Five Benefits of our Team Outing.

In my last post “Being on a Real Team“, we discussed the potential and togetherness a team can have if they have great culture. One way to establish and maintain that culture is through the Team Outing. Our CEO, Dr. Josh Stephens, wanted an outing that would encourage our team and our families.

I think this goes without saying but don’t make your team members cover any costs. The primary objective if you remember was to connect, however it should also be the objective to encourage and bless your team for all their hard work on a daily basis and have an opportunity to serve them as they have served you and the business.

Are we too old for Roller Coasters?

The answer is YES! I think at least four of us dealt with back pain for days after, one even needing regular chiropractic visits! But was it worth it? Also, YES. Some of us learned that wooden roller coasters might not be a future endeavor we choose to tackle. Haha!

Ultimately, living in West Michigan we settled on Michigan’s Adventure. It is an amusement park that has both roller coasters and a water park. Josh purchased passes for the team, their spouses and their children. He covered the cost of admission, purchased meal passes and covered parking and even mileage for team members.

Another great thing that was completely unexpected was that he gave us the day off and we went on a Monday to avoid bigger crowds. My assumption was that we would work Monday-Friday and go as a team on Saturday. Josh wanted our experience to be the best it could be and also wanted us to get the most out of our passes. We probably rode double or triple the number of times because of that. As a leader, that’s the attention to detail you want to consider, if possible.

Having an outing for you and your team is one thing, to be able to have your family attend as well was pretty awesome! In our case we had 14 people in attendance but as your team grows inviting their family may not always be an option. But it’s something to always consider.

For an entire day we rode roller coasters together including the parks biggest wooden coaster, Shivering Timbers. We also did five hours at the water park. The entire day I sat back and watched the smiles on my team members’ faces as they enjoyed a day away from the responsibilities of work. I really enjoyed their kids and spouses and getting to know them better.

I could tell Josh was also really enjoying the fact that everyone could be themselves and was having a great time. If you want to experience real joy, watch your team members kids at the amusement park, especially right when they step off that ride. Watching the look on their faces after gathering themselves from being scared to death was priceless.

It was also a pleasure to get to know their spouses better. Again, not artificial conversions out of duty but a genuine desire to get to know them better. For example, Josh’s Executive Assistant’s husband is an over-the-road truck driver. When she says something to the effect of “pray for us, his truck broke down in California”, that hits a different cord of empathy when you know them personally.

When a team member now says, “my child is sick today” I actually know that child and have a different level of compassion for them as opposed to the often “we don’t have time for this” natural human reaction in our brain. As we left the park, we said our goodbyes in the parking lot, and we headed our separate ways back to our homes.

The Benefits our Team Experienced

Unity

Our team is closer than ever before, and we truly enjoy working together. There were so many great things that happened at the amusement park but also so many great things that happened in the following days. We seem to have this bond that can’t be explained.

I know this sounds weird but when you sit next to each other side by side on a giant ride screaming your guts out, you seem to be able to sit side by side during the workday better to complete a project together as well.

Empathy

I mentioned this a bit earlier, but this is a big one. Now that I know my peers on a personal level, it’s easier to put yourself in their shoes. I am not saying that rules and standards don’t apply, I am just saying that when a team member is having a rough day or even a rough season it’s easier to give them the grace they need, and we would enjoy if the roles were reversed. Again, it also helps us realize that our decisions effect real people and their families.

Openness

If you want your team to be open, do a Team Outing! When your team has the opportunity to spend some time together and interact with each other outside of the normal setting, it fosters an environment of openness and allows everyone to be vulnerable. Part of the reason this happens is when you spend time together you realize that most people are very likable and aren’t as you envisioned them in your head. They will feel much more inclined to share ideas and ask that question that they wouldn’t have before.

On this topic, let’s talk about ROI. You spend $500 or even $1,000 on a team outing and it completely opens your team up to being vulnerable…. because they learn to trust each other. If just one team member, not everyone, but even just one person feels comfortable enough to share an idea that saves or makes the company $10,000 or maybe $100,000, I would say that it was worth it. Beat that return on investment!

Passion

When you like the work you do and like the people you do it with, it drives passion. Most people either love what they do but aren’t so crazy about their co-workers, or they love the people but not the work. If you can get your team members to enjoy each other and enjoy their work, watch out!

A Clydesdale Horse can pull 8,000 pounds alone. So, two can pull 16,000 pounds, correct? Wrong! The answer is 24,000 pounds. Why triple the production of one with only two horses? It’s because two horses yoked together can pull triple or more of one alone because they are striving together. Taking it to the next level, if those two Clydesdales train together, they can pull up to 32,000 pounds. Moral of the story, grow with your team and accomplish unthinkable things.

When team members pull together on something they enjoy, with people they enjoy the results can be mind-blowing. I love working with my team. They are some of the best people on the planet. I love their spouses too. When you strive together on a common goal with people you enjoy, it changes everything!

Commitment

The Team Outing fuels commitment to each other. I want them to succeed even more than myself at times. My “agenda” becomes helping them meet their goals rather than thinking about how I can climb over them to reach that next rung on the ladder of success. Again, it makes you realize that every decision effects real people and their families. I can tell you that at Stephens Insight Group LLC, we are committed to each other. We want each other to grow, even if it is leaving us…. wait, what?

If someone has a great opportunity in front of them and it happens to be in their best interest and exceeds their potential with us, that’s okay! Enjoy people, they come and go. If they stay with you and retire, awesome! If not, enjoy your time with them and wish them well beyond your time with them. That’s being committed to one another.

When I interviewed with Josh, do you know what he told me? He said, “If you retire with me great and if not, my desire is that you have more tools in your belt to be more successful than before you came here.” Woah! Listen up, find a leader like that! He wants me to win, and I want him to win. That’s a game changer in the workplace.

The End Result

If you don’t do team outings, plan one today. Start brainstorming ideas about what would be fun, and memorable for your team. Remember, it doesn’t have to break the bank. A previous outing was a very inexpensive kayak trip down a beautiful local river. Since then, our CEO has been blessed to do more costly things, but it didn’t start that way. Whatever it is, just be engaging and genuine. You won’t regret it and your team dynamic will certainly change in a positive way.