Some of the nicest, most personable people I have met, grew up in large families that lived in a small space. Their personalities mesh easily within varying team dynamics and hard-to-tolerate teammates. Small spaces can often hold more love than large, sprawling mansions. Rowing across the ocean in a tiny rowboat is similar, and a penultimate team-building experience.
Team adventure teaches you how to deal with different personalities under duress and in confined spaces. Here are some tools we have found helpful to keep our team effective on board the James Robert Hanssen (JRH), which will also be incredibly helpful in whatever team situations any of us encounter on land.
Climate Awareness: Never underestimate the power of the weather or your environment. Recognize that working in a physically challenging environment makes it harder to be nice. Respect this challenge in yourself and others. Conversely, physical comfort makes for a better group dynamic. I notice indoor environmental conditions when I give my keynote presentations. If the temperature is too hot, people get sleepy. If the temperature in the room is too cold, people are restless. Fresh air makes people more alert and engaged.
End Goal Fantasies: Fantasize about how good it will feel to reach your end goal. We do this often on the JRH. Feel the energy of completion… Buzz. Beware – these fantasies can make your goal seem far, far away and add to your despair. These fantasies can also annoy teammates who are trying to focus on the simple joys of the present moment. Reduce use if negative effects persist.
Food Power: Stress hurts less on a full stomach. Eating warm, healthy and nourishing meal as a team builds camaraderie. Make sure the food is healthful and sustaining. Beware of excess sugar, booze and cheap fats. Go for lean proteins, complex carbs, fiber and good fats. Soup? Stew? Grains and meat? All are great comfort foods to share with your team.
Breathe Deeply: The Vagus Nerve (your 10th cranial nerve) is connected to your heart and your diaphragm. The Vagus n. is activated when you breathe deep, signaling that your body can reduce the production of stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. Taking ten deep breaths can allow you to gain composure and gain perspective in a stressful moment.
Gratefulness Meditation: You remember your ABC’s? On the JRH, I like to go from A-to-Z, listing all the people and organizations that have helped make this journey possible. Advanced Sign Design, Becca, Canadian Wildlife Federation, etc… You get the point. This is an easy way to gain perspective and gratefulness towards the huge team that made, and is making, this journey across the ocean possible.
Challenge by Choice: Know your challenges are by your choice. Remind yourself and your teammates that the challenges you face are a necessary part of fulfilling your destiny, passion or dreams. I chose to be here. We chose to be here. I can chose to leave. (Yes, even in the ocean leaving the JRH is possible.) We have choice. So, lets chose to make the best of this situation.