The Sandstone Team Building Blog

Everyone knows the importance of preparing for a race.  To attempt to compete without training is foolish; to attempt to compete well without training is very difficult.  The same can be said for teams at work.  To get the best out of any team, you need to put time and effort into preparing them.  There is no team, no matter how efficient and productive they are, that is perfect from the word go.  Just as runners need to work on their speed or endurance, teams need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each member and how they all combine together.  Once these have been addressed they will have the means to strive to improve in order to tackle whatever task lay ahead of them, and tackle it well.  Whether that task be a marathon, or indeed a sprint, hypothetical or not.

So help your team out and provide them with some much needed preparation to help pave their path to success.  Take a look at our team building activities or call us on 01158 715690 to choose the best form of preparation for your team and their future challenges.

Barbara

When speaking with anyone for a length of time: a friend, a friend of a friend or someone you’re sat next to on the train, the conversation inevitably turns to work.  I’ve found that more often than not, when I say “I’m in team building“, my companion, whoever they may be, will reply: “Oh, so do you organise days out like go-karting?”.  It never ceases to amaze me that so many people still believe that ‘fun days out’ are team building.  In actual fact, they’re team bonding.

Consider the following analogy to help you understand why we need to distinguish between the two: an eggplant.  Eggplants are not what the name suggests.  They are not a plant that has eggs grow on them; they are plants with a fruit that grows on it that happens to resemble eggs.  Hence the name.  Consider team building as eggs and team bonding the fruit on the plant.  Team bonding resembles team building, but it is not the same thing.

For someone who doesn’t know anything about the topic, the major, rather important, differences between eggs and the fruit from the eggplant may not be obvious.  The same can be said about team building and team bonding.  The focus of team bonding is two-fold: have fun and get to know one another.  Team building’s focus on the other hand is many-fold.  The team can have fun and get to know one another, and then some.  They can learn the strengths and weaknesses of all the individuals within a team, what they bring to the team and what they bring out of the other individuals within the team. They can learn the strengths and weaknesses of the team as a whole; look at the methods they currently use and they could potentially use; amongst many other benefits.

Team building transports your team to scenarios and situations that are completely different to the workplace, yet holding multiple parallels back to the workplace.  It provides the opportunity for your team to get away from their day-to-day work and let their hair down, yet take part in something not only relevant, but captivating.  Watch your team understand these parallels and realise what it is at work they need to keep doing and do differently in order to reach their full potential and become more effective, efficient and productive.

From the outside, just as the fruits from an eggplant look like eggs, team bonding resembles team building.  Once you consider the ins and outs of the two, both in the set up and the outcomes, it is clear to see just how different they are.  So why not call us on 01158 715690 and find out what team building experience you can enjoy and learn from!

Jenny

I am delighted to announce that we at Sandstone are creating a new line of team building products.  These will be ones which you can buy and run yourselves.  They are very different to both our facilitated and online based team building activities and we think you are going to love them!

So keep your eyes peeled for more information – We’ll be letting you know a bit more quite soon!

Alan

After the great events we ran in 2011 I did wonder if 2012 would be able to keep up.  I have to say though when it came to writing the first team building event of the month for 2012, we have not been let down!  The event of the month was a brilliant Wild West in Bromborough.  With just three teams it meant that there was a fantastic, friendly and intimate atmosphere where jokes were heard and enjoyed throughout by everyone involved.  ‘Spot prizes’ were even handed out for those who shone in the constant array of jokes, or if they found themselves the butt of one of them!

Hats and bandanas were available for all delgates, turning our respectful participants into hoopin’ and hollerin’ cowboys and cowgirls!  One cowgirl was fully prepared and even had her own guns and holster with her, which were pink of course.  As always the many tasks went down well, with the cowboys and cowgirls performing outstandingly.  One of the best whirligigs I have seen was created; the resident sharp shooter was out-shot and beaten by a cowboy; the buffulo was hunted by three hungry cowboys from an amazing distance; and after success on gold panning, one cowgirl even declared she was upping sticks and moving to America to pan for gold there!

Everyone left at the end of a successful day feeling refreshed and ready to take their learning from the debrief back into the office the next day.  There was much agreement that the costumes should make an appearance the next day as well!

What a great start to 2012!

Jenny