“Passionate teamwork through trust, honesty, and integrity, with respect for all.”
This was the message that set the tone throughout our Q1 company event. Based off of “Gung Ho!” by Kevin Blanchard, we decided to spearhead an initiative in 2019 to reset our company values and create an even more meaningful impact in everything we do. The book states that “By setting the key goals and values, you define the playing field and rules of the game. You decide who plays what position. Then you get off the field and let the players move the ball.”
As far as the technology deployment industry goes, making dinner isn’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when determining how to better foster TEAMWORK internally. For our Q1 company event, however, we did just that. What started as a seemingly ordinary taco night for employees grew into so much more. We took the same PASSION we bring to any WLI project and funneled it into this team chef off. It’s funny how we frequently learn the most critical lessons from the simplest activities. Through working together and sharing responsibility for preparing our meal, we became a stronger, more HONEST team in just a few short hours.
Here’s a rundown on why our latest outing was so successful:
The Rules
During the event, we were broken up into different teams. Each team had the same task: Create a menu consisting of salsa, guacamole, and margaritas, scoring to be based on presentation and taste. Simple, right? Well, there was one catch. There would be a trivia session before anyone could begin preparations. Questions consisted of client information, industry specifics, and facts about Worldlink. Each correct answer earned the team “money” for the purchase of their ingredients. Premium ingredients would cost more virtual currency, so each group had to stay sharp during the quiz, less risk not having what they need to build their meal. In the end, we needed to work together to name our signature dishes before being evaluated by a panel of judges.
What we learned
As is the case with many organizations, you can grow so accustomed to your line of work that the contributions of others may get overlooked. With this exercise, we had to TRUST in each other’s knowledge and expertise to get the job done. Everyone provided their unique value to the team, and without everyone working in unison, the objectives wouldn’t have been met. Our dinner suddenly became a juxtaposition of the work we do out in the field. There are so many moving parts that we have to work together on the services we provide. Without the INTEGRITY that comes with every member of the team doing their best, we would not be able to deliver the satisfaction our clients have come to expect when working with our brand.
Worldlink CEO John Fecteau shared his thoughts, saying “It was my and Lisa’s pleasure to host our Q1 Taco Tuesday Teambuilding event. It was great to see our whole California team participate in the challenge representing their cross-department teams. I was impressed with their quick and thorough responses during the “trivia” portion, and it was very competitive as they positioned for “cash” to purchase their ingredients. Watching them work together to create such tasty and beautiful food, I was filled with great pride and anticipation knowing that Lisa and I would get to taste and judge it all. After the judging, we all joined in together to celebrate their achievements and enjoy everyone’s Magical Margaritas and Fantastic Food! A special thanks to my wife Lisa, for opening up her kitchen and home to all. And to our daughter Brittany for joining us in the difficult task of judging the team’s delicious creations. Disclaimer, there was absolutely no favoritism at all in declaring our son Zach’s team the overall winner of the event. ;)”
This exercise was a tasty reminder that everyone’s effort matters, and did a great job of establishing a newfound RESPECT for the contributions of our peers.
The Q1 company outing was a huge success. Our team feels ready to take on any challenges that lie ahead and is excited for the potential to work with you on your upcoming initiatives. If you’re looking for a technology partner that’s accountable, goal-driven, and detail-oriented, we encourage you to use our scheduler in the upper right-hand corner of this page.