Going beyond what’s expected of you, is a part of what we value at Athlete Assessments. So, when it was suggested we do an aerial yoga class as our team building activity, we all jumped at the idea of getting out of our comfort zones (no pun intended…).
You might be wondering, how does aerial yoga work as a team building activity, aren’t we all doing it individually? Rebekah Box, our Marketing and Graphic Design Manager described the day for us…
“Eager to get started and with a mixture of nerves and excitement, we arrived at Bend+Fly, a yoga studio based in Brisbane’s West End. Prior to the class we all discussed what kind of practice we would like, did we want a higher intensity flow class, or did we want to focus on deep stretches and relaxation? Greeted by our lovely instructor for the day, Lauren, we all agreed on a stretch focused, slower-paced practice. Stepping up to the hammocks, Lauren measured each of us against them and adjusted heights as needed. Then, easing into the class, we each had to first learn to trust the hammocks, so we started off with some stretches and movements leaning into the fabric allowing it to hold our weight, breathing in time together, and yes, keeping our feet firmly planted on the ground.”
Senior Client Manager, Tylah King continues,
“Our next move was to learn how to sit into the hammocks, possibly the most nerve-wracking part of the whole class as our feet would be dangling for the first time. As a team, we vocally encouraged and supported each other through the lifts until each of us were comfortably sitting in our hammocks. Throughout the class, our ongoing communication, supporting and uplifting our fellow team members, helped each of us push through the movements that were most challenging. While the direct activity of the class was individual, having our team around us to encourage (and partake in the awkward climbs in and out of the hammocks) was a special bonding experience for our group.”
Bek adds, “They say nothing builds rapport faster than mutual embarrassment!”
Watch highlights from the day while Bek and Tylah give us a team member’s perspective on what they got out of it…
Taking her place in a silk hammock, Liz Masen, CEO and Client Director of Athlete Assessments, joined the team for aerial yoga and shares her perspective.
“We were all out of our comfort zone and yet pushed to bring the same high standards and effort as we do in the office. One of my favorite sayings is, ‘wherever you go, you take you with you’. I unapologetically have extremely high standards and expectations on our individual and collective performance because working in high-performance sport, it is incredibly important that we live these standards in everything we do. While none of us had done aerial yoga before, we approached it with the attitude of giving our very best. The instructor said she was very impressed with how well we did, and we were much better than a usual first-timers group… of course I thought to myself, nothing we do is ‘usual’!”
Team Days quickly build shared experience and rapport between team members, a process that if left up to chance social interaction, it can often take years. Good teams operate both systematically and spontaneously across the entire group, facilitating this means laying the groundwork for effective communication across the entire organization or all team members. Day to day, the Athlete Assessments office is a hive of activity and getting the work done means focusing on your own individual or departmental part in the project. So, having a designated day where we come together as a team, connect across departments, and check in with each other away from the office is really important.
And, while Athlete Assessments invests in its people and values their personal and professional development, it’s important that the connections between colleagues and the Team Day experience transfer into the workplace.
Liz adds,
“It is an exciting time ahead as we are definitely seeing the light at the end of the COVID tunnel, and the second half of the calendar year is gearing up to be a huge one for us. We need the poise, calmness yet alertness that aerial yoga demanded of us. We will be stretched in new ways, we need to trust in our systems and the quality of the work we deliver, and back ourselves that we can continue to deliver at the very highest standards.”
One of the questions we are frequently asked in our work with clients is, “How do you keep your core values and culture alive?” This question underlines the importance of regular Team Days.
The aerial yoga day was Athlete Assessments’ second Team Day for the year and over lunch we talked about the way we relied on and used our core values to navigate an activity which was new to all of us, along with socializing of course! Team Days are an opportunity to keep your culture alive and apply your core values.
Our team definitely had a great day, here’s some of their reflections…
Dani
“Our Team Day was an exciting, enjoyable, and valuable experience. During the activity we were able to reinforce our company values. We were able to demonstrate the value of ‘Connect’ by being present in body and mind, moving in sync, and the practices allowed us to learn the skills required for specific moves using the silk. We even managed to reach out and hold each other’s hands whilst hanging upside down!”
Gabby
“At our first Team Day we learnt a lot about each other’s DISC profiles, how everyone works best, and how to effectively communicate with each other, our second Team Day was a lot different. None of us had tried aerial yoga before. We learnt it together, experienced it together, and helped each other along the way. By the end of the class, we were all laughing and joking. I think it was a great way to bond beyond the work environment and build the important rapport with each other that extends beyond being just ‘colleagues’.”
Bo concludes,
“Our team days are about spending some time together out of the office. It is an opportunity to link whatever we do to our company Match Winning Qualities and what is current for us as a team. While the aerial yoga was an individual experience, being in the room together, participating and contributing to each other’s experience was relevant to us. While working independently, we were working together, stretching together, breathing in unison, and very conscious of each other. It definitely played to our value to Connect, in a stronger way than I had anticipated.”
Where to from here?
At Athlete Assessments we’re here to provide you with excellence in service and to help you be your best. Please feel welcome to look at our online resources, especially our articles on the Team Days we hold for our own organization and if there is anything we can do to help you with your Team Days or be of service, don’t hesitate to contact us.
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