My command had a bit of a 'regime change' a couple months ago.One of the things I love about it is that we ALL (that is, all ages, all ranks, and all MOS) go out on Friday mornings, throw heavy packs on our backs, and traipse around Lake Quannapowitt.
For the record, I really believe what they say about team-building through shared suffering...but this definitely isn't suffering. It is, however, a shared and collective experience -- undoubtedly, as we remember doing it years from now, the air will have gotten colder, the snowdrifts higher, and the wind nastier every time the stories are told.
With this Friday being a holiday, that makes tomorrow the 'ruck' day, which means I won't even have to think about the snooze button.
I don't know the office-place equivalent, but whatever your 'group' (say, your company, your family, your block association, etc.) a regular -- even if infrequent -- activity can be a great way to build some tradition and shared memory.
And if even people grumble about it, they might not 'really' mean it..
When I was stationed in Alaska the annual bonding event for the Manchu Regiment battalion down the highway, at Ft Wainright (used to be Ladd Air Force Base) was the Manchu Death March, although the name has been changed to Manchu Mile, which is so much more user friendly. Some of us who were Forward Air Controllers (FACs) participated. I received the blood blisters to prove it. I wonder if Jack was a Manchu when he was in Korea?
ReplyDeleteAt DRC, where I work, we have a one hour poker game on Wednesdays, at noon. One hour—it is like being in a British Pub. Someone checks their watch and says "Last Hand".
Our stats on who is in the lead, who has won or lost so many chips, the overall ranking, the ranking by week, the number of knockouts achieved and the number of "buy backs" taken are all there for folks to review. The spreadsheet is also an indicator of how well or poorly one particular player did. If he did well the spreadsheet emerges quickly and if he didn't, well then it might take a couple of days.
Yes, bonding is important, even in a civilian workplace.
Regards — Cliff