Monday, September 29, 2008

Peanuts for Monkeys

The past few weeks have been quite a depressing experience for me. Having to juggle an important client excited with the design of our upcoming TEAM events and the old rug rats who inhabit the dungeons called “PSMB”.

Since we are now currently in the mood of criticizing almost everything and everything in our OLD government. Let me become the devil’s advocate in the Training Industry by emphasizing the amount of stupidity laced with red tape that’s been happening with the procedures in PSMB especially when it comes to the Teambuilding program.

Experiential Team Development has progressed dramatically over the past years with new methods and technology that is being introduced into the delivery of an effective Team development program. During the Early Dinosaur Age, much emphasis was put into Theory and the Amount of Content used to measure the success of an effective Teambuilding. However, this method has been proven to be dull and it does not leave a lasting impression on its participants.

Through this blog, we have shared and emphasized different mechanics in creating a powerful and effective Team Programs that is personal and can create breakthrough moment for individuals and teams. It’s very unfortunate to know despite the increasing awareness on the ineffectiveness of old concepts, our government is still very fixed in the style of how a teambuilding program should run. There is no real appreciation to the Teambuilding program from PSMB until today.

A good example would be the rate of normal claims for a teambuilding program that still costs around RM3,500.00 per claim. A great teambuilding program will definitely cost higher then that. When will the government learn that to create a good program, you need to pay a premium ringgit – otherwise they’ll literally pay the price for it in the future with ineffective solutions and services. Wait a minute. It’s happened already.

Sad..but true

Monday, September 22, 2008

Project Management Tips

Running a project is not an easy job. It requires well-planned strategies and there are steps to be followed. For every event, project management is required in order to ensure the event runs smoothly. Preparation is very crucial. Today, I’ll share with you some project management tips.

There are 3 steps in project management for every event:

1. Pre-Execution (Preparation)
This is where a project manager should consider what are the things needed for the project, who will be involved (manpower), where the event will be conducted, etc.

- The Project Manager (PM) will conduct the meeting to discuss with the teams about the itinerary of the program, the delegation of tasks and responsibility, the list of activities, and what is going to happen for that particular project.

- PM must manage the accommodation and transportation. Request for quotation must be made earlier to ensure the place is not fully booked and the transport is available for the particular date.

- Buy the materials needed, and if you already have it, the PM needs to ensure it’s in good condition. The materials of all stations must be packed and ready before the activities are conducted.

- Liasing with client: request 50% payment, participants namelist, confirmation of accommodation and transport vendor. The 50% must be in at least 2 weeks before the program, otherwise the project will not commence.

- All team facilitators must be clear about their responsibilities for respective stations, the materials needed, the show business, and the contingency plan.

2. During Execution
- During execution, the PM must ensure that the training room is comfortable and the layout of the room must be done accordingly as requested by the lead facilitator.

- Food must be served according to the timeplan and if there are problems, the PM must find the solution: ie, get the person in charge of F&B or conduct another activity with participant. Consult with the lead facilitator if the program time needs to be changed.

- All facilitators must maintain show business throughout the program days. If is an emergency or problems, PM must make a fast & right decision. Any consequences will be borne by PM, that’s why the right decision is very important.

3. Post Execution
This includes :
- Pack all the items and ensure all items in the list are packed accordingly and in good condition (functioning).

- Debriefing (sharing of what should or shouldn’t be doing for the next project, the team will discuss about what are the areas to be improved for next project if the same problems were to happen in the future or what are the better ways to make the project more smooth and easier to conduct.)

- The report of the project, where trainers will be inform about the outcome of the event, i.e: from participants feedback form, they’ll be asked about their satisfaction towards the program including the activities, the accommodation, transportation, etc. This information will help the client to improve on for future events as well.

- Remaining 50% payment must be made within the period that has been agreed between both parties. Certificate of completion for the participants will be given after the payment is made.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Making A Collective Decision

Something funny happened the other day during a team building presentation. We met a few people who requested our services for their employees. Before the start of the presentation, we were informed they weren’t happy with the previous company that conducted a team building session for them because the results “were not lasting”. When we asked them what they were looking for specifically, they replied, “team building”.
After the presentation, when we probed them for questions, they looked blankly at us and at each other. They also had differing views from each other and it got a little uncomfortable after awhile watching the little conflict that was going on. The thing is this. Before you can even decide that you want to conduct a team building session for your company, you must first come together with a collective thought and a focus in mind. Decisions for team building must not come from one person alone – it has to be the group agreeing in one voice about the most beneficial option.
Team building does not just start with the training provider. It must start with those who want it – only then can you be given exactly what you’re looking for and achieve continued sustainable results.

Monday, September 8, 2008

A Culture Of Accountability

A few days ago, I chanced upon a blog entry which mentioned the danger of “sweeping things under the carpet” – when this happens, it’s a surefire sign that accountability is non-existent. Accountability is a willingness or obligation to accept responsibility for or account for one's actions. One may question how efforts to build the team's strengths can be fostered by a becoming an individual who feels a growing acceptance that he or she is responsible for the results of the team. If the team is a success, the individual is a success. If the team flops, the individual also is accountable. Yet, even though the statement may seem counter-intuitive, it is nevertheless true. A strong team member builds increasing reliance upon the work of others. This is not a contradiction in terms. Here are some of the ways in which team building exercises develop a sense of accountability.

Each member must do their part

In a team effort, no member is unimportant and each member has skills supported by other members. So, if even one part of the team effort is missing, it is glaringly apparent.

Final results are recognized

Team development games and exercises always result in a completion of the task or game. Often, depending upon the activity, it is not completed until a final result is attained. The end result is something measurable, achievable and specific.

Team members learn to know other members' strengths and weaknesses

Learn about the abilities of other members in such a way as to best use the strong points and to minimize the weaker points, perhaps by pairing or combining members of the team. When the common goals override individual weaknesses, team members can work for the common good. So each member is not only accountable for their own actions, but they are responsible for those of the rest of the team.

Results are reproducible

In order to be repeat successful exercises, the team members must be able to see that the same actions repeated will lead to the same results. Accountability is the process of taking responsibility that the actions are the same each time. If the team development exercise does not yield the same result each time, then accountability exercises help to determine where the difference in procedure happened. It is assumed that defining where the procedures changed will result in a rethinking of areas where improvements can still be made.

Monday, September 1, 2008

You Will Survive


There’s something magnetic about reality shows. Like the rest of the world, we were captivated by the whole 'Survivor' concept, and the more we watched, the more it was seen as the ultimate team-building experience. From my perspective as a team builder, I think people really like to test their limits, but they like to do it in an organized fashion Companies keep returning because they know employees are working as a team toward a unified goal and that in turn will definitely increase the bottom line.

The challenges of Survivor place passive and aggressive people on equal footing. There have been instances when we are informed about a quiet, unassuming individual at work only to find him in his element when he's swinging from a rope or eating something that would make the faint of heart, well, faint.

Coming together during a Survivor concept teambuilding – especially those from a sales environment, peopl have discovered they can work better together if they understand how they work and can learn to appreciate individual differences. It also gives each participant direction and purpose plus a great opportunity to explore what it means to function as part of a team.