Teamlink

We're pleased to be of service...

2011-10-27T18:00:00.000-07:00

"Thanks for another great team building event Andy! The improvements I see in communication, teamwork, and leadership with the staff after these events is amazing and I don't think you realize what a positive impact you're having on my business. You all did a great job for us again, and we're really looking forward to next year."

That's the sort of feedback we get a lot... and helps us know that we are really doing something right.. especially in this time of economic challenge..
We've never been busier!
Making a real difference in how organizations function , regardless of whether they are growing or just adapting to change...

Call us.

evolution...

2011-02-03T17:39:00.000-08:00

I recently returned from a trip to the great state of Texas, working with a client at the magnificent Rough Creek Lodge, an 11,000 acre ranch near Glen Rose.
The sheer size of Texas (you really do feel the bigness of everything when you are in the heart of Texas), and the sense that even time is bigger, gave me the opportunity to reflect on this business of corporate team development and the way we do business... and who our clients are.

-We're not flashy or loud... definitely not. In fact we prefer to be more of the "quiet professionals" of the industry.

-We tend to really focus, acutely, on communication skills.. I would guess that more than 90% of perceived team and leadership failures are due to less-than-optimum communication... for whatever the reason..
(and the reasons are so numerous)

-We don't focus on gimmicks and shallow stunts .... you will NEVER hear us say or even imply that riding a zipline will make you a better team player.... or jumping from the top of a telephone pole... or even just the old standby (for some companies) trust falls into your teammates arms...
Ziplines are fun, but that's all they are.

-All of our clients/customers are vibrant and growing companies..(even the BIG ones). Many are the mainstays of American business.. for profit and non-profit alike... and they all have a very positive view of "what can be.."

-It's really fun to work with companies that are excited about the possibilities of improving and growing and changing. Working on a team when everyone is synching and communicating is more than fun it is totally energizing! It truly is "what can be.."

And yet, when I board my plane for the return flight, I find myself more often than not, surrounded by folks who are clearly missing that boat..

Someday I hope they can become "teamlinked"

Makng "Business as usual" better..

2010-02-05T10:53:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like a tough economy to make businesses realize that their most important assets are the people who do the work. There is also nothing like a tough economy to realize that any inefficiency in production, product delivery or communication carries a heavy price.

Since the inception of Teamlink in 1993, one of our principal missions has been to increase the efficiency and value of each and every employee and project team... and in doing so increase the profitability of the respective business.

.. and I suppose the number of business in this field is also pretty staggering... everyone seems to have a gimmick... with many tending to replace hard interpersonal skills with adrenaline and"fear management" ... we've never really been sure where that comes into the business equation.

KISMIF.. Keep it Simple, Make it Fun... our mantra for effective learning... meaningful fun.

It's not that we don't like adrenaline and risk.... we just believe that those characteristics serve our guests at Shenandoah Mountain Guides more. ... than , say a widget production team.
Fun? yes.. meaningful?? questionable.

Gaining wisdom from the "Ball of Knowledge"

Looking back..

2009-10-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

on the past 4 months.. Phew! It seems I'm always apologizing for this blog being so far out of date.. as the commercial says... "Life comes at you fast..." sometimes too fast to take time out to blog. We have partnered with schools, camps, (local, state and national) organizations and (state and national) parks to reach more than 2500 folks adult and youth.. just in the last 4 months!

Currently, we're:
- Actively supporting both in and after-school enrichment programming for schools throughout the central MD - northwestern VA region;
-Developing educational and adventure programs for 2010;
-Providing training and professional development for educators and counselors who work with after-school enrichment programming;
-Providing character and leadership development programming for teenagers throughout the region;
-Directing and teaching the outdoor education and adventure programs at several regional colleges and universities (our 17 year!); and,
- (as always) Continuing to refine our adult and corporate development programming for the particularly challenging economic environment.

Summer Mode

2009-07-01T06:24:00.000-07:00

When Summer rolls around, you can find us almost anyplace outdoors doing what we do best... teaching.

So far this year, we've hosted freshwater biologists from Alaska, Wisconsin, Oregon, (you name it) while supporting our partnership with the Interstate Commission for the Potomac River Basin.

We're using our "floating laboratories" (canoes) to support Hood College's research into invasive marine species in the upper Potomac River drainage

We have taught a number of LNT Trainer courses to river guides from "River Riders" outfitters in Harpers Ferry WV and to interpretive volunteers for the National Park Service.

...and we've staffed numerous "end of school, outdoor adventure learning celebrations" for fifth graders throughout northern and western Maryland.

