by Scott Kress | May 16, 2017 | Team Building
Here at Summit Team Building we always say that relationship is the foundation of any high-performance team. After all, we don’t do things for each other because we have to, but rather because we want to.
So the key is to build a team of people that know, understand, trust, and support one another. This cannot happen virtually and takes time and many interactions. This is why the company dinner, the company picnic and other company events are so important.
As a leader, you need to look at formal and informal team building strategies to build your team. The dinner, team picnic, bowling and other similar events are informal team building and help to reinforce relationships.
The formal team building takes place in professionally run team building workshops or training sessions. It is in these facilitated sessions that team members truly begin to understand one another’s motivators, as well as their communication, problem-solving, and decision-making styles to name but a few things.
Therefore, as a leader, you need to build in a mix of team building opportunities throughout the year. Some formal and some informal.
Team building activities are a simple way for people to build positive relationships in the workplace. In carefully-structured team building activities, people share success, have fun, and begin (or continue) to build a common, positive history together. They connect with each other.
Team building activities don’t need to be sophisticated … and certainly shouldn’t be hockey … but they must promote positive social interaction and be satisfying for the participants while keeping them in an emotionally “safe place”. Keeping it emotionally safe is what makes the difference between team building activities that elicit eye rolls and those that result in full participation, smiles and laughter.
What feels emotionally safe to one person may feel completely outside the comfort zone of another. It’s important to know the individuals on your team and to ensure that, in any team building activity you select, people can choose how to participate.
Here are a few things that we, at Summit, consider in our approach to team building:
- We structure team building activities so that they offer a number of roles with varying degrees of physical activity and personal “exposure”. Many quiet people will be quite happy to participate in the background and let the extroverts go wild if they know they won’t be pressured to do the same.
- When we organise big team building activities (say, several hundred people) we make sure people interact in small sub-groups for large parts of the program. This allows the introverts to develop a few deeper, more comfortable relationships away from the chaos.
- We know that lightly physical team-building activity can work very well. But once again, we’re all adults now, not kids. We always make sure that success does not require the fitness of an Olympian.
- We also know that people like to contribute to society. We have designed several team building activities that focus on the act of “giving back”, locally and internationally.
Good team building activities bring people together for a few hours of fun and result in lasting relationships. And that’s priceless.
Check out all our team building activities here
by Scott Kress | May 15, 2017 | Team Building
In the previous blog, I wrote about the power of failure to be an amazing teacher provided your mind, heart and eyes are open to the lessons available. Failure often produces very strong and not always favourable emotions. These emotions can block our ability to learn from failure. As a result one of the first steps in learning from failure is to give yourself some time for the emotions to stabilise. Then you can examine the event in depth and pluck out the learning and the applications to future challenges. This takes a certain level of emotional intelligence to accomplish.
This learning process is what is called the Experiential Learning Cycle. This method of learning involves three basic steps. Experience, Analysis, and Application. In order for there to be learning there needs to be an event or an experience. This can be something you were personally involved in, something you observed, or event something you read about. Next, you need to analyse what took place and look for the learning. Bring in relevant models and research to help you see clearly and make your own conclusions as it relates to your goals and challenges. Lastly, you need to figure out how to apply what you have learned in a practical and realistic way. You can follow the simple steps of What, So What and Now What.
As you may recall from my last blog I had failed to climb one of the world’s tallest mountains. Well, it was not just me, but it was my entire team of highly experienced mountaineer partners. Partner and team are not really the right words as we were neither. For various reasons every person there, myself included was focused on person success only. This was the result of a very dysfunctional team environment that had formed within our group. Trust, support, compassion, empathy, and teamwork were replaced by selfishness, mistrust, gatekeeping, conflict, and ego.
In the end, this devastating experience became one of the greatest teachers of my life and I used this experience to go on and summit Mount Everest on my first attempt and to complete many other arduous adventures.
Patrick Lencioni helped me to crystalize my learning in his book 5 Dysfunctions of Team. Through my personal experiences and the desire to focus on the positive, I developed my High-Performance Team Model.
