Creating High Achieving Teams: “Raising the Bar on Performance”

This interactive presentation teaches how to “raise the bar” on performance by creating High Achieving Teams (H.A.T.’s). Based on research by Poser & Kouzes, it presents the common characteristics of H.A.T.’s across ALL fields of endeavor. Originally developed for dinner meetings, the activities work perfectly in conference or training rooms as well. Participants tackle challenges incorporating the lessons in pairs, table groups, small teams, and finally, the entire group together.

The challenges keep participants active, while considering the space limitations of dining and conference room settings. Activities require good communications, problem solving, and working together, and attendees receive handouts to help them remember and implement the lessons.

Portrait by the Masters: “Teamwork by the Numbers”

This program gives everyone a chance to help create an organizational masterpiece, and take home a reminder to anchor the experience for better retention. Small groups complete 4x8 foot “paint-by-number” panels, and then fit their panel in with many others to form a giant mural of the company’s products, headquarters, logos, a custom-design, or even a famous artist’s work. Since the concept is widely understood, there is little “prep” or “intro” time, and participants are actively engaged from the very beginning.

The entire mural is displayed at an evening meal or another gathering time, to help participants better understand the relationship of individual, team, and company effort to achieve outstanding results. Participants take home a print of the finished work for their office.

Everyone’s A Star: “High Performance Productions”

Participants in Peak Performance!™’s Everyone’s a Star™ experience teambuilding of epic proportions by creating their own film.

During their program, the group produces a short finished movie. Maybe "Lord of the Rings” took longer, but it sure doesn’t have anything over these productions!

Team members fill the roles of Director, Camera Person, Sound Engineer, Make-up Artist, Dialogue Coordinator, Continuity, Writer, and other critical positions. And with limited time, “on-camera” editing, and virtually no budget, the pressure is on.

The video project presents several options for theme or objective. Among those we’ve successfully used in the past are:

• A presentation on lessons learned about Leadership and Teamwork,
• A message to customers, shareholders, employees, etc., and
• A promotional “ad” about the company’s product or service.

Often, a dinner or evening activity following the program is a screening of the teams’ productions. Participants receive a video incorporating all of the teams’ videos, and a multi-media montage offering reminders of other major program components.

“The Peak™” Mobile Rock-climbing Wall: “Together at a Higher Level”

Bring High Adventure, High Excitement right to your meeting, even indoors, in some cases. This 24-foot high rock-climbing wall brings your team “Together, at a Higher Level!” Team challenges, individual or speed climbs, and climbing partners are just a few of the incredible ways the Peak team can add fun and excitement to your event with “The Peak.”

Body Building: “Creating Order from Chaos”

In this dramatic climax activity, participants use their bodies to form the client’s logo, slogan, meeting theme, or new product name (or some combination) in HUGE letters/symbols (and even in the correct font!) across the entire outdoor area. Peak Performance!™ facilitators share the secrets of creating the largest version of the message in the shortest possible time frame and coach the participants to success. One side of the special card they receive helps them locate their part in the overall picture; the other side provides color for the logo, etc. (like the fan’s “card section” in college stadiums). Amazingly intricate patterns can be replicated with astonishing accuracy, even down to the font/typeface.

Search & Rescue: “Mission Possible”

In this event, teams act as search and rescue units whose task is to locate, access, stabilize and transport a simulated “victim” in rugged terrain. Your mission comprises:

1. Missing Person Interview
The mission begins with each team interviewing a “survivor” from the missing person’s party. During the interview, the teams collect information upon which to base decisions about where to search, what to bring, etc. Insufficient data from inadequate or poorly planned interviews may lead to a “wild goose chase.”

2. Evidence Search
In this second phase of information gathering, teams will be given a compass bearing (azimuth). In addition, the size and location of the search area will be provided. With this information, teams will search the area for clues. The teams will gain points for each clue found, plus they will gain valuable knowledge for future success.

3. Land Navigation
Using knowledge gained from a brief map and compass lesson, teams will navigate to the victim’s “point last seen” and follow clues from there to locate their missing person. “Response time” from rescue headquarters will be the scoring criteria.

4. Victim Transport
Teams will improvise a “rescue litter” using materials provided, and transport the “victim,” a container of water, through an obstacle course back to rescue headquarters. Scoring for this part of the exercise will be based on the amount of water remaining (not spilled) and the elapsed time, with penalties assigned for any unsafe actions.

5. Media Interview
Each team will be interviewed by a “reporter” from the media, and asked the same series of questions. Responses will be videotaped and scored by the judges, and made available for viewing by the entire group at a subsequent session.

The Survivor Challenge!

Objectives:

• Ice-breaking, de-inhibitizing, tone setting, and engaging the participants,
• Introducing the basic “building blocks” of creating High Achieving Teams,
• Establishing a history of success in challenging situations, and
• Creative problem-solving techniques and effective team interactions.

Program:
This raucous event teaches proven teambuilding concepts in a light, fun, themed event context. Because participants are so “into it” and having the time of their lives, they remember the lessons and appreciate the opportunity to learn while feeling like they’re on vacation and not in “training class.”

The Survivor Challenge! is framed as a journey for up to 20 tribes of as many as 20 participants. During each of the five legs of the journey, they will reach an activity station where they will be presented with a fun, colorful challenge that will require teamwork by the tribe to successfully accomplish. At each station, they’ll be introduced to a teamwork “building block” which will help them succeed at that challenge.

