Greg Huber

It feels like everyday there is a new adventure park or ropes course popping up that promises a great team building experience. These parks advertise an adrenaline rush and high thrills. Entertaining and fun? Yes. Providing your team with lessons on how to improve relationships and workplace performance? Not so much. While these experiences undoubtedly provide your team with an afternoon of fun and excitement, they are not designed to meet your team’s specific goals. All of these companies advertise themselves to be “customized team building experiences” but before you take the claims of these parks at face value, there are a few things you’ll want to consider. 

At these adventure courses, the staff are not likely trained facilitators, they are trained to be “safety monitors”. Their priority lies in ensuring groups are obeying safety guidelines and that the proper procedures are followed. They are not trained or focused on providing a memorable, reflective and valuable team building experience that will purposefully transform your team. 

In an Adventure Park and most traditional ropes courses at camps, participants file through obstacles one behind the other. This design focuses much more on the individual’s experience rather than promoting working as a group to overcome fears, obstacles, or challenges. Without empathy or support that comes from moving through the obstacles as a team (the way our TeamQuest course is designed), you lose the opportunity to strengthen relationships and develop a greater sense of trust. Those struggling through the course may even feel impatient or isolated resulting in a “survivor” mentality which is not much of a team building experience. These courses are more focused on through-put than they are on creating a meaningful experience for the people participating. 

When looking at the description for these parks, there are a few identifying traits that indicate they are not designed as team building experiences focused on learning and outcomes. Some of these identifiers would be:

• Great for all ages and abilities
• Promises an adrenaline rush like no other
• Opportunity for a thrill
• Create your own adventure

If you are looking for an experience that is truly focused on providing long-term learning and outcomes, you’ll want to look for a program that is customized to your specific group and its challenges, not necessarily for the masses. Expect a well-honed in-take process where you talk with a facilitator prior to the program- it’s these conversations that will create the most impactful experience for your group! I’m not implying that it is impossible to have a personal breakthrough or self-revelation when participating in one of these programs, for that would be a welcomed achievement! I simply believe that the occurrence is left to chance, rather than being the ultimate goal. At these adventure parks the focus will always be on fun, rather than on learning. At Signature Teambuilding, our programs are specifically designed with your teams’ goals in mind. We focus on the changes you wish to see, the values you want to emphasize, and the outcomes you’ve been waiting for. Don’t confuse a day at the adventure park as a meaningful, transformational team building experience for your employees. If you are looking for a fun and exciting afternoon than it will likely fit the bill! But if you’re searching for lasting change within your organization, put your trust in our programs at Signature Teambuilding. 

Signature Teambuilding recently partnered with Luck Stone, the nation’s largest family owned and operated producer of crushed stone, sand and gravel. This unique company, which celebrated its 95^thanniversary last year, embraces a culture of innovation and collaboration that is designed to ignite each associate’s potential.

We were asked by Matt Schiefer, vice president of Luck Stone’s Eastern Region, and Jim Van Ness, vice president of Luck Stone’s Central Region, to develop a program that would strengthen relationships among the seasoned associates in the two regions. Matt had previously worked with Greg Huber on team building exercises for the company’s executive team, so he was confident that Signature Teambuilding would offer a creative solution to disrupt the daily routine and foster a new way of thinking.

Based on our knowledge of Luck Stone’s commitment to investing in the career growth of all associates, we recommended Signature Teambuilding’s WaterWorx experience, which focuses on innovation, design-thinking, problem-solving and change management. 

In a highly interactive exercise, teams use tubing, connectors, valves and pumps to build a fluid transport system that moves various colors of water from their sources to 12 random destinations. The Luck Stone teams were tested on their ability to solve a complex problem by working together and ensuring one another’s success. 

“We had done some team building activities internally, but nothing to the degree and complexity of Signature Teambuilding’s WaterWorx program,” Matt Schiefer reported. “It was hands-on, visual, competitive and time-bound – like an associate’s day-to-day business life amplified. We all enjoyed this opportunity to be in a fun environment while revisiting the fundamentals of collaborating as a team. Every participant was impacted in some way.”

In fact, Jim Van Ness shared that the impact of the WaterWorx experience was evident within days of the event. “The program reinforced the importance of recognizing the diverse strengths and abilities that each individual possesses and learning how to utilize those strengths for the particular challenge or endeavor that the team is working on,” he shared.

For Signature Teambuilding, it was a pleasure to support the values and vision of Luck Stone’s leadership team. 

A special quality of Signature Teambuilding is that three of our four programs are entirely mobile meaning we bring the team building experience directly to our clients. With the exception of TeamQuest, our clients never have to leave their location to have access to a valuable team building experience. But what about those clients that may not have a set location? For those clients, we’re excited to announce a brand new partnership between Signature Teambuilding and U-Turn Sports Performance Academy!  For the first time, Signature Teambuilding has a designated indoor location where we can provide our programs to client’s that may not have the space.