One of our favorite activities of summer just concluded... a week long day-camp for 18 qualifying elementary students from Brunswick MD. .. biking, climbing, paddling, swimming.. all right in their backyard along the C&O Canal and Potomac River...

As this is written we're actively providing instructional support to a Girl Scout camp adventure program (climbing) and a Boy Scout high adventure camp program.

As you can tell, things get busy... but boy, is summer awesome or what?!

Watery World

2009-05-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

Indeed our world is one of water.. without which there would be no life.
There is nothing we, as an organization, get more satisfaction from than working with students learning about this precious resource.. Over the years we have led student groups on dozens of streams studying land use and the associated water quality... bloated cows just upstream from a municipal water intake, rivers with no riparian buffers at all, rivers whose major consumers have gone to great lengths to preserve and protect the water quality.. the entire spectrum of responses to water as a limited resource.

We also wrapped up our after school enrichment programming this week..

Next week, we host the Interstate Commission for the Potomac River Basin as it, in turn, hosts paddlers and watershed activists from across the country...

Running Moon

2009-04-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

There is the Hunter's Moon, the Harvest Moon... throughout the winter, the Skiers Moon... and now for the full moon in April, nearest to mid month..

..the Runners Moon. Sometimes it's just too bright to sleep...

Training the trainers

2009-04-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

A blustery and snowy April day is a perfect time to work on developing the skills of the professionals who provide after school enrichment programming. For more than ten years we have been working to help make sure the all young people are provided the best possible program facilitators...

Full moon running into the dawn.. and parachute racing.

2009-03-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

With the world slowly becoming more springlike, it's inevitable that someday, the change to Daylight Savings will arrive... thanks to Congress, all of us who thrive in the early mornings are now thrust back, firmly into the BMNT (beginning morning nautical twilight) zone... Running up, down and across the mountainside in this amazing twilight is not for the faint of heart... (historically a time of great risk and danger). This morning was no exception...except there was a full moon... until it set behind the ridge.. followed by profound darkness.... and yet thru sheer perseverance on a set, proven and known course I eventually emerged into the dawn.. the greatest of affirmations.

And with this being March we've been holding a lot of parachute races at the Community Learning Centers.. two friends grab a 'chute between them and then run across a designated space.. daring the wind and their grip to lift them off and deposit them into some neighboring farmer's field. Times of high anxiety (!) and great fun indeed!

Adventure U.

2009-01-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

Today we spent the day at the Shenandoah Area Council's "University of Scouting".
For about 12 years now we have partnered with this council that straddles the VA/WV border in the mountainous NW corner of VA and eastern panhandle of WV.
It is a great partnership.
Many of our staff grew up and were scouts in this council..many of us got our start climbing as 12 year old scouts on the rocks that surround one of the best scout camps for rock climbing an America.. Camp Rock Enon.. situated literally about .9 miles from the WV line. Of course in those days, the 70s and 80s, Boy Scouts were still focused on the basic outdoor skills: canoeing, knot tying, first aid, shooting sports, map and compass... rock climbing was absolutely not part of the program.
Fast forward to 1997.. In the desire to "give back" to an organization that has given so much we offered to help introduce a level of outdoor adventure professionalism to the camp program..
Well, one thing led to another, now we have a staff member who provides climbing training and certification not just locally to the local scouts, but nationally through the BSA National Camp School program.
For the summer of 2009, we are partnering with the council to offer 12 weeks of adventure programs. Backpacking and canoeing, of course.. (these are scout standbys).. but also canyoneering, rock climbing, caving, survival, primitive skills, mountain biking, whitewater paddling.. and amazing combinations of all of the above.

And even though teaching and guiding these pursuits is how we've made our living for the past 18 years.. the concept of High Adventure is still somewhat of a novelty... And that is what led to our presence at University of Scouting... To preach the gospel of adventure and challenge and the benefit it brings to the task of building future leaders and adults of character.

The choices we make...

2008-12-24T04:47:00.000-08:00

As we wrapped up the first semester of after school programming under the 21st Century Learning Center, the focus was on the youth we are serving, and how they make decisions about their lives... both the good and the bad. The game is fun, the lessons are real, and the transfer from game to life is, hopefully complete.

In 2008 we worked directly with more than 4,500 young people and provided training for more than 350 educators and counselors!

Finding a way..

2008-12-10T11:15:00.001-08:00

As a final exam, Hood College students in the orienteering class must complete a mountainside "O" course. As always, the route they choose is up to them.
There are objectives to be found and obstacles to be dealt with, (over? through? or around?) all in as short a time possible.

