The activity is to bring a thin fishing-rod like pole down to the floor with 10-12 people lifting the pole with 1 finger from each hand underneath the pole 1m above the ground. The challenge is, the fingers must be touching the pole at all times and we cannot hook the pole with our fingers. Team A vs. Team B.
Lesson #1 Everybody needs to be cohesive
As we bring down the pole, the trick to bring down the pole fast & having everybody’s finger still touching the pole is cohesiveness among everybody. Every pair of fingers must move at the same speed at the same time. Anybody slower will miss touching the pole, risking the pole to fall too.
It doesn’t matter if you are good yourself. To achieve the goal, everybody needs to be just as good for your team is only as good as your weakest member.
Just like in any organization, in order not to drop the customer ie the pole, all of us need to move cohesively. Everybody needs to play their role well in delivering superior service to achieve the great customer experience.
Lesson #2 Assign team leaders to guide mini groups
In all teams, you will have the ones who are stronger and the ones who needed a bit more time for different activities. This activity was no exception.
So, the pole was like 3m long and we did have some blur shaky fingers like mine. Hence, we assigned the 3 of our strongest with the steadiest fingers on each side of the pole and one in the middle to guide the mini groups at each end & in the middle.
We listened to our team leader’s cue & moved cohesively as we brought the pole down to the floor quickly. Effective communication is essential for success after all.
Lesson #3 Learn from the competitors
This is my fav. Team B completed 3 rounds first but the trainer insisted that Team B stopped to take a rest. You know why? He wanted Team A to come see us at Team B how we did it and learn from us.
So they did. And they learnt. And they became better than us. And yes, they won at the end.
Aaahhh… then comes my other favorite saying by businessman Robert D. Hales, “It’s not how you start the race or where you are during the race – it is how you cross the finish line that will matter.”
Just look at how their scores improved. So dope, don’t you think?
Bimbo
#LeadershipConnect #Lessons #ExperienceisEverything #Communication
