Katimavik is an amazing organization that provides youth the opportunity to volunteer in community development initiatives across the country and develop valuable, transferable employment skills. Young Canadians, aged 17 to 21, travel across the country and spend one 6 month school semester supporting local communities and participating in diverse work placements.

Sabrina Cook, Project Leader for Katimavik in Medicine Hat, is a Certified Challenge Course Practitioner herself and knows the value of team development on the Ropes. Sabrina proposed an initiative for Katimavik to join us at Red Lodge Guest Ranch and NexLevel Challenge for their project debrief. A chance for the Alberta participants to gather after their first three month placement to review their time together, reflect on what they have accomplished and how they have grown as individuals.

The groups arrived bright and early on Saturday morning after travelling from their respective “houses”. They were excited to meet their fellow volunteers and participate on the high ropes. They settled into their cabins and the Katimavik project leaders coordinated introductions and icebreaker activities. The houses were divided into two groups for the afternoon – one group heading to the Ropes Course and the other doing what they do best – volunteering their time on the Ranch! The volunteers helped with everything from clearing brush to painting the Hall to cleaning horse tack. Red Lodge Guest Ranch & NexLevel Challenge were thrilled with the assistance in return for use of the 1200 sqft meeting hall and special pricing on the Ropes Course. “It feels great to support the organization and the youth volunteers” says Beth Fredeen, Owner of NexLevel Challenge Ltd.

Despite the snow on the ground, Katimavik had a great afternoon on the High Ropes Course, participating in the Leap of Faith and on The Ring Thing. The relationships and skills they have developed over their first 3 months with Katimavik were apparent – quick to support their fellow teammates, reach out a helping hand when required, and celebrate in each other’s successes – to name a few.

Thank you Katimavik for joining us at the Ranch and Ropes Course and we look forward to seeing you again soon!

Ref: www.katimavik.org

 
As I reflect on a number of the corporate groups we’ve worked with, I realize there may be nothing more valuable in the workforce than feeling that we truly matter…that we contribute unique importance to the whole and are recognized for it.

The single highest driver of engagement, according to a worldwide study conducted by Towers Watson, is whether or not workers feel their managers are genuinely interested in their wellbeing. Less than 40 percent of workers felt so engaged. Feeling genuinely appreciated energizes us, makes us feel safe and frees us to do our best work. When our value feels threatened, as it often does, then worry becomes preoccupying and diverts our energy from creating value.

So why does openly praising and expressing appreciation to people at work often seem awkward, contrived and even disingenuous? Unfortunately, we are just not accustomed to sharing positive emotions in the workplace and are often more experienced with expressing negative emotions.

The impact of negative emotions and the feelings of being devalued are significant. In one well-known study, workers who felt unfairly criticized by a boss or felt they had a boss who didn’t listen to their concerns had a 30 percent higher rate of coronary disease than those who felt treated fairly and with care. In the workplace itself, researcher Marcial Losada has found that among high-performing teams, the expression of positive feedback outweighs that of negative feedback by a ratio of 5.6 to 1. By contrast, low-performing teams have a ratio of .36 to 1.

So what are the practical steps you can take, especially as a manager, to use appreciation in the service of building a higher-performing and more sustainable team?

1. Practice appreciation by starting with yourself. If you have difficulty openly appreciating others, it’s likely you also find it difficult to appreciate yourself. Take a few moments at the end of your day to ask this simple question: “What can I feel proud of today?” Really contemplate this question and write down your answers. Make it a habit to appreciate yourself.

2. Make it a priority to notice what others are doing right. The more you work at it, the better you’ll get at it, and the more natural it will become for you. For example, start by thinking about what positive qualities, behaviors and contributions you currently take for granted among the members of your team. Then ask yourself, what is it that each of them uniquely brings to the table?

3. Be appreciative. The more specific you can be about what you value and the more you notice about what is meaningful to a team member, the more positive your impact is likely to be. Consider a card or handwritten note to express your appreciation. An email or passing comment are better than nothing at all.

We are all more vulnerable and needy than we like to imagine. Authentically appreciating others will make you feel better about yourself and will increase the likelihood your team will invest more in their work, and in you. The human instinct for reciprocity runs deep.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

NexLevel Challenge is proud to be a member of ACCT; however, who are they anyway?