Where are you?
Where are you going?
How are you going to get there?

Three questions that are critical for orienteering success... and not bad questions for college students to contemplate either.

4010 feet above your troubles..

2008-11-20T11:24:00.001-08:00

Helping Washington DC government work better ... one department at a time.

To build a fire..

2008-10-15T18:40:00.001-07:00

When the group you are leading is cold, wet and hungry and it's late ... sometimes the best thing to raise spirits is a good old blazing warm fire. *

This year the Outdoor Leadership Class for the George Washington University TRAiLs leadership team included LNT trainer certification, land navigation training, emergency procedures and crisis management, as well as basic skills... like starting a fire, in the dark, with wet material and only two matches..... and yes, it was done successfully ... more than once!

*where allowed by regulations

It's just plain FUN.

2008-08-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Our summers are spent helping folks have simple, safe, old-fashioned fun. Beside doing follow up programming for our full year "customers" we are also busy supporting camp programs throughout the mid Atlantic region. The strength of our staff and their training and qualifications as practitioners and educators is hard to beat when you want safe, professionally run adventure programs... be it for youth or adults! As August progresses we move into more organizational development activities... in
particular, working with school administrators and
staff as they prepare to kick off the 08-09 school year with a bang!

Summertime

2008-07-16T03:05:00.001-07:00

We have so much going on, we'll have to add verbiage later...
I guess I don't need to add that it's ALL fun.

Building better teams by design, or..

2008-03-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

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.

Wilderness First Aid Weekend

2008-03-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

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.

A Whole Year!!!??

2008-02-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

It is really hard to believe that an entire year has passed since the last posting..
Part of the reason (my excuse, and I'm sticking with it) is that we've been incredibly busy. For those of you who don't know, Teamlink has a fraternal twin, Shenandoah Mountain Guides. Together, the two organizations offer the diversity and scope of programs that give us energy, and give our guests variety. Over this past year the SMG side of the business has been borrowing TL staff frequently to satisfy the growing demand of mountain guiding... and what a year it has been! From at-(high) risk young people to university students, from international corporate executives to rock stars... the common link? TeamLink.
With that in mind, I'd like to share with you the 479 images we have of programming...
but I won't.

But I have selected a few images to share as a sample of some of what we did this year.. I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoy the memories they bring to mind.

Last February and March found us mostly chasing ice and snow from the Blue Ridge to the Potomac Highlands. Traditionally, the winter months are playtime for the staff, and this is uniformly one of our favorite games. This little West Virginia treasure is by far, one of the best.

And then of course we also had to pay the bills.. so we also did a lot of professional development training for a wide variety of organizations that provide enrichment programming for both public and private schools.

In March, we sponsored our annual Wilderness First Aid Weekend. We imported our phenomenal instructor (Donny) from SOLO (New Hampshire), and drew outdoor enthusiasts and professionals from across the East Coast. 2007 was the 8th year we have partnered with our good friends at the Trail House to provide this unforgettable program.

The first warm days of April found us out on the rocks doing follow up work with our kids from the previous summer.(2006)
The true highlight (read: pure fun) of spring for the staff was the opportunity to participate in the Eastern States High Angle Technical Rescue class with the National Park Service and various components of the military and other governmental organizations. Training for a week with the outdoor professionals with which we work was a real bonus. Having the opportunity to help teach the course was a true honor. On the left, Jeremy is supervising the establishment of fixed lines and anchors for a rappelling session.
Another key component of the course was developing a good familiarization with partner agencies' rescue assets. This included the US Park Police rotary-winged aircraft (helo) Eagle 1. Besides basic familiarization training we worked on hoist operations for both litters and rescuers.

Here, Chad and Jeremy are having way too much fun as they simulate human yo-yos while riding a jungle penetrator.

The other cool side of this job, which usually goes unsaid, is the thrill I get when I see my 8 year old have a ball as he learns how to ascend fixed lines.

With the beginning of summer and the summer solstice, our interpretive guiding moved into full swing. Our evening walks at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park have been popular with people from around the world.

As summer progressed we made a shift in our programming. Our mountain guides worked virtually daily in Shenandoah National Park(See Chad's SMG blog), the Teamlink staff worked with corporate groups from the the Pacific to the Atlantic, and our Teamlink youth programs hit the trail for therapeutic, recreational, adventure and educational purposes.

One morning on Hawksbill Mountain (4043') we had the good fortune to observe biologists who were in turn observing peregrine falcon offspring poised on the cliff edge, preparing for their first flight. Funny how trips to the mountains prepare all sorts of creatures for their first flight.

