We’ve all heard the old saying “the only thing constant in life is change”. And we know to be resilient, both personally and professionally, we have to adapt, innovate and face change head on. Change affects us all and we each deal with change differently. It’s only natural for people to fear the unknown and become stressed in a time of change, however it’s important that you try & keep an open mind & see change as an opportunity for growth.

Here is some practical advice on adapting to change in the workplace according to Bob Miglani, bestselling author of “Embrace the Chaos”:

1.  Accept the new normal.

Most people tend to idealise the past, however, holding on to the memory of how things once were is counterproductive when in a state of change. As our favourite song from the movie Frozen goes, “let it go!”. Miglani states, “Let it all go. Let go of the old promises, the way we used to work, the people we used to work with, and the kind of workplace we originally signed up for. Let it go because it doesn’t exist anymore”.

2.  Maintain a positive inner dialogue.

“Think more about the possibility than the impossibility”. It’s easy to feel negative towards a new procedure, particularly when we didn’t have an issue with the way things were already being done. Accepting a new point of view is not something that happens overnight, but maintaining the ability to view any potential change with a positive attitude is certainly integral to one’s capacity to adjust to new situations.

3.  Rework your goals and set out to achieve them.

By setting a clear goal for ourselves, we can bring about a wonderful new mind shift that helps to direct our energy that is often wasted in so much workplace change.

4.  Take charge of your own actions.

As in all aspects of life, there will always be factors within our careers which are not within our control. So, in a time of change we should focus on the tasks we can do.

5.  Avoid isolating yourself.

During times of change you should reach out to your support network. Not only will this help you remain plugged in to your evolving work environment, but it will also expose you to other perspectives, opinions, and even advice. Often, circumstances aren’t quite as dismal (or as unmanageable) as we envision them to be.

Everyone will face change at some point in their career whether it be a shift in technology, employment of a new staff member or a merger of teams. Any change, whether it’s positive or negative, can be stressful because it involves the unknown, and we tend to fear the unknown. Finding ways to not just ‘deal’ or ‘cope’ with change but EMBRACE this new challenge is the key to success!

Our top team building activities for embracing change include:

Bridge to Unity

A collaborative construction challenge! Teams must work against the clock to build a bridge whilst overcoming a shortage of resources and communication barriers. The real test sees ‘drivers’ assessing the bridge with remote controlled cars, will they succeed in creating the Bridge to Unity?

Escape the Room

Can your team escape? This exciting Escape the Room challenge is the ultimate team building event that will test the sharpest minds. Each team is “locked” in a room with a set time frame in which to escape before the world as we know it ceases to exist. Teams must follow the clues, solve the puzzles, unlock the secrets to ESCAPE! Teams race to uncover the 8 digit code that will ultimately set them free – will they do it in time?

Project Pipeline

In Project Pipeline, teams or ‘countries’ delegates must work together to build a Pipeline that stretches from one side of their country to the other, only using the materials provided. The catch – in order to do so they must barter and trade with neighbouring countries to obtain the materials needed. The aim is to build a complete Pipeline to transport a resource (a metal ball bearing) down the line. Countries will then be asked to join their Pipelines together for transportation of the resource across all countries.

Hosting a team building activity debrief provides an invaluable platform for the members of your team to acknowledge what they’ve learned about themselves, about others and their interactions with one another. Perhaps even more importantly, a debrief allows teams to identify the lessons that can be implemented to improve the way in which they work, whether that is in their communication, leadership or collaboration with others.

A study conducted by the Harvard Business Review showed that teams who host even an unstructured debrief have a 22% higher chance of succeeding than a team that didn’t do one. So, we can see that even a quick, informal debrief can have such a greatly positive impact on the way we do work. So why is it that most of our clients do not request a team building activity debrief?

First, consider the ‘WHY’

There are many reasons for wanting to organise a team building event. Some of the more popular reasons include: just have fun, getting to know each other & as a reward. For these outcomes, a team building activity debrief may feel out of place. There’s no particular need to debrief after an Amazing Race on what everyone learned as the lessons of collaboration, problem solving & communication are already embedded within the activity itself. Going over everyone’s experiences within the activity with a fine-toothed comb may feel like overkill for your delegates – especially when the overall goal was simply to have some fun & network.

On the other hand, if you have clear, defined outcomes for the team building activity such as building trust, coping with change, working as one team, leadership, effective communication etc. a debrief is vital in ensuring the team building activity is both meaningful & lasting.

The Debrief

An experienced facilitator will lead your team through more than just a play-by-play of what happened in the activity. Safe & productive discussions can be harnessed through well devised questions that connect your delegates experiences to your outcomes & goals for the activity. Generally, a debrief can be split into 3 main areas: what, so what and now what.

1: What? = Objective facts, the truth
You can begin with this style of questioning for any team building activity.

Describe your experience, what happened?
Who did what? (roles & responsibilities)
What did you see/feel?

2: So what? = Effects & subjective interpretation
After discussing ‘what happened’ you can move on to interpreting the effect certain actions had.

Why were you successful (or not)?
What did you discover about yourself?
How were differences in opinion handled?
Which behaviours/actions had the most effect on the team?

3: Now What? = Transfer of agreed learning & shared understanding
Following the ‘so what’ discussion you will move into discussing what can be learned from this experience & how it can be applied to future interactions.

How does this relate to something that occurs in our workplace?
What would we do differently next time?
What good practice can we take with us?
Where do we need to pay increased focus/attention?

