Diversity Drives Success in San Antonio

Diversity in teams can drive creativity and productivity if the teams are functional and cooperate freely. But with diversity comes more potential for conflict and misunderstanding, as many San Antonio team managers know well. Diversity and work team performance is closely tied, and managers in racially-diverse San Antonio strive to take advantage of their opportunities to create successful diverse teams, moving past conflicts to achieve team goals.

Building teams in San Antonio is an ongoing process. Smart companies emphasize the value of diversity in ongoing team building events on- and off-site, as well as in house wellness programs that promote mind and body well-being, with specific cultures in mind.

While cultural specifics may be kept in mind for in house training and sensitivity programs, team building events such as the Amazing Race by the Riverwalk appeals to all diverse teams as it involves fun for all abilities, and provides mental challenges at which only a diverse cultural team can do well. Many of the questions and challenges address specific cultural backgrounds and the team must rely on each other to succeed.

Different work styles are prevalent in the culturally diverse workplace. Cultural sensitivity training is important for all diverse workforces to promote understanding and keep conflicts minimal and manageable. Creating a successful team takes work and dedication of all team members, not just the management.

Venture Up in San Antonio specializes in team skills and relationship building for conferences and the workplace. David Lengyel, co-founder, believes building relationships requires positive feedback from managers, as well as acquiring regular feedback from employees. For example, surveying employees every 4-6 weeks should be a minimum to make sure management and their teams are on the same page, and that small problems don’t become bigger.

Some companies, such as John Deere, elicit feedback monthly, while other companies do so annually. “That’s far too long to wait,” says Lengyel. “By the time 12 months pass, employees may already feel invisible and have one foot out the door.”

Companies who combine team building activities in their culture find the staff interaction pays off. When they outsource team building events at corporate meetings, they aim for team players to leave with an action plan to take risks, try new ideas and create new solutions back on the job, says Lengyel.

“We convey the idea that, “It’s not about you … it’s about how you can lift your team mates up,” he says. Venture Up also combines efforts with programs in CSR (corporate social responsibility) to strengthen connections with companies in the communities they serve.

Strong teams and healthy relationships are essential for a successful workplace. Employers have always valued the customer-sales relationships, but nurturing internal relationships in the workplace are taking on equal importance. Based on a recent article in the MindTools Journal, there are multiple ways to encourage positive relationships:

1. Develop Your People Skills
2. Identify Your Relationship Needs
3. Schedule Time to Build Relationships
4. Focus on Your EI (Emotional Intelligence)
5. Appreciate Others
6. Be Positive
7. Manage Your Boundaries
8. Avoid Gossip
9. Listen Actively

The key is to finding what works best in your workplace, is first to determine the overall temperature of the culture of change and think outside the box. 

 

Keeping functional teams strong means knowing the individuals that make up each team. Managers must become experts at the different personality types at work , as described in a recent Entepreneur magazine article. Understanding how personality types work will ease tensions in the workplace. Understanding the factors of emotional intelligence helps managers deal with people of wide ranging emotional makeup. Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, says, “Start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.”

Otherwise, he says, "If you have the wrong people on the bus, nothing else matters. You may be headed in the right direction, but you still won’t achieve greatness. Great vision with mediocre people still produces mediocre results.”

Get the right team on the bus, make sure everyone is headed in the same direction and know that your team will need occasional maintenance in order to continue to run smoothly. The road to success isn’t an easy one. It’s filled with many setbacks, but working together on one uniformed goal and supporting one another will make the road getting there a much more enjoyable one, for everyone.

Detroit Companies Benefit with Creative Team

Teamwork is a word that can strike fear, frustration and annoyance in the hearts of many adult workers. Some team building activities require holding hands, singing songs and trite exercises that we’re simply tired of. Detroit companies are looking for something else out there. What can we do to inject our teams with new enthusiasm and help us all appreciate the people we work with? After all, most of us spend more time with co-workers than anyone else.

Video: One way to engage your staff is to align your Detroit Team Building program with corporate social responsibility, as this Magna Power groups does with Venture Up.

The Detroit Chamber of Commerce promotes maintaining a strong team as a key aspect in successful daily business. Detroit team building activities come in many shapes and forms. Many business owners and leaders in human resources realize a new approach is needed to break up the stagnant air surrounding a typical team building experience. 

The Chamber advises companies to promote a culture of staff engagement by supporting active participation in team building activities. It also cites research showing staff members who are continually engaged in team building activities have a higher job satisfaction rate, increased productivity, motivation and passion for quality, and customer service performance. Companies with the right tools for team building can best drive performance and results, which are important for business success.