Founded in 1993, The Association for Challenge Course Technology (ACCT) is the world’s leading and largest American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Accredited Standards Developer focused specifically and solely on the challenge course industry. It is the mission of the organization to establish and promote the standard of care that defines professional practice and effective challenge course programs.

What does this mean to us at NexLevel Challenge?

* ACCT connects us with a network of more than 2500 industry members worldwide, providing access to thought leaders, practitioners, researchers and other training companies inspiring people to be the best they can be!

* ACCT is the leading trade association in the challenge course industry and they set the standards for developing and running challenge course programs. At NexLevel Challenge, the safety of our staff and participants is our top priority and the standards set out by ACCT are fundamental in all that we do.

* As members of ACCT, NexLevel Challenge receives ongoing publications, training opportunities, voting rights to elect diverse leadership to the ACCT Governing Board of Directors, and the opportunity to share our voice in the largest challenge course association in the world.

Reference:  ACCT Parallel lines, Vol. 12 No. 1, Winter 2012

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“Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results” – Unknown
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With Family Day upon us, I have been thinking about the idea of creating a strong team environment with my family. Team building activities are typically thought of with corporate groups, youth groups, school groups and church groups; however, they are not commonly thought of in strengthening a family unit. Families these days are easily overcome with busy schedules and technology to the point where they hardly spend any time communicating face-to-face.

Team building activities with your kids is easy to incorporate into your day and will strengthen your bond as a family. Here are a few ideas to get you started…we hope you enjoy them!

Scavenger Hunt
Participating in a classic scavenger hunt brings out the competitive nature in kids and adults. For a simple game, have the children look for common items around the home, like a wooden spoon or mom’s mascara. Using identifiable gadgets around the house is a good way to play with small children. To involve the entire family, set up an old-school scavenger hunt where you run around your town or city looking for items such as a theater bill or a burger from a famous restaurant.

Build a Pyramid
Teamwork is necessary when building a pyramid, either of people or other materials. If you want to just involve the kids, and you have enough to build at least a small pyramid of three, have them discuss how to put the structure together using their bodies. They work as a team discussing who is best to serve as the base and who should crawl to the top. Families can also build a pyramid the same way, or you can use blocks or playing cards to create the same effect.

Cook a Meal or Bake a Cake
Preparing a food item or meal is a solid way to build on your family working together as a team. If you want to involve only the children, choose a simple concoction like oatmeal or baking with a cake mix. As a family, you can branch out into more elaborate meals or even a three-course dinner for families who are used to sharing meals together. People seem to gravitate toward the kitchen during get-togethers, so there’s something about this area of the house that fosters communication. Use these factors as more reasons to reinforce your family bonding as a team.

Pretend Mine Field
Trusting fellow family members is a critical part of team building at home. Playing a game of mine field is one way to build trust and leadership skills. Scatter a bunch of brightly colored objects on the lawn or a large area of the house. Blindfold one family member and have him take instruction from another member to try avoiding stepping on these items. You’ll laugh at how much everyone gets into this game, treating a common tennis ball as though it were a grenade.

Reference: Kids & Family Team Building | eHow.com

Image: Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Our NexLevel Challenge team thoroughly enjoyed the Association for Challenge Course Technology conference in Boston which was both enlightening and inspiring. We can’t wait to start using the numerous tools we acquired for our facilitator’s toolbox.

“Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” –Vince Lombardi

Getting this container delivered and placed at our Challenge Course is another item off my “To Do List”. Thanks to Marvin for fitting it out with everything required to hang and store our equipment. Thanks to my brother Trevor for getting it placed between the trees amidst the guy wires. Thanks to Tara-Lee and Troy for moving all the equipment from the cabin; everything now in one spot. A very productive and rewarding day!!

A great bunch of kids who proved, at the end of the day, that team building will be alive and well in their Grade 8 classes. An amazing job of cooperation, sharing and problem solving.

We hosted over 250 first year residents from Olds College and with the assistance of the Olds College RA’s and Mother Nature supplying a gorgeous sunny day, everyone experienced a successful day of team building focused on Community.