I Love Team Building

I like the idea of mandatory team building!

Think or Sink by bestselling author Gina Mollicone-Long is now for sale and if you buy today there are a whole bunch of bonuses you can download.  Check it out: www.GinaML.com/think

The Pay It Forward program offered by Critical Pathfinders is highlighted in this video.  Have a look and comment to let us know what you think.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR A BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ROCK STAR!

Company: Critical Pathfinders Adventure Training Inc.

Title: Business Development Representative (Inside Sales)

Location: Toronto, from your home office

Reports to: CEO

Our Company:

Critical Pathfinders is a Toronto-based global team building and team training company.

Our vision is a world in which everyone loves their work.

Our mission: Critical Pathfinders enhances team performance and job satisfaction by providing team building and team training to corporate groups. All of our programs are enjoyable, inclusive, safe and beneficial both to participants and their employers.

Critical Pathfinders is a leader in the North American corporate team building and team training industry. We have two primary divisions: Critical Pathfinders Corporate Training and Scavenger Hunt Anywhere.

We are seeking a dynamic self-driven business development representative to convert incoming sales inquiries into team building clients. The representative will also be involved in generating clients for co-owner and personal development expert, Gina Mollicone-Long.

The business development representative will work from his/her home office.

Only Apply For This Job If…

· You have a passion for helping people.

· You are unwilling to settle for anything but the best.

· You demand a high level or performance and accountability from yourself.

· A desire to be the best and continuously improve through training, personal development and self-exploration.

· You are a top performer and you are able to prove it.

· You are already based in the GTA and already have home office space available.

Responsibilities:

· Respond to incoming inquiries and develop leads into clients.

· Develop and build productive partner relationships.

· Create and develop new sales opportunities.

· Attend trade shows and networking meetings.

· Minimal travel will be required.

How to apply:

· Send resume and cover letter to andrew@criticalpathfinders.com

· We will contact all applicants.

Application deadline:

· August 9, 2009

Start date:

· Immediate

More information about our companies at:

· www.criticalpathfinders.com

· www.scavengerhuntanywhere.com

· www.ginaml.com

The popular VolunTeamBuilding programs offered by Critical Pathfinders were recently featured in BizBash Magazine.

To anyone who has ever participated in a team building activity at work, would you please answer my one-question poll?  Click: http://polls.linkedin.com/p/46900/wject

We should all run our companies like AGM Container Controls. Check out their stats on employee retention!

http://www.azbiz.com/articles/2009/06/26/news/doc4a451f1e5e299274621765.txt

Increasing productivity, reducing absenteeism and increasing retention are all things that translate to a stronger bottom line. And there are no doubt many variables that affect these factors. I’ve heard of many, but here is a new one - sustainable offices:

“Employers are increasingly correlating their sustainable offices with increased work productivity, lower absenteeism and higher employee retention — significant advantages for businesses of all shapes and sizes.”

Unfortunately the article I read cites no source for this claim…I’d be interested to hear whether anyone can substantiate it. Here is the article.

Also…what do YOU think?

I’ve long been an advocate of the importance of happy employees. And happy employees meansbetter retention rates and even more importantly, engaged customers. PeopleMetrics has proven a connection between Customer Engagement and a company’s overall financial health. It underscores the paramount importance of investing in the happiness of your employees.

Read this: http://blog.people-metrics.com/costco-case-study-employee-passion-increases-employee-retention-and-customer-engagement/

Patrick Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, gives excellent insight in the value of a team in this recent article in Success Magazine.

Excerpt: “without effective teamwork, without a cohesive group of people leading an organization, a company cannot begin to tap into the potential that it has in any other areas.”

Enjoy!

Although salary is an important piece of what keeps an employee working for you, it is not necessarily a significant factor in what keeps that employee engaged and motivated. Excellent thoughts on this topic in this article by Ken Thomas.

http://www.managesmarter.com/msg/content_display/training/e3ia63351ea832b17bff55792cc22591fee

Excellent article that explains the importance of team building duing hard times. It is posted in our LinkedIn group for team building providers: Rallying the Troops

I’ve created a LinkedIn group for team building providers. http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1986719  It is a place where we, as providers of team building services (including business owners, staff and facilitators) can share ideas and resources, talk about industry-related issues and improve the offerings that we provide.

Please join & contribute.  Thank you for your interest!

The power of play for work teams is well described in this article, an interview with Kevin Carroll, author of The Red Rubber Ball at Work: Elevate Your Game Through the Hidden Power of Play

I always encourage corporate goups to clearly define their objectives before sourcing team building activities. This article is a clear example of a manager who needs to spend more time on this.

Here is a unique way that one company ensured their employees would be loyal and motivated. It is a story about Lance, Inc.  Read on…

How does a new manager impact the dynamics and effectiveness of a work group?  Read this article and find out.

Telecommuting is on the rise.  And it is also a great way to cut costs and retain employees. Check out this article for more information.

This is NOT the kind of team building program that is offered at Critical Pathfinders!  I wonder what Tony’s legal department would say about this activity!?!

If you are facing challenges with employee retention, then you need to read this posting.  There are great thoughts on why people leave, what to do when you’ve determined why they leave and ways to retain employees for longer. 

Team building is also a great way to retain employees and make them feel part of the team.