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NHL Articles
Team Building for Executives: How the Carolina Hurricanes Became
NHL Champions
Author: Norm Olynuk
Article:
It's a question that's top of mind for most managing executives:
"How can I get the most out of my staff?" In the
hyper-competitive business environment of today, many businesses
are becoming aware that a prerequisite of peak performance is a
psychological understanding of actual human motivators.
A basic behavioral understanding shows that frequently, things
previously thought of as "intangibles" are often at the
forefront of an individual's motivating factors. These
intangibles relate to the innate desire in human beings to be
part of something larger; to extend his or her circle of
connectedness outward, past the family/friends sphere; and if
possible, to instill a good dose of meaning in one's function at
the workplace.
The fact is, as a species the human desire for 'meaning'
is at an all-time high. People find meaning most often when they
feel they are an integral, even powerful part of something
larger. (Remember that to 'empower' does not necessarily require
the bestowal of a higher position or title.)
The recognition of this general concept is likely responsible
for the growth of team building programs being implemented in
companies of all shapes and sizes. But to get to the point, how
can you improve your company's team building concept or event to
achieve highly positive results?
The Proof: 23rd to Champions in One Season To have a more
detailed at what works and why, let's break down an example.
Hockey fans will know that recently the Carolina Hurricanes won
the Stanley Cup, the holy grail of the sport. The previous
season, 2003-04 (as 2004-05 was nullified because of a lockout),
the Hurricanes finished a lowly 23rd in the NHL - 15 points out
of the playoffs. How did such a growth in performance happen,
and who or what is responsible?
The answer does not lie in the Hurricanes headhunting acumen, as
17 of their 24 players were either returnees from the 2003-04
team, or were unproven greenhorns at the elite level of the NHL.
Rather, they developed and integrated a cohesive team concept in
a rather interesting way; a way which is relevant to just about
any staff manager out there.
To make the Hurricanes successful, Laviolette believed he had to
do two things: create an inclusive atmosphere for everyone in
the entire organization, and secondly, have every player buy in
to his vision. Sometimes the team building included something
simple, an impromptu meeting or watching Monday Night
Football as a team. But the team admits that they biggest
single difference maker came just prior to the start of the
season.
It was at an event away from the 'office', in fact in the middle
of a forest, with players working together on a rope-climbing
obstacle course. On the rope course, players were climbing 30 to
40 feet above the ground on the apparatus and were heavily
dependent on each other.
"I come from the minor leagues, and in the minor leagues there
is a closeness," Laviolette says. "And I found that there were
walls up here that separate players, separate the coaches,
separate the management. Those walls are built so high, and I
don't think they have to be here. That's just my opinion. I
think if you can tear down those walls, you can get people to
care about each other. Who do you want to fight the hardest for?
It's the people you care about."
Hurricanes' defenseman Glen Wesley recalled the team building
event's igniting effect. "It was something that was a lot of fun
and there were some great memories from that time of bonding,"
Wesley said. "It really just started getting us close as a group
right from Day 1 and it continued from there."
Duplicating a Winning Model If every participant in your
team building event can come away with a sense of achieving
something unique as a team, it goes without saying that the
meaning and energy within the group dynamic rises dramatically.
Remember this: meaning is synonymous with commitment, and
<i>commitment plus energy equals revenue</i>. We've seen this
time and time again, but this concept is still not widely
accepted by many executives.
Rising Above Fears In the above example, the fear of
heights was confronted and overcome. If together a team can
overcome a situation where fear-based emotions were prominent, a
natural sense of bonding occurs. Camaraderie and a powerful
sense of 'team' are amplified. As far as team building goes,
this an area where perhaps the traditional company golf tourney
misses out.
Of course, there is a difference between perceived fear
and actual danger. The safety of individuals must always
be held paramount.
Enlarging the Circle of Trust An added bonus often
presents itself to include customers and associates in team
building group events. Further extending and wrapping your
feel-good corporate culture around associates in this way can
strengthen relationships and increase purchases dramatically.
Take advantage of this when available and appropriate.
About the author:
Norm Olynuk is the Operations Manager for ProFormance Racing Schools
and Corporate Events, which provides NASCAR-style racing and
team building for groups and individuals at tracks throughout
the US and Canada.
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