There is nothing like the wonders of a mountain summer, and a spring fed swimming hole.. ice cold on the hottest of summer days

Julia is taking a moment for her own thoughts..

Some of our young women crossing the summit of Old Rag mountain. The end of a long week of backpacking that will not soon be forgotten.

Swimming holes are a recurring theme in summer with all our groups. Notice the clarity of the water?.. It looks so warm.. brrrrrrrr, it's not!

The end of summer is always marked by the flowers and butterflies...everywhere! We also start our university outdoor skill and leadership classes. The next images are from our GWU class trip in August.

Teaching the finer points of MSR stove maintenance and repair. It was a very wet week, but we still had the opportunity for..

WATERPLAY!!

Knowing land navigation skills means never having to say you're lost.

Before we knew it, the seasons started to change, the wild honeybees gathered the last of the nectar, the leaves began to change colors, the sky returned to its fall-winter blue and we slid into a new year.

(For those who have never seen one, this tree on the right is a wild honey tree. The dark lumpish- things around the crack are swarming honey bees...)

We're looking forward to seeing you in 2008!

T-BIRD CRUISIN'...ALMOST.

2007-01-29T18:46:00.000-08:00

The intent was to go for a little cruise on the 2007 model Thunderbird... and we got side tracked... The production model was not quite on the lot, yet. That sometimes happens when you are dealing locally, especially in such a warm winter... The Local Dealer has assured us that with a wee bit more snow and the continued cold, our best cruising days are in front of us... and not too far distant.

So, in the meantime, we make do with what we have.. which, overall, is not insignificant.

This is Jeremy, on his way up to a 85 ft purely vertical pitch
(outside the frame of the photo).
Solid WI4 terrain.
Good times are in store for all!

Solstice Weather

2006-12-21T04:06:00.000-08:00

Shortest day..longest night.. Light the bonfires! Hail the sun!

Lots of time for reflection on these long cold nights.
There are so many ways to measure our days.. by the number of hours , minutes and seconds that the sun stays above the horizon... or by the amount of daily warmth/cold that is felt.. or by what we have chosen to make of the day.. (hmm.. that could be a song..)

Over this past year of 2006, we've had the privilege of working with well over 10,000 people.. from bankers and corporate executives, to AmeriCorps volunteers and public health providers, to exceptional children who live with challenges that many of us cannot even imagine.

Our measurable successes include "our" US Challenge team from Bechtel.. After dominating the national competition in October, they moved on to the World Championships in Malta just two weeks ago. Our work with them, besides producing the obvious world class athletic results, helped raise more than $60,000.00 for St. Judes Childrens Hospital... wow, that is an easy reflection.

Not so easy to reflect on are some of the non-measurable results and, hopefully, successes... The kids who go "home" to a car (after our programming with them..) or those who do not celebrate birthdays, Thanksgiving or Christmas outside of school... because there just are not enough resources to do so.

As I sit in the office behind my keyboard looking out at the weak winter sun and the birds on the feeders, holiday messages and decorations in all directions.. all these thoughts and reflections make me restless...

Time to throw another log on the fire, then go for a long run up the mountain... that old sun can't come back soon enough.

May each of you who read this have a relaxing, low stress holiday and a great New Year! Remember to count your blessings. We hope to see you and spend time with you in 2007.

2006-10-17T10:10:00.000-07:00

And just like that, the season slips away...

and the leaves change and the frost forms
and soon it's back to the days of waiting.

So much to catch up on.. gear to clean and sort.... Fall is on us.
And even though the postings are weeks (months?) out of date.. they remind us of
the good things ahead.

WOO-HOO!

2006-10-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

Weekends were made for...

.....36 hours of pre-race training.
In mid September, Team Bechtel / US Challenge assembled in the predawn chill and fog to run through a multi-phase adventure and team challenge. The legendary mountainous, rocky, single track terrain of Gambrill was the principle setting for the dry land phase of training. (The water phase would follow a day later on the nearby Potomac)

Orienteering challenges, technical mountain biking, overcoming team obstacles, and solving complex communication and leadership tasks were all key training objectives

The ultimate goal was to be prepared for any and all challenges that may be encountered on the 3-day course in October, (and to identify and address any possible training deficiencies). So away we went...

down the trails, over the ridges..

...and of course up and over..

... all against the backdrop of mid-September color.

Team Bechtel

2006-10-16T19:15:00.000-07:00

Leading into the backcountry...