I believe the foundation of all high-performance teams is RELATIONSHIP. We need to get to know and understand our fellow teammates as well as to bond with them emotionally. After all, I always say “we do not do things for each other because we HAVE to, we do things for each other because we WANT to”. And this is based on positive relationships.
This relationship foundation is the root of building TRUST as trust comes from positive experiences with others.
This trust allows us to COMMUNICATE openly and honestly. If we trust one another I will ask the stupid question, I will disagree with you, and I will express my opinions event if they are not shared by the rest of the team. This allows us all to express ourselves fully and to discuss and debate the issue at hand. Without trust I will keep my mouth shut and although the team will appear supportive and committed it is really a mask hiding tension just below the surface.
Only once we have communicated openly and honestly will we be able to truly COMMIT to a team vision, action or decision. It is through this open dialogue that we listen to one another and formulate our plans. As Stephen Covey writes in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People “seek first to understand, and then to be understood”.
Only through true and real commitment can we achieve ACCOUNTABILITY. Accountability of one’s self and accountability by others is critical for follow through. In an accountable team, we feel safe to follow up on each other’s actions and commitments and this is seen as supportive rather than threatening.
Although simple in principle, this model is not always simple to implement. It takes strong leadership to bring it to life, but after all, that is what leadership’s most important job it; to build high performance within individuals and in teams.
At Summit Team Building we use this model in our Team Development and Leadership Development training programs.
by Scott Kress | May 15, 2017 | Team Building
When looking for advice on building high performance we often look to successful people, successful events, and successful companies. However, don’t overlook the study of failure as this can be a great teacher. Obviously, it can teach us what not to do, but with analysis and contemplation, we can develop positive strategies from what happened.
One of my greatest learning opportunities was during an expedition to climb one of the world’s tallest mountains. The expedition environment, as I say in my keynote presentations, is a very rich learning environment provided that your eyes and mind are open to see it.
When I was climbing Everest there was a researcher from Harvard sharing our basecamp. He was conducting a study for NASA on conflict resolution techniques to be used with astronauts on the International Space Station. The theory was that high altitude climbers live in a similar world to astronauts on the ISS. High altitude expeditions are filled with danger, complexity, strong and often ego-driven personalities, intense pressure and stress and constant change. It is difficult to study astronauts, but climbers are more accessible. By observing these climbers and interviewing them they were digging into human behaviour in this unique environment and taking stock of what worked and what did not work when conflict arose.
My story of learning from conflict comes from a mountain not far from Everest. It is one of the 14 mountains in the world above 8000m and climbing it requires entering the accurately named “Death Zone”. A dramatic title for sure, but it is exactly what it says it is. If you venture into the Death Zone for too long you will die. And too long it not long at all, it is 2-4 days and lights out!
I joined a team of highly experienced and strong climbers all who had a strong passion for climbing and all who wanted to summit this mountain. I had never met any of these people in the past, but this is not uncommon in climbing and in life. We do not always get to choose our teammates but are often just assembled a team of strangers with similar skills and desires. When looking at our resumes we were the perfect team and success should come to us with no problem. However, it did not work out this way.
In the end, not a single person made it to the summit and it had nothing to do with bad weather, lack of skill or experience, or desire. We failed because we were not able to work together as a team. At the time this was devastation, but when I look back upon this expedition now I see it as one of the biggest learning experiences of my life and it was the event that taught me to look for learning in success AND failure.
For various reasons that I won’t get into here, we became a group of selfish strangers. We never really got to know and bond with one another and each person’s focus was on their personal success. Yes we all wanted the entire team to succeed and nobody want anyone of us to be injured or killed, but if only one person were to be successful it was to be “ME”. This very selfish environment fostered a lack of trust and this stifled communication. There was, therefore, no commitment and accountability.
In the end, I used this experience to formulate many of the ideas, theories and strategies we use today in our team development and team building programs, and it is a cornerstone of my keynote.