The Chamber encourages several activities to breed a strong workplace culture of teamwork and trust and energize the everyday work environment. These include: staff appreciation days, “Lunch and Learns”, and programs supporting families in the workplace, such as ”Youth Office Days”.

While these activities are relatively simple, they are great tools to encourage participation and allow employees to feel appreciated. Trends show that employees having a sense of belonging and emotional buy-in typically have better workplace performance than those who have a negative attitude towards their employer.

A strong team holds its bond in conflict resolution. While minor conflict is inevitable (Let’s face it, humans can only be friendly and cooperative for so long), having strong relationships will allow teams to navigate these temporary problems with grace and compassion, leading to positive conflict resolution. Team members don’t want to see other members suffering or struggling, so even in the midst of a disagreement the foundations remain strong and the team pulls through.

When a team oversteps the mark of healthy difference of opinion, resolving conflict requires respect and patience. The human experience of conflict involves our emotions, perceptions, and actions; we experience it on all three levels, and we need to address all three levels to resolve it. We must replace the negative experiences with positive ones. 

Venture Up, a company providing team building in Detroit since 1983, has found many ways to encourage team cohesion in fun new ways. Say goodbye to the cheesy activities of the old days and say hello to adventure, fun and excitement. David Lengyel, co-founder of Venture Up, has taken his adventurous background and created a program that encourages employees to have fun, but more importantly, strengthen their relationships and improve the workplace culture.

Milwaukee Teams Building Succeeds with Diversity

Milwaukee employers can easily tap into the local market when recruiting for diversity and talent. Training staff for team projects can also be more productive because diverse teams are more 
successful. Milwaukee Team Building and training programs generally involve people with varied cultural backgrounds and viewpoints. 

YouTube

VIDEO: One way diverse teams grow stronger is to engage in corporate social responsibility projects. Cisco recently engaged in CSR for a Venture Up Team Building event in Milwaukee. During the 4-hour program teams assembled 3D Printed hands for kids born with symbrachydactyly, a condition in which hands are not fully formed. Venture Up ships the prosthetics to needy kids and hospitals overseas.

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They attack problem-solving games and challenges with more creativity than team members of similar backgrounds. 

Did the workplace change? Not really. Some tech companies say they cannot find qualified employees, but they have been criticized for the human tendency we all share of aligning with people much like ourselves.

 

“When teams lack diversity it kills innovation,” says Venture Up founder David Lengyel, who has worked with Milwaukee firms, such as Johnson Controls, SC Johnson, Rockwell, GE Healthcare and U.S. Bank. “Baby boomers and tech-savvy millennials make a great combination for work teams and in culturally diverse corporate training programs,” says Lengyel, whose company has been building corporate team relationships since 1983.

“When your team is filled with similar people, it leads group members to think they have the same information and the same perspective. But this mindset squelches innovation and creativity,” says Yuriy Boykiv, in an article for Fast Company.

Minorities make up 27 percent of the American workplace. Studies show diverse work teams are more innovative and productive with the right management and training. But what are companies doing to create diverse teams? Ever since a 2009 study showed tech companies hire only 6.8 percent minorities, Facebook, Google and other image-conscious brands went into public relations overdrive and gave major donations to high profile organizations affiliated with minorities and women.

Few American organizations take adequate steps to change, even when it means profitability. McKinsey & Co. research shows companies with more diverse work forces perform better financially.

Employee engagement is another challenge facing U.S. firms. Gallup research shows 87 percent of employees are not engaged. That is, staff are not devoted to the company mission, are unmotivated, and may be seeking jobs elsewhere. Retaining and recruiting staff costs companies needless millions annually, but they are slow to shift the corporate culture despite overwhelming research.

Engaging employees and improving the corporate culture are not objects you can buy. They are part of a fluid process with no end. You don’t “arrive” at corporate culture. A strong corporate culture comes from the top down. Strong leaders pay attention to their staff, survey their employees well-being on a regular basis and act on feedback. They stay involved and engaged with staff, from top brass to the front line.

Research also shows that employee engagement is strong when companies have a dedicated program in corporate social responsibility (CSR). Companies are better able to retain and recruit staff if the culture is diverse and employees are engaged in CSR projects allowing them to interact with the community on a personal level.

Just as diversity in teams brings more creativity to the workplace, successful CSR programs can keep teams engaged, and create company ambassadors who can serve leaders in recruiting new talent and keep the company afloat. But the leaders must drive the boat.

