Brunette Summit at the Lake
An idyllic lake, a team-building session, plenty of sweet and salty snacks, steak and chicken on the barbeque — all the ingredients we needed for an exciting staff event. So we piled into jeeps and pick-up trucks and headed out to Hale Creek Recreation Site to hold Team Brunette’s second quarter review and meeting.
We left the city, driving for about two hours before we arrived at the West Harrison Service Road. That’s when the fun really began!
With our vehicles in a convoy, we set off on our 40-minute off-road adventure to the lake. Dodging big rocks, logs and ruts in the “road,” we wound our way up to the campsite, only stopping a few times along the way
to check the line.
Located on the shores of Harrison Lake, the Hale Creek recreation site features a small, partially forested
area with a large beach and a gorgeous mountain view. A beautiful log picnic shelter, built by volunteers from the Four-Wheel Drive Association of BC, was an added attraction.
When we reached our destination we were energized and exhilarated. Motivated by the breathtaking
beauty of the site and the fabulous summer day, we quickly had our gear unloaded and our camp set up.
As lunch cooked on the barbeque, we explored the beach and soaked up the sun, amid conversation and laughter. The mood was set — we were carefree and cheerful, enjoying nature and each other.
Our meal was delicious! Why is it that food tastes best when eaten lakeside with friends?
After our bellies were full and nothing was left but a few pieces of grilled chicken, we settled into our
camp chairs and got to work.
Kirk shared our progress to date and spoke about our successes so far this year and our strategies going forward into the next quarter. Reminding us that our theme for 2019 is TEAM, he introduced our guest
speaker, Colin Cox, a consultant who specializes in helping organizations increase their productivity and growth.
Colin led us through a mini workshop on high performing teams and how to be one. Using the Five
Dysfunctions of a Team (based on the Lencioni Trust Pyramid), he highlighted the qualities of a high
performing team vs a dysfunctional team.
As we worked through each level on the pyramid, Colin encouraged us to share our thoughts about each
of the dysfunctions as they related to our team. We learned that even though we consider ourselves to be
part of a cohesive, high performing group, there are always things that we can do to improve our
effectiveness both as individuals and as team members. At the conclusion of the session, we all shared one commitment and one ask with the group and we all agreed to strive to achieve our goals.
The ride back down was more exciting (some would say “spine-tingling” or “hair-raising”) as the ride up —
a perfect ending to our day-long adventure. We returned feeling relaxed, rejuvenated and determined to continue to focus on building and improving all aspects of our team.
Thank you, Team Brunette, for a spectacular day!