In the next blog, I will share one of the models I have developed as a result of this failure and it is this model that is critical for building high performance in teams.
by Scott Kress | Apr 21, 2017 | leadership training activities, Team Building
Many of us aspire to be leaders, but do we want to be a leader for the right reason? To determine if someone wants to be a leader for the right reason one needs to consider the various mix of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
With the role and title of leader usually comes various perks such as a bigger pay cheque, bonus opportunities, an office with windows, a reserved parking spot, and sometimes even a new car. These are external factors we call motivators. A motivator is something that gets us to do something for a reward. It is the reward or punishment. The carrot or the stick. External motivators are powerful and necessary and usually play to our ego. The make us feel good and important and provide us with power. The challenge with external motivators is that they will only take a person so far. We all have our limit and will say “I will not do that regardless of how much you pay me, or “I will not do that regardless of how much you punish me”.
Internal factors, however, are much more powerful and long lasting. These internal factors are intrinsic in nature, meaning they come from within. One does something not because of punishment of reward, but because they want to. Someone who is intrinsically motivated will walk through fire to accomplish what they set out to do. They are far more willing to endure hardship and personal sacrifice.
So when you think about being a leader are you doing it for the motivating or inspiring factors. Of course there is a combination of both, but you need to make sure you understand the difference and have a mix of both.
Those leaders that are only leaders for motivational reasons are very self-serving in nature. They are not there for the good of the company, customer or team member, but for the betterment of their own personal world. They will often do whatever is necessary to get ahead including placing the blame for failure on others and taking credit for work that others have done. They will also only be willing to work to a certain level of performance.
Those leaders who are leaders for intrinsic factors truly want to serve their customer and their team members. Their number one priority is the completion of the task and the service of their customer. The do it because they want to, not because they have to.
Sometimes the leader who is intrinsically focused will take on the role of the servant leader. Their sole focus is to serve their team and their customer. As a servant there are willing to sacrifice themselves for the team and to do whatever is required for everyone involved to be successful.
To decide why you are a leader requires some sole searching. You need to look at why you are doing something and if all the external motivators were removed (pay, ego enhancement, perks) would you still do it? For most of us, unless you are running your own entrepreneurial business or working in the not-for-profit sector, a certain element of external motivators is required, but if that is the only reason you do it you might be feeling unfulfilled in life. There must be some intrinsic factors involved for you to really do your best work. You need to believe in what you are doing and see the value to yourself, your customers, your community and to the world in some cases.
So the next time you are considering a leadership opportunity you need to think about why you might do it. Are you taking the role for the title of leader and the associated perks or because you truly want to be a leader of people.
In the Summit Team Building Leadership Development workshop we can help you identify your leadership drivers and values and your leadership style so you can be the best leader possible.
by Scott Kress | Apr 15, 2017 | Team Building
Summit Team Building is excited to announce our newest Team Development program; Engineered Strong. Over the years we have heard from many project teams telling us about all the challenges they face regarding communication, decision making, accountability, conflict and more. Well, we listened and have developed a program specifically to help project teams form and to avoid many of the common challenges associated with partners from multiple teams, departments, and companies working together. This team development workshop is specifically designed to get project teams started on the right foot.
Most project teams are a diverse assembly of people from various departments and, frequently, different organizations. There is potential strength in this diversity of skills and perspectives if the team can tap into their members’ differences in a constructive way. However, there are great challenges in doing so. Stakeholders may have unclear roles and competing agendas and priorities. Leadership, accountability, meeting processes and communications are often unclear. Constructive differences can spiral into destructive conflicts and decisions can be painful or impossible. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Your project may have a small budget or one in the multi-millions. It may have a 3-month or 3-year timeline. However, if you invest in a solid team foundation with “Engineered Strong”, you will see the return when you need it most.
How it Works
At Summit we are team development specialists and have been helping teams form and perform for almost 20 years. We have engineered this workshop specifically for the complexity of diverse project teams.
The overall goal of the workshop is to help your project team develop and agree upon a common destination and a clear path forward. Throughout the workshop, team members develop patterns of successful interactions as they face challenges together. The fun and engaging challenges build relationships and highlight different team skills, such as trust-building, communications, decision-making, conflict management and change management. Mental models and tools are presented for each topic area. The group’s learning is carried forward as the workshop progresses so that they finish with a group charter and set of behavioral norms that are based on common experience and consensus.