If you’re interested in incorporating a team building activity debrief talk to us! We can link your set outcomes to the best activity and tailor the debrief questions to suit. We will help you find the lessons that will help your team be more productive & successful in the future.

Quote “Winter Special” & receive 20% the events below for July, August & September 2019:

Laser Clay Pigeon Shooting

Participants have the opportunity to channel Robin Hood in this medieval form of weaponry. Teams are taken through a structured lesson before the competition begins!

Escape

Can your team escape? This exciting Escape the Room challenge is the ultimate team building event that will test the sharpest minds. Teams must follow the clues, solve the puzzles, unlock the secrets to ESCAPE! Teams race to uncover the 8 digit code that will ultimately set them free – will they do it in time?

CSI Night

There has been a murder! Teams must piece together the clues to determine what really happened, and then re-enact their own version of events to the remaining crowd. Who will be the winning team of investigators?

Terms and Conditions

This offer applies for new bookings held in July, August & September 2019.
Final price determined by location, number of participants and venue requirements of the event – we service Sydney, Newcastle, Hunter Valley, Central Coast, Blue Mountains, Southern Highlands and South Coast regions of NSW.
*Subject to availability

End of financial year. Four words that can strike fear into the heart of any employee at any level. EOFY can be a stressful time; targets need to be met, deadlines made and the pressure of it all can leave your employees feeling undervalued, unmotivated and burnt out. That is why, during such a time when companies ask the most from their employees, it is equally as important for companies to put in as much effort into how they will recognise all of this hard work.

The majority of companies we talk to during EOFY time regarding team building are usually wanting to both reward & reinvigorate their team with a meaningful activity that will leave everyone feeling valued, inspired & engaged.

At Pinnacle, we have a range of activities designed to meet these exact outcomes, and have listed them below to help assist with your EOFY team building plans:

Stronger Together

Want to show how strong your team can be when people simply work together? It may sound simple, however as you may know, it is very common for different teams within a company to become stuck working in silos & only focusing on their own goals.

Our top team building activities for getting your team working together towards a common goal include:

Project Pipeline

Teams will manage time, resources and personnel to build their countries pipeline. The challenge is then to negotiate with the other ‘countries’ to connect their pipelines to create one continuous pipeline. Teams will need to work against the clock and conflicting objectives to achieve the whole group goal.

Bridge to Unity

An exciting collaborative construction project with teams working in unison to design and construct an impressive bridge. Each team builds the bridge to their customer expectations while overcoming limited resources, communication barriers and strict timelines. The final sees each team’s individual bridge being installed as part of the extended company bridge and tested with a remote controlled car.

Corporate Drumming

A corporate drumming session will transform, motivate and inspire your delegates both as individuals and as a collective group. The Human Rhythms team will take them on an unforgettable musical journey, where laughter and elation is achieved in a high-energy interactive performance.

Corporate Social Responsibility & Purpose

Social responsibility is highly important to employees and one way to make your company more socially responsible whilst adding a touch of team building at the same time is to host one of our CSR team events. As we mentioned in our previous blog post “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Events”, CSR activities can help forge a stronger bond between employee and corporation; they can boost morale and can help both employees and employers feel more connected with the world around them. CSR activities help employees to feel proud of the company they work for and increases job satisfaction and productivity. Happy employees = better output.

Our top CSR team building activities include:

Tikes on Bikes

This powerful and life changing experience is the perfect combination of teamwork and corporate responsibility. Teams of delegates construct a brand new bicycle under the assumption they will ultimately be involved in a bike race. Just as teams are about to race – the surprise is unveiled and children from an under privileged charity group enter the room to receive their new bike! The atmosphere changes as delegates come to realise that it is all about the “bigger picture”.

SolarBuddy

The SolarBuddy Corporate Program provides solar lights to schools, children and families living in remote areas of the world experiencing energy poverty. We give companies, like yours, the opportunity to illuminate children’s lives. Your team will be educated about the importance of renewable energy and the ever-growing negative effect of energy poverty. Your team will then become a part of the solution as you build solar lights that will be sent to children living without access to power. They will know that their light will illuminate the life of a child in a remote area of the world and they will know that they have made a difference.

Race to Make a Difference

The Race to Make a Difference is a fast paced, action packed CSR event that culminates in the team giving back to a charity organisation. The goal for the participants is to be the team that raises the most $ for charity.

Helping Hampers

A fantastic activity that joins teamwork with corporate responsibility! Your group will feel a sense of achievement and cohesion when they construct Hampers from scratch to donate to a local charity.

Fun & Reward

Simply wanting to get your team together for a bit of fun & host a team activity as a reward? See our top picks for FUN activities below:

Water Taxi Treasure Hunt

Sydney Harbour is ranked the best harbour in the world and is the perfect backdrop for this unique team building event. The Water Taxi Treasure Hunt is a 3 hour adventure that explores the best sights of this world famous location. Teams will be competing against each other to race to the final location and uncover their team’s treasure.

Cocktail Masterclass

The Cocktail Master Class will give your team the chance to get behind the bar and mix up a storm in an exciting and interactive environment! This fantastic event is hosted by our team of professional bottle spinners who will start the evening with a bells and whistles demonstration of cocktail making followed by a master class in the art of mixing drinks.

Carnivale

Teams go head-to-head in a series of fun games, sports and challenges – a great activity to get delegates outside in a friendly competitive environment! Teams rotate through activity sites challenging their opponents at each task.

Casino Night  

An evening of interactive and competitive Casino challenges such as blackjack, roulette, craps, race of the aces and horse racing. Guests compete individually or as teams with our special casino chips to make the most money and claim the winning title.