I really meant to write this on Sunday morning, my adrenalin was still flowing as were my emotions. But time does slip by and here it is Tuesday evening. Now the thinking part of my brain has kicked in, yikes! I’m left with the memory of the feeling, but not the feeling itself. When we have an experience that bonds us with a group we long to maintain the wonderful feeling that comes from the experience. The best way to build and maintain a successful team is to find ways of sharing meaningful and moving interactive experiences on a regular basis, sort of a team building regular-exercise-routine.
But back to Sunday morning. That was the day after the marathon, the Music City Marathon in Nashville. My wife joined a group of about 50 women to “Hoop the Half”, hula hooping 13. 1 miles. Yes, actually hula hooping while making forward progress. The hooping team began as a disparate group of people with a common goal each driven by varying personal motivations. During the four month training period I witnessed the wonderful effects of group effort; friendships formed, challenges shared, doubts overcome, fears faced and victories savored.
Your team doesn’t have to Hoop the Half to do some fun and productive team building. But you should do something; invest in your people and your organization’s future!
My son, Julian, is making a documentary about Hooping the Half; the inspiration, motivation and satisfaction the participants gained from being a part of this experience. I was Julian’s production assistant on marathon day. We ran about eight miles ourselves, following and interviewing racers and the gawking crowd. Believe me, a group of 50 hoop-walkers is an unusual sight.
I hope you’ll visit us at www.kidbillymusic.com to learn more about Team Building Through The Art of Songwriting, creativity, productivity and living with enthusiasm.