You know how it is when you’re all ready to go out to a meeting, or a show…nice and calm. And then you can’t find your car keys. All of a sudden you’re not calm, you’re stressed and off balance. And when you finally do find the keys, you rush to the car, drive away to fast, a bit disheveled and none to pleased with yourself. That’s the feeling I…
The Importance of Event Suppliers
Don’t worry. This is not a self-promoting post about why you should hire me as a team building supplier, (although I wouldn’t mind!) This is about the importance of making sure every link in your event planning chain is solid, dependable and ideally stupendous. Last week I provided a keynote session for over seven hundred people. I know from experience that audio-visual can make or break my presentations and performances…
Enagement and High Functioning Teams
The contemporary workforce demands engagement in ways that require more than just financial compensation. Being part of a team, sharing a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging and shared mission are vital to promoting positive corporate culture and engagement. I’ve read and heard all the buzz about engagement the past year or so and I’m a believer. But there’s nothing like personal experience to drive home a point and…
The Importance of Fun and Building Teams
Fun, it’s not just for weekends anymore. And concurrently, work isn’t just for weekdays anymore. We’re always plugged in, online, catching up or working ahead. I know very few people who go more than 24 hours without checking email or Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. Since the lines between work time and play time have blurred, fun has to be an integral part of your organization’s culture in order to sustain…
Team Building, Tuning and Discord
I don’t know about you, but for me opposites really do attract. My wife and I have different skill sets, different strengths and different weaknesses. I don’t think I could live with someone who has the same type of compulsions as I do. I can hardly live with myself, so living with another me would not be fun! Of course the differences between my wife and myself sometimes lead to…
Finding the ROI of Team Building
When I mention I’m passionate about team building, the eyes roll or look away. The conversation shifts and the comments usually go something like this: “That was so yesterday, so pre-recession. Talk to me about something with ROI. My boss won’t go for a team building program now. ”But being an undeterred optimist, I take this response as an invitation to enlighten people about why I am passionate about team…
Honesty Is The Best Team Building Activity
I just read an email from a friend of mine, who while recovering from one kind of cancer found out she had a mass on her kidney and had to undergo additional surgery, fear and pain. The email contained the good news that the kidney mass was benign. But my friend’s description of the anxiety, doubt and physical pain associated with the ordeal was honest, deep and dark. It caught…
Learning, Leaping and Team Building
Even though it was quite some time ago I remember the phone call from one of my daughter’s friends, Aliza. She said she was ‘no good’ at soccer. She really wanted to join the team but she was afraid. Context here: This girl was about ten years old at the time. (Did I mention I was the soccer coach…) Without even thinking I responded to Aliza, “Aliza, at your age…
Solo Entrepreneur Survival Tips
Don’t Go It Alone Being a solo entrepreneur doesn’t mean you’re all alone. Although lately it’s been feeling like that to me. My own fault really; I have a tribe, a group of professional friends who are always glad to consult, confer and commiserate. But I still have a tendency to get lost in the vortex of too much to do in too many different areas. All I really want…
Married To Your Business
I was coming off some very good years: several hit songs, touring with famous folks and making money through music. Julie and I were at a coffee shop and I was talking about my plan to go independent and start my own publishing company. Julie quickly volunteered that she’d like to be my song-plugger and work in the publishing biz with me. Without hesitation, I said yes and away we…
Lying For A Greater Truth
I’ve been known to write my share of story songs and I’ve been fortunate enough to have found success with one or two. I guess you could say I can spin a good yarn, but I’d always thought of myself as a communicator of truth. My good friend, hit songwriter and musical team building facilitator Tony Haselden likes to say from the stage that, “We lie for a living”. The…