Olympic Games Team Building

3 Team Building Activities in Ohio to Engage Employees

Engaged employees are productive employees. Companies in Columbus and Cincinnati are taking to the outside world to encourage staff to collaborate in team building events, but it often has little to do with business or profits. The idea is for colleagues to interact on a personal level, and share in the company’s efforts to give back to Ohio’s community.

According to Forbes Magazine, employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to the organization and its goals, resulting in the use of discretionary effort.



Photo: Courtesy VENTURE UP Team Building, Columbus

Research shows overwhelmingly that when companies are involved in community service, employee engagement increases and the corporate culture improves. Some companies seek outside resources to build staff relationships in Columbus, while others, such as Kroger’s in Cincinnati, have long term in-house programs focused on corporate social responsibility (CSR) that spans nationwide.

Scioto Mile Amazing Race

Scioto Mile Amazing Race is about competition with a cause. Venture Up, a company devoted to building relationships for a strong corporate culture, designed the race with philanthropy in mind. Columbus firms enroll their teams in the race to compete for money -- not for corporate profits, but to support community services in Ohio. Beginning at the Arena District, the 2-hour race sets teams out on separate paths through the park system, a 145-acre spread by the river. Successful teams must rely on each other and the community members they meet en route as they try to solve puzzles, accomplish tasks, and discover clues that lead them to the finish line near the Whittier Peninsula. Teams work in groups of 12 or less, and the first three teams to finish win a check for the Ohio social service agency of their choice. 

Contact: VENTURE UP Team Building, 888-305-1065, info@VentureUp.com

Climb for a Cause

While climbing a 26-foot wall is difficult enough, solving clues along the way can be even more challenging. Venture Up designed this CSR program for executives in good physical condition, with a supportive team below. But there’s more to the wall than simply the ascent. Depending on the route they choose, climbers will find envelopes attached to the wall, each representing cash to support a non-profit group in Columbus, Cincinnati or Cleveland. Each envelope has a problem to solve, so the climber can toss the envelope down for his team to handle as he continues ascending and grabbing more envelopes. Climbers who reach the top of the wall can ring the bell to get an added bonus to support their group in need. Companies who prefer straight climbing may rent a wall in Columbus at the McKnight Outdoor Education & Recreation Center, or choose a portable wall for off-site events.

Contact: McKnight Outdoor Education & Recreation Center, 614-202-5197

VIDEO: Corporate staff engage in Fun Food Team Building with Venture Up.

Kroger’s Philanthropy

Cincinnati-based Kroger began in 1883 and is the largest grocer in the nation, comprising a family of brands, including Ralph’s, Fred Meyer, Smith’s, Food 4 Less, King Soopers, Fry’s, Dillon’s and City Market. Kroger has been involved in CSR long before it became the recognized way to lift communities and strengthen corporate culture. Kroger has helped feed American families for more than 30 years with its Bringing Hope to the Table ® program. Kroger and its family of employees list thousands of volunteer hours annually, and many serve on local boards for food banks across the nation.

Kroger founded the Feeding America network of foodbanks, dedicated to securing and providing food for familiies in need. It operates programs for self-sufficiency, educates the public about hunger, and advocates for legislation to protect people from going hungry.

Contact: Kroger Community Pantry, 614-277- 3663,
Corporate Communications, 513-762-1304, keith.dailey@kroger.com

5 San Diego Team Building Activities to Increase Employee Engagement

Think of San Diego and visions of sailboats, sea gulls and beach volleyball come to mind. While the city ranks as a top destination for business meetings, fun team building experiences in San Diego are often part of the mix, and many involve corporate employees giving back to the community.

Corporate social responsibility is more than just a buzzword. “When companies pay their teams to assist local communities, they send a clear message that social responsibility extends beyond corporate locations,” says David Lengyel, managing director of Venture Up, who provides team building programs from his new San Diego office at Driscoll’s Wharf on Harbor Drive.

VIDEO:  VENTURE UP Bike Building Charity Team Building Event serves local kids in need:

Lengyel believes there has been a shift in corporate culture after the Madoff scandal a decade ago. “During the recession, clients began requesting more programs combining team building with community service, even when budgets were tight” he said. “Today, the economy is much better and more businesses than ever are incorporating social responsibility into their team building activities.”

In 1983, Venture Up became the first company devoted to building team relationships, coining the term, “team building company.” The firm also works in conjunction with client’s training organizations, such as PPG’s Franklin-Covey staff development program recently.

Here are 5 popular group programs in San Diego, all of which can promote corporate social responsibility and employee engagement.