Although there are common elements to each workshop, yours will be customized to meet the needs of your project team. The end product of the workshop is to have a team charter that defines the expectations and interaction norms for the team. Each team member will sign this document and it will be used throughout the project to guide all interactions throughout the project. Woven throughout the session will be various learning modules and experiential activities that make the session fun, engaging, insightful and educational for the participants.
The Results
By the end of the workshop, stakeholders will:
- Have strong interpersonal relationships based on mutual trust
- Be committed to the same goals
- Share common expectations around leadership, roles, meetings, communication, decision making and conflict resolution.
- Have tools, such as a Team Charter and a set of Norms, to hold one another accountable for their behaviours and actions.
by Claudia Valle | Mar 31, 2017 | Team Building
In my job at Summit Team Building, facilitating team building and leadership programs, I am on the road a lot!
And I often find myself delivering Team Development and Team Building programs to clients along that stretch of road between the GTA and Ottawa area. It’s a long drive and not always as “efficient” as I’d like it to be. Be it weather, traffic or construction, I find it always takes longer than Google Maps tells me, and this is all very discouraging!
Something that has kept me motivated lately is setting my sights on fun places to pit stop on my way to or from my programs when travelling along this stretch of highway. I love my burgers and I am a huge fan of the Food Network – one of my favourite shows is, “You Gotta Eat Here!”
So, I thought I would put together a little “trail” of spots along the 401 that would be worth stopping into if you’re looking for a memorable burger (and trust me, there are other delectable dishes at each of these locations)- and they just all happened to be featured on the show!
First stop, without having to travel outside of Toronto too far, is Pig Out BBQ in Pickering, ON. I would suggest the signature “Pig Out Burger” if you’re looking for a little extra something…like a juicy slice of beef brisket atop your amazing burger patty! And there is certainly nothing wrong with having an extra surprise inside your burger as well. So, if that is what you’re looking for, try the “Gourmet Cheese Stuffed Burger.”
Next stop along the 401 is Olympus Burger in Port Hope, ON. All their burgers are named after the gods of Olympus, but you can pretty much choose any one of the delicious options from their menu! For those wanting something extra special, check out their “secret menu” where you’ll find little (well, not so little) gems like the “Titan Burger”— topped with Montreal smoked meat, mustard, caramelized onions and dill pickles!
About the halfway mark when I am making my way to the NAV Centre conference centre is Burger Revolution in Bellville where they claim, “Burger Revolution is a Flavour Revolution!” Voted “Best Burger in Ontario” by Days Out Ontario, so many wonderful choices here. On the top of my list: The Propaganda- homemade BBQ sauce, house-smoked cheese curds topped with deep-fried pickles all on a warm pretzel bun! You can’t go wrong. Check out the Bohemian burger as well with homemade peanut butter, bacon and cheese…trust me, it totally works!!
Kingston is such a great city along the water, and chock-full of amazing restaurants, but if you want a great burger make sure to stop in at Harper’s Burger Bar. One unique offering is their Umami Burger. The tastes of sweet, salty, bitter and sour are familiar, but there is a fifth taste we can perceive with our tongue. Called umami, its taste has been described as rounded, rich and savory. This lamb patty is grilled to perfection then topped with an onion-mushroom mixture done in soy and balsamic. A generous slice of Brie and some white truffle aioli and this burger will become one of your favourites!
Last on our trek is our Nation’s Capital! You’ve finally arrived in Ottawa and you are hungry— burger and fries? Or Mexican? It’s always my biggest dilemma! Why not combine them at Burgers n’ Fries Forever (BFF) and try their Burgeritto. Deliciously tender patty (seasoned with their secret 7-spice mix) topped with all the fixings, including a chipotle adobo mayo, nestled in a soft tortilla to create the perfect burger burrito. You are now fuelled up for all that Ottawa has to offer.
So when the prospect of a 5-hour drive along the 401 Eastbound is getting you down, plan to stop at one of these great establishments and reward yourself with a burger experience you will not soon forget!
by Carrie Jones | Mar 28, 2017 | Team Building, Team Building Activities
I am excited to tell you that earlier this year, I wrote a blog post, where I interviewed my colleague, Dave Gibson. You can read all about it here. I am excited to tell you that throughout 2017, I will be giving you a behind-the-scenes look and interviewing each member of our fantastic team. This month I would like to introduce you my friend, talented colleague and the person at Summit who has been training me over the last seven months, Mary Barry.
