PlayTime Inc. Team Building & Leadership News

Retreats That Work – How to Plan Corporate Getaways That People Actually Want To Attend

Retreats That Work – How to Plan Corporate Getaways That People Actually Want To Attend
If you're planning a corporate getaway, then you must read David Volk's article from the Seattle Business Monthly. Here are the top points from David's great article:
* Know Your Desired Outcome
* Find A Good Theme
* Become a Social Engineer
* Don't Do Things Your Participants Won't Value
* Follow Up On Lessons Learned

http://www.geoteaming.com/uploads/files/060501_Retreats_That_Work.pdf

HSBC GPS Team Building Geoteaming Video

HSBC spent the day with us in Burnaby and here is the video highlights from that event!

Roadmap to Success: CEO John Chen to Speak Th Apr 5th, 2007 5:30pm-8:00pm

Roadmap

To Success

When?

Thursday April

5th

, 20075:30 – 6:30pm

Presentation/discussion

6:30 – 8:00pm

Who?

1.

CEO

of Geoteaming – John Chen

2.

Regional Director

, Boeing – Ted Yamamura

Where?

Rainer Square Building

1303 Fifth Avenue

3rd Floor

, Seattle WA 98101

For more information:

John Wang

Johnw414@u.washington.edu

Parking Garage available, street parking

Food / Networking

2006 Adventure Travel Summit

http://www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com/#video

http://www.adventuretravelworldsummit.com/

We got a spot on the video for the work we've done last year.  We'll be doing another geoteaming session this year on Oct 19th and be attending the whole conference this year!

See us there!

-John

John Chen Speaks! Focus On: Leadership

	Upcoming Focus On! Series 7:30 - 9 a.m. * $10 (includes breakfast) Chamber's office * 1301 5th Ave. 25th Floor, Seattle July 27th Focus On: Leadership Register online Join John Chen, CEO of PLAYTIME Inc., for another fast-paced, high-impact, experiential session on Leadership. Compiled by research done with the top Fortune 500 companies known for the best management and leadership training, John will reveal 6 key strategies for handling even the most challenging of team members. You will discover something unique about your own management style, discover what the best companies do, then apply them immediately to a current challenge you're having now. August 17th Focus On: Sustaining High-Performance Teams Register online Kristiina Hiukka, founder and principal of Big Agenda Coaching, is a certified business and life coach who helps project and executive teams reach their full potential. Whether you are a team leader or team member, you will benefit from the 14 key performance factors Hiukka has identified. These will help turn a group of individuals into a high-performance, self-sustaining team. September 14th Focus On: Change your mind and keep the change Register online Leading major organizational change often involves radically reconfiguring a complex network of people, tasks and institutions. To avoid the perils of being caught in a fix that fails, you will want to let a few basic rules about change govern your actions, and your internal compass. Join Sherene Zolno, president of Proaction Associates and executive director of The Leading Clinic, to learn the secrets of dealing with change so that your own responsiveness and flexibility in the face of complex change can grow. For event details and registration information please register online at www.seattlechamber.com or contact Jessica Estrada at 206.389.7338. The Greater Seattle Chamber thanks Kim Ricketts of Kim Ricketts Book Events for providing this special opportunity. Focus On is a morning series of professional development workshops, which will provide attendees with the opportunity to hear about timely topics generating buzz in the business community. The topics of focus for each program will vary, broadening members understanding of a wide range of issues while strengthening member's professional toolboxes Focus On is available only to Chamber member employees.

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What would you do?

This interesting email just hit my inbox and I found it to get at the crux of our event.  What do you do with these feelings, and how could YOU create an atmosphere of collaboration when competition seems to help create so much action???

---------------------------------------

I thoroughly enjoyed our GPS team building adventure. One question lingered with me as I drove home.

I felt great about the success of our "company" in accomplishing our overall goal of finding all the caches. It felt odd, however, to be rewarded on a team level with the Starbucks cards when I felt like our yellow team performance was basically equal to red team's performance in the overall success of the company. The major reason we won was because of a joint decision between both teams at the start of the game. Based on that, receiving a special award didn't feel right. I thus felt compelled to give my Starbucks card away to a member of the red team who deserved it just as much as I did. I also wanted to emphasize that yellow team's motivations truly were company oriented, not just team oriented. I didn't articulate that in our session because I couldn't figure out a way to say that in a way that wouldn't make my fellow yellow-teamers feel awkward for retaining their Starbucks cards. Does that make sense?

My question is how have you dealt with similar situations in your organizations? How do you reward teams for performance, maintaining the productivity that comes with friendly competition, but without undermining morale on both sides? In this case, you have yellow team getting rewards knowing that they couldn't have done it without red team (and so feeling a little guilty for winning). And you have red team seeing yellow team get rewards knowing they contributed just as much to the overall success of the company but getting nothing. Change the reward to a several thousand dollar Year End bonus and I can see a recipe for conflict.

Do incentives financial or otherwise really motivate high team performance over the long term? Or is it enough to give people the chance to accomplish a big hairy audacious goal and then be recognized for their contributions to it. The answer to this question would have implications regarding how a company provides stock options, year end bonuses, and incentive programs. Based on my reaction as a member of the winning team, I wonder if it may create the opposite effect of what was intended.

I don't know how to put my finger on it...but it somehow just didn't feel right to be singled out for winning as a team when our goal was to win as a company.