1. Jam Fest – Throughout the ages, music has been a binding agent of all people. Jam Fest strikes a chord with everyone, as no prior experience is required. A popular conference energizer, this 45- to 90-minute event gets teams moving, shaking and jamming in harmony. Teams use boom sticks, go-go bells, jug drums and congas to catch a rhythm and jam together expressing their innate musical talents.

2. Bionic Hands -- This 3D design program gives teams a rare opportunity to change the lives of children forever. Born without hands, or with hands not fully formed, such children can now have functioning hands when execs team up to help them. Teams take on the intrinsic work of putting together bionic hands created by 3D printers. The program requires no prior experience, but commitment to detail is a must. The 2- to 3-hour program engages teams in service to others, a strong component to building and maintaining a viable corporate culture. Hands are often shipped overseas to kids in developing nations.

3. Boat Regatta

Building a cardboard boat is the easy part. Keeping it afloat is quite another. This program is suitable for hotel pools and waterways and requires an able swimmer at the helm. Teams compete with one another to create a seaworthy craft using cardboard boxes, floating features, inflatable toys, pvc pipes and lots of duct tape. As in many group ventures, too many cooks can sink the ship. Effective leadership and cooperation mark the successful team. Some vessels may sail smoothly, while others require a fight to the finish. In many cases, winners receive cash rewards to donate to local charities.

4. Bike Building for Kids

Bike Building for kids in need is a popular charity-based team building event nationwide. Venture Up clients have donated more than 15,000 bikes to underserved children in local U.S. communities. In many cases, the kids are high achievers who lack financial resources, or may come from struggling single-parent families. Lengyel expects Venture Up to expand its reach to developing countries, where adults and children use bikes as their main source of transportation.

Video: San Diego Team Building

5. Amazing Race

The Amazing Race is so popular in San Diego that Venture Up has developed more than 10 versions of this festive event. Inspired by the popular television show, the physical challenges are geared for the average Joe. Teams move at their own pace and players choose their own level of involvement, as they take on physical tasks and brain twisters to solve as many clues as possible. Each race is fun and challenging for all professional and skill levels, keeping creative minds engaged and focused on a big win.

Supai Canyon with Navajos & Tempe Dwellers

Havasupai Waterfalls Helicopter Hiking ... or just hiking

By Teresa Shaw Lengyel

Heading to Havasupai? Learn the easy way, from us. Leaving our Flagstaff retreat, we headed to Havasupai for a scouting trip to one of the coolest places on earth. Havasupai Falls is close to Flagstaff as the crow flies, but a bit complicated to reach. Venture Up has experienced an increase in clients seeking small corporate retreats for team building in Arizona. This trip tops the list.

A trip to Havasupai can be easy or hard. Our 2-day trip (not enough) was somewhere in between. Fortunately, our same group will return in August focusing on the waterside hikes only, which means a helicopter round-trip from the trailhead to the village. 

Havasupai Falls, AZ -- It's amazing how many picnic tables are in the most remote areas of this clean, well-equipped canyon. Photo: ventureup.com

Trekking down is not so easy for everyone. Once in the canyon, you will see plenty of hikers limping about, with canes and bandages who wish they took the heli instead of hiking down. If you are not in good physical condition, the heli is for you. You just can't reserve it and must be flexible because in Havasupai, little is on your own terms. Waterside hikes abound and, sadly, many hikers are too sore to walk extensively once they arrive.

Traveling with our long-time Navajo friends, Shannon Haskie and her 18-year-old son Jake, and Tempe dwellers, Brian Meller and Leticia Lebron, we left Flagstaff at 4:30 a.m. -- when coffee doesn't work --  and drove a lonely 166-miles to the trailhead.I-40 West from Flagstaff takes you to Seligman a 2-minute drive-by town hopping in Route 66 fame. The turnoff to the trailhead is tricky. If you are fully awake at dusk, you'll first see the sign below for the Grand Canyon North Rim. No, don't follow that sign. Take the "Indian 18" sign right after and continue right.There are no services on Route 18, and they are not kidding.We hiked down for 7 hours on Friday, with plenty of stops, and returned via a 10-minute helicopter ascent on Sunday. Helicopter rides are on a first-come basis. Cost is $95 one-way, $35 if you're a Navajo, and free if you're a Supai. The heli is a bargain, especially for those who end up with blisters and muscles so sore a flight up is the only way out. 

When you reach the trailhead, park in the higher lot, or off the street. Avoid parking in the lower lot like this white guy did below:

The hike is steep at first and flattens out. It's not too difficult, but you'll be walking 8 miles or so. This is not the time to try out new hiking shoes or sandals. Even those meant for hiking can leave you with blisters, but I won't name brands, chicos.

