize your results by developing a program that will challenge each individual to be the best they can be, and then learn to synchronize individual and group efforts.
(Effective team development mirrors effective business practices today. Often the best results are not found within the lines of traditional thought. On the other hand, sometimes they are.)


.. oh, and along the way, it's nice have some fun and make it memorable.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Wilderness First Aid Weekend

We just wrapped up our ninth year of providing wilderness first aid training for the larger mid Atlantic region... it just keeps getting better and better.

From northeastern PA to central VA, to Cobb Island, MD, the class came from far and wide for this unforgettable program. As we have done in the past, we partnered with the Trail House of Frederick, MD and SOLO of North Conway, NH to offer this educational program, at cost, to the outdoor enthusiasts of the region.

For a complete schedule of open enrollment courses, from adventure fitness to introductory rock climbing, see the calendar on our main website.