If we had played the game again, how willing would we have been to cooperate as teams? Would there have been more of a fight over which caches which team pursued?

In any case, these were some of the questions that rolled through my mind as I headed home on Friday. I was wondering if others had similar thoughts or insights in these areas.

John Chen Speaks to Walktopia in Sacramento, CA, gets picked up in About.com!

CEO John Chen spoke to Elizabeth King and her Walktopian's as she held her last in a series of 4 talks on how to get out walking in new ways.  We took a dozen guests out for to find "Windy Frogs" a cache located nearby the Whole Foods Market that hosted us.  None of the guets were geocachers when they began, but in a short 1 1/2 hours, they were all ready to buy a GPS and get out walking!  Thank Elizabeth for setting this up and congrats on getting your Blog listed on About.com!

http://walking.about.com

http://walktopia.blogspot.com

Outdoor enthusiasts find new way to play in woods

Outdoor enthusiasts find new way to play in woods
Springfield News-Leader Sat, 05 Mar 2005 9:39 PM PST
The inaugural Cabin Fever ROGAINE Race on Saturday had nothing to do with hair loss, although a few racers who finished the event lost some hide.

What does ROGAINE have to do with geocaching?  What are you trying to say about our target audience? ;-)  (You'll search for a cache, inside you'll find the fountain of youth? ;-)

1/27/2005 geoteaming(tm) - GPS Powered Team Building for $49 (or less)!

==========================================================

geoteaming(tm) - GPS Powered Team Building for $49 (or less)!

==========================================================
          Date of sale: 1/27/2005
          Time of sale: 9:00 a.m.
"Experience the beauty of the Northwest while learning
cutting-edge team building skills..." Imagine as you walk past tall evergreens
toward the beautiful Discovery Park Visitors Center. You'll be greeted by hot
coffee and cold drinks as you overlook the 534 acres of Seattle's largest public
park.

As the introduction to the Official 2005 geoteaming Facilitators and John Chen
as your host, you'll discover the secrets of rapid team bonding, innovative
facilitation techniques and leadership with disparate teams through a variety of
experiential initiatives.

Then you'll get an opportunity to put your skills to the test immediately.
You'll meet your team and who you will be competing against for prizes and
awards.

Each team will receive a GPS, walkie talkies, PDAs and digital cameras as you
race to discover hidden Discovery Park Geocaches. No experience required as
you'll more about how GPS works in just 4 hours.  Imagine how you'll feel as
your team crests over the hill and see spectacular sweeping views of the Puget
Sound and snow-capped Olympics.

You'll return to an awards ceremony followed by a debrief of each team and your
individual behaviors. During this conversation, you'll discover keys to your
personal team and leadership style and walk away with at least one action to
make you a better leader.

Listen to what other participants have said about this incredible program:

"Great way to build team and individual collaboration skills in a unique
environment - outside! - M.C. Bellevue, WA

"A fun adventure with terrific learning value" - S.H. Mercer Island, WA

"Great. Fantastic. Do It!" - D.B. Seattle, WA

"It's Fun! It's a Must Do!" - M.M. Bellevue, WA

"A good experiential learning of teamwork, decision making and fun!" - B.H.
Tacoma, WA

All this in just 4 hours! Sign up now to experience the power of geoteaming(tm)
today.

As a member of John Chen's Teams and Leader Newsletter, you'll only invest $49,
saving $76 off the normal registration price of $125. If you are a meeting
planner or have signing authority for training, contact us via email to apply
for a special offer or complementary ticket.

Limited seating, so sign up today by clicking on the link to the right now. 
Can't make this date?  Sign ups also available for future dates and events.

--------------------------------------------

CEO John Chen and PLAYTIME Inc.'s geoteaming(tm) have won the 2001 PSBJ Top 40
Entrepreneur Under The Age of 40, 2002 E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist,
2002 BBB Innovative Business Practices Award, candidate for the 2003 Mayor's
Small Business of the Year Award and finalist for the 2005 Fast Company Fast 50.

    - Thursday, Jan 27th, 2005 9am-1pm Discovery Park Visitor Center 3801 W
Government Way Seattle, WA  98199 -

Click here to experience the benefits of geoteaming(tm) today! -
http://www.acteva.com/go/playtimeinc

Find out more about geoteaming... - http://www.geoteaming.com

    Learn the 7 Keys to Cross-Team Collaboration Now

----------------------------------------------------------

        Expiration Date: 1/26/2005

==========================================================
PLAYTIME Inc.

Creating Life-Changing Adventures PO Box 25022 Seattle, WA 98165
Web Site:
http://www.playtimeinc.com
E-mail: bigkid@playtimeinc.com
Phone: (877) 652-0875
Fax: (877) 652-0875

1/28/2005 - CARE Tsunami Relief Concert

Music Aid Northwest Presents:

Tsunami Relief Concert

Jan 28^th 2005

The Premier Club

1700 1^st Ave South, Seattle

Doors open at 7:00pm

Ticket Donation: $25

Performances by:

Geoffrey Castle Band

Featuring: Roger Fisher and Michael Derosier

Stolen Ogre

Featuring: John Popper from Blues Traveler

White

Featuring Alan White from YES

All Star Show

Featuring Special Guests to be announced

All concert proceeds will benefit CARE tsunami relief effort

Tickets will be available through the CARE web site:

www.care.org/musicaid

Or check: www.musicaidnorthwest.com