As we've done for the past 5 years, we were pleased to, again, have The George Washington University Outing Club (TRAiLS) guides spend a week with us in the backcountry of Shenandoah National Park.
Backcountry Trip Leadership is the theme for the week, and we live and practice everything from Leave No Trace travel and camping to meal planning and preparation, to backcountry medicine, land use regulations, emergency medical evacuation planning... and how to swim in a backcountry swimming hole... (with gusto!).

At the end of the week, the (already great) guides are ready for anything and everything! Plus the bonds formed during a week in the mountains will carryover into a year of top level adventure activities for GW students.

This trip, now an annual event, always signals the end of summer... and with that comes the frenzy of butterflies to the last of the wildflower nectar... within a week, the flowers will be gone, and the hollows shrouded in the morning mists of autumn.

(photos courtesy of Chad Heddleston)

2006-09-25T06:32:00.000-07:00

Synergy.
When two forces join, the impact is often greater than the sum of the two operating independently...a force multiplier.

As we step into the shorter days of Fall and we collect the images and recollect the times of summer (our 14th!), what a summer it was! Particularly for youth programming. From May thru the end of August we had the opportunity to join with:
- Boy Scouts from Shenandoah Area Council;
- Girl Scouts from the Girl Scout Council of the Nations Capital;
- Wakefield (The Plains) School's Discovery Week;
- Frederick (MD) YMCA;
- Parks and Recreation departments from Frederick and Clarke Counties in northwestern VA, and of Frederick County, MD;
-The SGA from Rappahannock County High School (working in paradise!)
- Camp Pecometh (serving the DelMarVa region Methodist church);
- Summer school students from Washington County MD;
- New/incoming students at Washington DC's SEED public charter school;
- The Frederick Co (VA) Sherriff's youth camp;and, especially,
- Various family/child advocacy and social services organizations (Department of Social Services [DSS], Office of Children and Families [OCF] and Community agency School Services [CASS]) from northern and central MD.

WHEW!

The last category (DSS, OCF, CASS), of all the groups we served, was perhaps the most totally demanding and certainly the most fulfilling. On that point the entire Teamlink staff agrees.

Whether exploring the macroinvertebrate wonders of the river, floating, splashing, playing..

or climbing WAY beyond and out of their comfort zone...

or just sitting, talking and laughing, sharing time and space with a friend..

the kids we shared our summertime with, just maybe, will never be the same.

..and, because of them and with thanks, we will not be the same, either.

2006-09-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

To Build a team...

In May of this year we were contacted by a team of engineers and project managers from Bechtel Engineering in Frederick MD. It seems they were entered in the US Challenge and wanted to get a leg up on the competition.. with less than a little hesitation, we jumped on the opportunity.
(We had partnered with Bechtel in the past on youth development and mentoring programs, so we knew that if they were behind it, they would be committed to it.)

Now to back up a bit, the US Challenge is a fundraiser for St Judes Hospital.. Each team raises money and all of the proceeds from the competition go to support programs for children and toward medical research for childhood diseases. (For more information, see www.challengerworld.com )This was pretty much a no brainer for us.. a cause we could really sink our teeth into. For the team, it was a significant commitment to a lot of training and skill acquisition. We were honored to be asked to help. (We'll be more honored when the team wins!)

Billed as "intelligent sport", the US Challenge is basically an adventure race geared toward professionals who typically do not have unlimited training time.. The challenges require significant creativity and problem solving , as well as plain old physical determination and basic skill proficiency.

Our team is a group of mostly 20-something really bright folks. They are also pretty darn good athletes.. and together, our training program has been an enriching journey in so many ways. As a team, we have raised well over $12,000!!! But also as a team we have developed some real bonds of cameraderie, trust, respect and friendship.
(The opening image is a group from Bechtel who attended a rock climbing fundraiser.. earning the team well over $1000.00 on a Saturday morning. THANK-YOU!)

So, since beginning in June we have been getting together to train twice weekly. We started with the basics: a foundation of solid fitness and aerobic capacity, basic skills, including: knot tying, land navigation (on foot,bike and water), mtn biking technique, paddling technique, communication skills and techniques, survival, trail running, first aid etc, and have been increasingly progressing through more complex tasks. This week we built and utilized a tyrolean traverse across a chasm in our local rock... by headlight. On Saturday morning, as the sun comes up and most people are just having their first cup of coffee, Team Bechtel will be thrashing thru the woods completing an off-trail, multi-leg compass course with each leg at least 1 mile in length.

We'll be doing a running commentary as we proceed to the competition dates in mid October. check back often..