Sinyella Store is the first stop before entering Havasupai Village. Shopkeeper Mr. Sinyella also has a house in Flagstaff and knows some people we do. Small world, altho we're not so far away as the crow flies.

The store is on the outskirts of the village, has plenty of cold drinks and hot food, including hamburgers and breakfast. Cokes are $2. They don't charge enough. Picnic tables and awnings offer a welcome place to relax by the horse corrals and village homes.

Like many American Indians, these natives live in what larger society considers poverty. Most visitors here find happy, friendly people with much for us to envy.

The store in Havasupai Village has a good selection of snacks, frozen foods, cold drinks, and bottled water, but only offers instant coffee. Stop what you're thinking. It would suck if they had a Starbucks here. One thing you will experience in a few days is how to live with less, like our forbears, and our native peoples do now.

Havasupai Village Store. Photo: ventureup.com

A 2.5 mile hike takes you from the village to the campground. You will pass the Havasupai School, church, lodge (the only one) and Navajo Falls on the way.

Navajo Falls signals the way to Havasupai. Photo: ventureup.com

Arriving at Havasupai campground. Photo: ventureup.com

Do's & Don'ts you should know already. Photo: ventureup.com

Frybfread? You betcha! This campground hut opens 9-5 , banker's hours. Photo: ventureup.com

Brian Meller swims into Havasupai Falls and meets resistance. Who knew? Photo: ventureup.com

Window to Moony Falls. Photo: ventureup.com

Chains to Moony Falls. Photo: ventureup.com

Bridge on way from Moony Falls to Beaver Falls. Photo: ventureup.com

Havasupai Videos 

(if Blogger accepts them - eye roll .. still trying tho!)

Heli pad & community center 

(I know, hold camera sideways).

Heli lands at trail head 

Havasupai Falls

Descent to Moony Falls

Beaver Falls

Havasupai Panoramas

Navajo Falls area

Havasupai Falls

Moony Falls to Beaver Falls 

Hike from Moony Falls to Beaver Falls

Planning for Havasupai

Pack Light:  If ever there was a universal tip for any kind of travel, it's pack light. But do people listen? Nooooo, including Shannon Haskie who takes a kitchen on her back, with Wonderbread that arrives uncrushed. 

While we have tons of gear, thanks to Venture Up's clients and sponsors who like us to review their products, nothing ideal for this trip was in Flagstaff. So, I had to go retail. I got everything from Sportsman's Warehouse here, a national chain with good prices and service. A great spot for recycled gear is locally-owned Flagstaff Sports Exchange. Peace Surplus and pricey REI are also in town.

This is what I took to Havasupai:  

1.  Down sleeping bag:  A down sleeping bag, rated to 40 degrees F, is lightweight and packs more tightly than a larger bag for colder climes. Supai's coldest temp was 45 degrees F this March weekend. Cost: $100 Weight: under 2 lbs. Brand: Kelty

2.  Itty bitty sleeping pad:  A delightfully small inflatable pad will leave you lots of room for food and drink and lessen the bulk. Cost: $60 Weight: 18 oz. Brand: Static V

3. Net backpack: Net bags weigh next to nothing, allow wet things to dry, and you can see your stuff! Cost: $30 Weight: Nothing really Brand: Jansport

4. Hip Pack: This red hip pack is padded in back, has plenty of pockets, and has an extra cumberbund-type strap for extra support. Ok, it's not that fat or formal, but it does support well over long hikes, such as the Havasupai descent and the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim hike Shannon and I did in February. We took the Kaibab Trail (tough if  you have bad knees) to Bright Angel Lodge at the River, and  took Bright Angel Trail back to the rim. It supports the net bag well, which has no waste strap. Cost: $50.  Weight: Who cares? Brand: Mountainsmith

What I did not bring:

1. Tent: Why carry more weight when you can sleep under the stars? It's not like you're climbing K2. If you're concerned about being cold, get a sleeping sheet liner to add extra warmth and keep your bag clean ($18). If rain is forecast, get a bivouac sack to slip over your bag. If you can find a picnic table, or clear your own, you're in luck. Tables make a great level bed and keep crawly things at bay. In March, we saw a couple of bugs and two squirrels and bats flitting about at night. That's it. In summer, expect lizard conventions and a few crawlers.

The net backpack easily carries the sleeping bag and pad with plenty of room for food and clothes. These bags are fully packed and that's all I took to Havasupai!

Oh, in case you're wondering what I came home to after a glorious weekend in Havasupai, read about the AT&T Business Services experience.

Teresa Shaw Lengyel is a lifer at Venture Up and cannot get fired.

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