Out of the Ashes....

Whilst Charles and Graeme drove across Europe, taking training kit to Turkey; as Colin prepared for an early morming flight to Istanbul, disaster was unfolding at Team Dynamics' site in Kent.

At 8pm on Wednesday 29th September support staff received an urgent call - Team Dynamics was on fire!  Arriving just after the Fire Service, they were horrified to find our Restaurant Building engulfed in flames, but Team Dynamics' training soon kicked in and staff were able to provide information coolly and calmly to Kent Fire Service who were then able to prevent the fire from spreading to our administrative building and conference/classroom centre.

Unfortunately the colloquially named 'BBQ Area' was completeley destroyed by the fire, however 'out of the ashes.. a phoenix will arise', or to be precise a brand new restaurant/refreshment area which we will hope to unveil in Spring 2011.

Temporary arrangements are now fully in place so that our delegates still have an area to relax in during coffee breaks and a pleasant place to have their lunch, which will be, as usual, homemade by our resident Chef, Clive.

Turkish Delight

Whilst the support staff dealt with the aftermath of the fire, a team from Team Dynamics International travelled to Istanbul, Turkey to deliver a Teambuild and Leadership event for one of the world’s largest shipping companies. Spread over three days, the event was designed to develop leadership capability whilst also providing a platform for the leaders to act as ambassadors with their teams.

Key to the learning process is our unique range of training tools, which when coupled with PRISM Brainmapping provides a continuous improvement methodology aligned to maximising personal, team and business potential. We are delighted that the feedback from the team was so positive and are reinforcing the learning from the event with scheduled telephone coaching sessions.

Come Inside for Winter

As the cold (and wet!) winter days are now upon us you may be forgiven for thinking that an outdoor event at Team Dynamics may not be quite what you need to develop your people. Whilst we would be delighted to invite the more intrepid teams here for a challenging outdoor event, we are really conscious that this may not be everybody's cup of tea.

We have therefore developed a whole range of development events that can be run indoors,either here, offsite or at your own premises. Designed to reinforce learning in the same way as our outdoor tasks, these events draw on our unique ability to maximise development through experiential learning - research consistently shows that delegates are much more likely to use newly acquired skills back in the workplace if they have learnt by doing rather than by being told.  If you would like more information on this range of programmes then please do contact us.

In addition to Turkey, Team Dynamics has been busy on the home front running both leadership and team development programmes for Siemens, running a conference event for a well-known charity, on-going coaching programme for a major City bank and a team development programme for Pfizer, on which Colin Frost, Head of UK Supply Operations commented that it was “a great team day and also to see your business at Team Dynamics continuing to deliver excellent results.”

Are Leaders Born or Made?

This question was recently posed in an Evening Standard article after a study by the Institute of Leadership and Management into what employer’s are looking for in leaders. 

What employers are looking for in leaders:

• Ability to inspire and motivate 36%
• High levels of emotional intelligence 34%
• Ability to deal with people 34%
• Natural leadership 24%
• Trustworthiness 22%
• A natural communicator 22%
• Possessing vision 22%
• Drive and ambition 22%

As Penny de Valk, chief executive of the Institute of Leadership and Management says,

“What our research found is that increasingly businesses are after the ‘whole package’. Many of the most desirable personal characteristics, such as the ability to motivate others, emotional intelligence and being a good communicator, for example, can be learned. Skills and knowledge can also be acquired, stressing the importance of learning and development to organisations. What is required is the right support and training to develop an effective style to suit personal characteristics, attributes and traits.”

This study underpins the principles that Team Dynamics has championed in all their management and leadership programmes. We believe that there are five fundamental practices that enable leaders to become Inspirational Leaders and achieve extraordinary results.

Inspirational leaders:

Inspire a Shared Vision
Challenge the Status Quo
Show the Way
Enable Others to Act
Create the Will

If you would like to learn more about Team Dynamics’ Leadership and Management Training programmes, please contact us to discuss your requirements

And Finally......

The Forensic Investigation Officer thought the most likely cause of the fire was a small mammal with a penchant for electrical cabling. The three resident employees in charge of wildlife management have all been given verbal warnings and told to pull their paws out!