Hi Mary. Tell us about your journey. How did you find your way into Team Building and Team Development?
At my previous place of employment, I had a lot of opportunities to try on different “hats” and one of them revolved around Training and Development. It turned out to be a great fit. I loved seeing people reach those “aha” moments and realized it was something I not only loved, but that I was good at. When I left that organization, I stayed home with my very young children for a while but soon discovered Summit Team Building through some friends. I did some contract work for a while but as my kids grew, Summit grew, and it seemed a natural fit that I would join the company on a full-time basis. That was over a decade ago and the experiences I have had since then could fill a book.
In your spare time, what do you like to do for fun?
For the most part I am a home-body. I love to spend time with my now teenage boys and husband. We live on the lake and love to take long walks with our dog every chance we get. I also volunteer with the local rowing club doing anything from timing races, to announcing at major events. Jim and I have both rowed in the rec (wreck) league and both of our kids have rowed competitively for years. It’s a really great community to be involved with. I can’t even begin count the friends we have made through this sport. I also love to get away to a sunny and hot beach for a week during the winter without the likes of those boys and just spend some time relaxing and laughing with some girlfriends.
Can you name a person who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader? Maybe someone who has been a mentor to you? How did this person impact your life?
Without a question, that would be my mom. She was a little ahead of her time I think and so was her mom. Professional, funny, hard working, and so much more. She also made time to do volunteer work that I was sometimes involved with and she is pretty much just an all-round awesome woman. They say you turn into your parents some day…I hope so.
How long have your worked for Summit? How did you and Scott Kress first meet?
I first started working here in 2003 with the company’s previous owner. When Scott bought the company, I was part of the deal. I think I met him in the conference room at work and I was not sure if I would like him… it turns out I do. He is a great leader and leads a pretty amazing life. He is very supportive of my decisions around how to manage work, life and, all of the little glitches that come along with both.
Do you have a favourite or memorable experience working with Summit?
Not one, but many. One that stands out is when a participant stood up and told me that this team building event was probably the dumbest thing they could do and that it was going to be a total waste of time. All of this was before I had uttered a word. We were upgraded to “OK ” by the time we were done. I call that a win.
Do you have a funny story from working with Summit?
One of our contract facilitators had a book called “Would You Rather?” It basically gives you two scenarios that are both ridiculous and asks which one you would choose….and you MUST choose. She read this to a van full of people on a long road trip to a program and at one point I had to make her stop reading because I was fearful that my uncontrollable laughter might drive us into a ditch.
What have you most enjoyed and appreciated about working with Summit?
Flexibility, autonomy and team support. Sometimes I like to steer my own ship but I know that I can always count on back up, guidance and other perspectives when I need them. You learn a lot from others’ point of views and in the end, we are all working together to grow as individuals and as a team.
How could you help a new employee (like me) understand the culture of our organization?
We all come from different backgrounds both personally and professionally. It is those experiences that makes our team richer and better able to relate to our clients. We don’t all say things the same way or act the same way. It’s about finding your voice and using it to build relationships. You wouldn’t be here if you had nothing to contribute – do it your way.
Do you have a favourite quote or axiom that you live by?
It’s easier to ask for forgiveness later than permission ahead of time (I’m a bit of a rebel they say).
What are some characteristics that you believe every leader should possess?
Compassion and optimism.
How would you describe your leadership style?
Coaching and supportive.
What are a few resources you could recommend to someone looking to gain insight into becoming a better leader?
What are the top three books you have read on leadership?
Dale Carnegie – How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Dan Pink – A Whole New Mind.
Patrick Lencioni – Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing leaders today?
Diversity in the workforce. People in their 50’s and up have very different expectations than people in their 30’s and down. It is a tricky balancing act to make everyone happy and engaged.
In your opinion, how can leaders build stronger teams?
Spend some time to find out what makes everyone tick. It’s got to be deliberate and approached from a true desire to understand how you can leverage the strengths and desires that lie within your team. Identifying strengths help build better teams. Understanding desires helps a leader know how to motivate.