Since the purchase of their building in 2005, U-Turn Sports Academy has been able to reach and positively impact the lives of 15,000 Richmond youths and families. Their large facility, comprised of four basketball courts, meeting rooms, and multiple athletic fields, is used to host a variety of sport programs, youth camps, and community events. With full access to all these spaces, we’ll be able to provide a variety of our programs to groups of many sizes. Their athletic fields and indoor courts are perfect for Shifting Gears, a program that requires a little more space, while the collaborative table set-up in their meeting rooms is perfect for Expedition Antarctica and WaterWorx.

U-Turn Sports Performance Academy is a non-profit whose mission is to foster an environment that encourages fellowship, inspires leadership, and elevates lives. We are proud that because our companies’ missions and values are so aligned they chose to partner with us.

Working with U-Turn gives us the opportunity to serve a variety of clients that may not have been able to participate in our programs before. The partnership will begin in August as we test out our programs in their indoor space. As the months progress, we plan to collaborate with the U-Turn team on developing a series of exciting new programs. We are so pleased with this development and see this being a fruitful partnership. We believe together we can make a valuable contribution and long-term impact on the Richmond community.

The Medical Society of Virginia is an organization in Richmond, Virginia that supports Virginia physicians in the practice of medicine, regardless of specialty, level of experience, geography or practice setting. Their organization consists of two sides- the insurance agency side and the non-profit side that advocates for what matters most in medicine. 

The Medical Society of Virginia (we’ll call them MSV for short) is in the midst of strategic branding process and really wanted to have an opportunity for staff of all levels to look at the core values as an organization. Several of the senior leaders at MSV had used Signature Teambuilding in the past and noticed that the participants had a positive experience with the program. So Jenny Young, MSV’s Director of Membership, picked up the phone to call Greg at Signature Teambuilding. 

On that phone call, Jenny emphasized how important it was for everyone on the team to get acquainted with the new staff members. Putting anyone outside of their physical comfort zone was not an option for this team, so it became clear to Greg that Shifting Gears would be the right program to be able to focus on the core values of the company. After that first phone call with Greg, Jenny felt excited and confident about what was in store for the team at MSV.  

The day came and went, but not without a few epiphanies along the way. As an organization of about 40 that is split into two, the two teams didn’t really know each other that well. To get a gauge of the energy in the room, learning each other’s names was the first step. Throughout the day, Greg focused on their issue of communication through a series of activities that involved interacting with everyone on the team. Not knowing each other’s names was a thing of the past and meaningful interactions among colleagues were starting to occur. For Jenny personally, it got her thinking about how she showed up to each conversation throughout her day. 

There was a big awareness factor throughout the program, especially in regards to their workload and how busy everyone is throughout the day. The MSV team realized that they do need to get up out of their desks and make relationships with their colleagues throughout the entire organization. Shifting Gears helped them understand that everyone has different strengths, but there are many ways to find common ground! We are not all the same and that is ok. Show up to the table with what you’ve got, communicate, and relationships will blossom. 

We previously discussed some important factors to consider when choosing a team building outing. To be considered true team building, you should look for activities that are focused on the outcome and not the activity, are an investment in your team, and strive for inclusivity. But the considerations don’t stop there! Today we’re examining three additional, yet equally as important factors your desired activity should include. 

Competitive vs. Collaborative

All too often, we see company outings filled with competitive games and activities that divide groups into teams who then compete against one another. We’re all for a little friendly competition but when the purpose of team building is team unity how does promoting competition achieve this goal? At best, it names one side a “winner” and their menial success is quickly forgotten. At worst, it might heighten preexisting tensions between team members, driving a further wedge between them rather than building a bond. All of our experiences at Signature Teambuilding encourage collaboration so participants work together to achieve one unified goal. At the end of the day, what truly matters is that the ultimate goal was achieved together.

Outing vs. Training

Happy hours, mini golf, escape rooms- all fun time spent away from the office? Yes. Teaching anything of value to your team? No. Each experience at Signature Teambuilding teaches lessons that directly relate to improving workplace performance. One of our clients at Capital One mentioned their expectations were exceeded when we were able to relate the experience lessons directly back to Capital One competencies regarding collaboration and leadership. Team building shouldn’t simply be an afternoon away from work, but an enjoyable experience that ultimately results in the growth of your group.

Embarrassing and Silly vs. Smart and Purposeful 

This should go without saying, but the last thing you want is for your team outing to result in anyone’s embarrassment. A woman once told me a ghastly story about her experience with “team building”. Her company planned a trip to a water park and much to her dismay, requested everyone wear a bathing suit. Instead of contributing lasting lessons that would make her a more valuable team member, this only resulted in her hesitation and unwillingness to participate! Our experiences are designed with the purpose of providing valuable lessons that can be immediately applied in the workplace. Plus, we’ll never request you wear anything, but what you are most comfortable in. We know there is a lot to consider when choosing the right team building program so hopefully this provided an understanding of what to look for and what to stay away from. You’ll notice all our experiences check all the necessary boxes. If looking for the best experience for your team, the choice is easy: it’s Signature Teambuilding.