Last September, we enjoyed a sunny afternoon outside and participated in a unique set of team-building activities. As Spunt & Carin. continues to grow and evolve, it is important to take the time to get to know each other, understand how to communicate efficiently and how to use our different strengths and qualities to achieve the best results for our clients. For each activity, we teamed up with different partners, which allowed each of us to get to know one another on a deeper level.
One thing is certain: the common theme for all of us during the different challenges is that all of us at SMS Avocats wanted our team to win! If we did not win, we wanted to understand why, in order to do better at the next challenge.
Top 10 things we learned from the experience:
Sheri stands out as the team leader, which was obvious even to the team animator who commented on this in the first two minutes. She is confident, works tirelessly to get the job done thoroughly and she leaves no stone unturned;
All four of us are competitive by nature and we strive to do the best job we can. Our number one priority was to win each challenge and we were focused on overcoming each obstacle by using both our individual and collective strengths;
Luise is both a leader and a doer, and she does not shy away from any challenge. As soon as Becky gave her the instructions for the blindfolded tower building, she immediately started to execute the task with trust and enthusiasm. When another teammate was at a loss in determining how to use straws and tape to protect the egg from breaking in its fall, Luise knew exactly how to take control and strategize;
Becky is a strong communicator and was able to relay her thoughts and strategy to her teammates efficiently and clearly. In a strictly timed memory game, Becky knew exactly what questions to ask her teammate to ensure optimal results. When needing to take a step back and reassess the game plan, we all knew that we could count on Becky;
Julie is a team player, she was always positive and available to help, and her team members felt like they could rely on her. Before each challenge, Julie would establish a concrete plan of action, and when an activity was over, Julie would consistently reflect on its outcome and draw an analogy with respect to the lesson learned and its application in our legal system and profession;
Taking the time to learn more about the people we collaborate with so closely on a day-to-day basis was definitely beneficial to our work environment, to the work we produce, and to quality of the service we offer our clients;
There is a strong level of trust among the members of our team, which was particularly confirmed during the activities carried out while blindfolded, and this was necessary in order to achieve our goals;
We learned that the best way to accomplish the task at hand was to adapt to each other’s strengths. Being on the same page allowed us to strive for the best results;
All four of us have different qualities and strengths as a result of our different backgrounds. Together we are stronger and we have all the bases covered!
“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” – Phil Jackson