Thank you so much Mary.
I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did. I learned so much from Mary. I value her honesty, humour and inspiration. And don’t you just want to meet her mom now? I know that I do.
Note: I borrowed some of the questions I asked Mary from this blog post
by Mary Barry | Mar 17, 2017 | Team Building Activities
The Best Team Building Activities – The Elusive Formula
If you are looking for Team Building Activities that will result in the development of a high performing team and don’t know where to start what do you do? Well, you might ask Google and like so many of life’s other questions, Google actually has the answer and it surprised even them as explained in a recent HRM Canada article. http://www.hrmonline.ca/hr-news
After two years of research and hundreds of interviews, Google discovered that of the multitude of Team Building Activities out there, no single one provided the magic bullet they were looking for to put together the best team possible. Many HR professionals spend a lot of time and energy developing Team Building Activities that would group individuals with complementary skills together in order to maximise that team’s effectiveness. Finding the right balance of introverts/extroverts, or developing the perfect matrix of academic credentials would seemingly provide the best foundation for building the ultimate dream team in your industry.
It turns out that this kind of thinking is all wrong and many HR professionals and managers are starting to learn that the best kind of Team Building Activities focuses more on the human side of things. Relationship building, fostering trust and collaboration and establishing a culture where people care about each other and the work they do makes for a much better recipe for success than simply looking at the experience and background folks bring to the table.
This revelation was great for us at Summit to hear…our team building activities focus on creating experiences where people can get to know each other better so that relationships can grow, teams can flourish and participants can have some of those “aha” moments that can be catalysts towards high performance.
In fact, this discovery was something that Summit President Scott Kress talks about in his keynote and book, both entitled “Learning in Thin Air.” Scott has climbed mountains all over the world and has been largely successful. There was one expedition however where the team didn’t make it to the Summit despite all of them possessing excellent credentials. The reason? Little collaboration, lack of trust and not sharing a common goal. That experience did provide a great learning experience for him though and as a result, future climbs featured some team building activities with his crew that ultimately laid the foundation that would result in standing atop the world’s highest peak – Mount Everest.
So, if you’re still looking for that perfect team building activity, take Google’s advice and focus on things like how your team interacts, how work is structured and how your people view their contributions to the organisation. Just like Google’s analysts, the results might surprise you!
by Scott Kress | Mar 7, 2017 | Keynote Speaker
Trying to find a motivational speaker in Toronto is easy – there are a ton of them. Trying to find a motivational speaker in Toronto that will have a message that resonates with your organization is a little tougher. Remember, you are not only making a financial investment, your team will be taking time away from work to listen to this message so it’s a good idea to think about what they should be walking away with before you start.
Many motivational speakers in Toronto are talented, entertaining and can easily engage groups with stories and anecdotes for an hour or so. People leave feeling energized and have shared some laughs with their colleagues. Then they go back to work and the energy fades, the message doesn’t stick and no return on investment is realized.
Steven Covey wisely said that successful people always start with the end in mind. In keeping with that idea, here are a few questions to ask when hunting for the right motivational speaker in Toronto.
What are the key messages my team will hear? If this is part of a conference or offsite there are usually themes that you will want to focus on. Having a clear vision of this before you start searching for a speaker will save you a lot of time and effort.
Are the messages relevant and applicable to the work we do? Most motivational speakers in Toronto and beyond can tell you about their experiences but often fail when attempting to relate what they learned to the world their audience lives in.
Will the presentation be entertaining and interactive? Sometimes it’s great to just sit back and let someone else to all of the talking – but when participants feel as though they are part of the presentation the message will have far better staying power long after it is delivered.
Is the motivational speaker a subject matter expert? Whether it’s leadership, creating high performing teams, change management or anything else, it is vital to know that the person behind the message can back up his or her story with real life experience and present it in a way that will make it easy for listeners to connect the dots to their own lives.
If you check out the Summit Team Building website at and then go to Programs and Keynote, you can learn a little bit about Scott Kress’ keynote option. Hundreds of organizations have hired Scott to be their motivational speaker in Toronto and around the world. He has demonstrated an incredible ability to relate to audiences from all sectors and cultures. Scott’s passion is mountain climbing but the lessons he has learned in those high altitudes are the same ones that effective leaders and teams must learn on their journey from good to great.