As examples, they’ll:

• Build simulated shelters/huts from various unusual materials,
• Transport delicate supplies through an obstacle course (the jungle) without spilling them,
• Scale “The Peak™” Mobile Rock-climbing Wall, a 24-foot high artificial mountain,
• Construct a raft (build a giant “jigsaw” puzzle) with their eyes closed, and
• Negotiate a maze to escape the island.

Regatta: “Sailing to Optimum Effectiveness”

Sailing effectively requires many of the same skills as business excellence: leadership, delegation, teamwork, communication, critical decision-making, and focus on the common goal. We can test your team, teach and practice vital skills, accomplish difficult tasks together, and build the basics of improved team performance while having a blast on the boat together. Sun, wind, spray, and beautiful views get us out of the “bored” room and our yacht “classroom” provides a dynamic, engaging, high-energy setting for optimum learning.

We’ve designed a number of team challenges that are proven team builders. Your group has to navigate to “waypoints,” collect and record data from them, and use the data to solve the “climax” challenge of the event. But, of course, first we have to learn how to sail!

Each yacht is commanded by an experienced Coast Guard licensed captain (with required safety equipment). Peak Performance!™ facilitators make it a fun, effective, and enduring learning experience. The vessels are fast, fun, and challenging. The entire program makes learning easy, lengthens retention, builds stronger teams, and produces returns to the company.

Here’s how it works

• The briefing starts over breakfast with a pre-sail discussion of how sailboats work, different crew positions, and an orientation to the team’s challenges and schedule.
• Sail new 30-40 foot sailboats through a challenging course as each person rotates through all the different positions on board.
• Some of the tasks at first appear impossible. With creative problem solving and good team communication skills, we’ll devise, execute, and evaluate our plan for success.
• Return to the clubhouse to discuss the lessons learned, identify actions plans for maximum ROI, and the follow-up system to achieve them.

Celebrate your accomplishments with a high-energy closing session, receive award mementos, and have post-sail refreshments.

Corporate Challenge: “Multi-discipline, multi-tasking, multi-sport, and multi-fun!”

You want memorable? You want a REAL challenge? You want to find out what your team’s made of? You want ‘em talking about it for months? Try the Corporate Challenge.

This event is modeled after Adventure Racing (think Eco-Challenge^©). Your team’s task is to “clear” all the checkpoints, in the proper order, under the human power of your team alone. One leg requires land navigation skills (map, compass, GPS, etc.). Another is kayaking. A simulated mountain gorge tightrope crossing, mountain bike adventure, and scenic hike round out the other legs. (And, other adventure activities can be specific to the venue selected.)

Two non-stop days of challenges require the team to pool its knowledge, skill, and perseverance, just like your most difficult corporate challenges in real life. Teams that want to really push the limits can bivouac on the trail. Others can retire to the resort for evening recuperation between the two days.

We provide the equipment, set the course, man the checkpoints, keep score, cheer you on, and make it an effective learning, as well as endurance event. You provide the enthusiasm, energy, and teamwork required to be successful.

Scavenger Hunt: “Collect knowledge, not trinkets”

Each team is given a different blank crossword puzzle card. The goal is simple: to be the first team to successfully fill out the crossword puzzle card.

Throughout the venue are 10 stations with eight coded envelopes. Each team has a different color. The envelopes will contain a question for that team’s crossword puzzle. For example: #4 down. What is the middle name of the bartender currently on duty in the lobby bar?

Some of the questions may be answered by clues given out prior to the Scavenger Hunt day.

Obstacles along the way are Peak Performance!™ staff which team members must avoid on their way from station to station! If a Peak staff member tags any member of the teams, that team becomes wounded and must accomplish a brief penalty activity before that team can move on to the next station.

Scavenger Hunt clues begin on Day 1 at the participants’ check-in. All participants are given an envelope with a Scavenger Hunt introduction, plus their first clue (e.g., What is the bartender’s middle name?). Clues will randomly surface as the conference progresses. The clues participants receive will enable them to successfully complete their Scavenger Hunt crossword puzzle.

Examples of information for the puzzle:

• Information the company wants participants to know about the conference
• What time was sunrise this morning?
• Questions about the resort at which the participants are staying
• Product information, for sales staff
• Name the third appetizer on the luncheon menu, etc.
• Who’s who in the organization

Prizes are awarded based on which team correctly filled out their crossword puzzles and the sequence of finish.

Land Navigation Adventure: “Charting the Course to Team Success”

You need strategy, planning, direction, clear vision of the goal, effective division of labor, specialized knowledge and skills, efficiency, and effectiveness to succeed in business. All of these are required in land navigation, too.

Teams receive specialized maps, compasses, Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, a specialized data collection system, and “marching orders.” They acquire points by visiting and collecting data from the largest possible number of points designated on the map and indicated by encrypted clues. More importantly, some points have equipment and resources the team will need to solve their “final exam” challenge at the end of the day.

There’s not enough time to hit all the checkpoints, so we’ll have to triage. Who can contribute map-reading skills? Who’ll work the GPS’s? How quickly can we devise a workable strategy and implement it flawlessly? How will we integrate the best suggestions from the team and still not suffer “analysis paralysis?”

There’s too much to do and not enough time. Sound familiar? That’s why the skills learned in this exercise transfer so well to better productivity at work.