Scott has two main presentations; High Performance in the Death Zone and Achieve the Outrageous.
High Performance in the Death Zone presents Scott’s story of his ascent of Mount Everest. Not only is this an exciting story, but it is a very educational story. Built into this story are various models, tools and strategies that can be easily applied to climbing your mountains. This keynote has a strong team building and leadership focus.
Achieve the Outrageous tells the story of Scott’s recent expedition to the South Pole. Being one of the hardest expeditions on earth provides fertile ground for learning. This exciting story focuses on the setting and achieving of big goals. It is obviously about team, but mores o about the individual within the team and what they need to do to keep on track. Scott will present his 7 key factors for success.
Visit the Summit website to find out why Scott Kress could be the next motivational speaker you engage for your team.
by Scott Kress | Feb 21, 2017 | Team Building
My name is Carrie Jones and I’d like to introduce you to my colleague Dave Gibson. Dave has worked with us here at Summit Team Building for many years as a Program Director. Dave works out of our Muskoka office and I work out of our St. Catharines office. Because I am the newest member to the team here at Summit Team Building and because Dave has been a part of the team much longer than I have, I thought that interviewing Dave was the perfect way for me to glean from his experience and wisdom. As you read on, you will discover like I did that this interview is worth pure gold. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
For those of you who haven’t met Dave Gibson, let me introduce you to Dave…
Hi Dave. Tell us about your journey. How did you find your way into Team Development?
One of my first jobs out of University was as an instructor with the Outward bound Wilderness School. The opportunity to explore the outdoors was the attraction. Those wilderness courses brought together 8-10 people from different walks of life for 25 days. Working together on an expedition took teamwork. It ended up being a recurring theme in different jobs ever since.
How long have your worked for Summit? How did you and Scott Kress first meet?
Scott and I first met in the late 1990’s when we were both working corporate programs on an intermittent basis for outward bound. We both had more hair then. I had my own company at the time and did occasional work for Scott when he started Summit. I joined full time in 2003.
Do you have a favourite or memorable experience working with Summit that you would be willing to share?
Not a specific one. I’ve always enjoyed facilitating high ropes courses because it’s a return to the idea of adventure as personal growth. I think they can be significant personal growth experiences for people and I like to be a part of that. They also give a team a shared peak experience that brings them together forever, really.
Do you have a funny story from all of your years with Summit?
It was pretty funny when Claudia was wrapping up a session with an executive team and told them they were all “tools” for high performance. They all thought it was hilarious too.
What have you most enjoyed and appreciated about working with Summit?
Opportunities to work with some excellent people; both my colleagues and many of the clients.
Do you have a favourite quote or axiom that you live by?
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it; boldness has genius, power and magic in it. (often attributed to Goethe)
Dave, how would you describe your leadership style?
Facilitative, democratic.
What are the top five books you have read on leadership?
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey is a classic
The 5 Dysfunctions of Team and others by Patrick Lencioni
Anything Daniel Goleman especially Primal Leadership
Anything by Dan Pink, Jim Collins, Markus Buckingham
Because I am new to the Summit team, what advice do you have have for me as a lead facilitator?
- One: If you can, spend time before each session speaking to each person in the group in a friendly way. I do this instead of worrying about the content of my session. I get their names, learn their names and use their names. I chat a bit informally and connect with them. This does two things: it makes them feel comfortable and at ease in the session and it makes me feel comfortable with the group and the space.
- Two: Have fun. This includes not taking myself too seriously. I try to get people laugh and I tell myself before each session to “go in there and have fun.”
In your opinion, how can leaders build stronger teams?
- Be genuine. Be yourself
- Get to know enough about people to connect with them personally and care about them.
- Think about your role on the team as one of supporter, enabler. What can you do to help them do their job better.
Well, that’s a wrap. Wasn’t that fantastic? Don’t you just love Dave’s humility and his approach to leadership and facilitation? His humour and his genuine care for people stood out strong to me in this interview. Thanks so much Dave for taking the time to share your journey and life lessons with us.
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