Nothing fires a team up like spending time together and some friendly competition, and that’s exactly what the PayProp UK sales team did on 2 September, when they enjoyed an exciting day of team-building activities at Ashtree Farm – an outdoor venue close to the UK Head Office.
The programme was packed with sports, games and challenges designed to strengthen team bonds and to get them fired up for success.
First on the day’s full agenda was a quad bike obstacle course. After a safety briefing, team members saddled up to take on the coned route themselves – and before long, they were power-sliding around turns and overcoming hair-raising obstacles like seesaws and slaloms with ease.
The hidden lesson in this activity being that, if you can conquer the tight corners of a narrow circuit while coping with hurdles, you’ve been through the worst of pretty much any pressure situation. And the points system showed it’s better to be faultless rather than fast and reckless.
Next up, our salespeople were challenged to become rocketeers. Armed with bottles and sticky-back plastic, teams designed and built their own rockets and launchers. For the grand finale, teams lined up with hand pumps to see whose rocket could fly the furthest.
“The rocket launch was a challenge,” said Bernadette Sheridan, Head of Sales. “One team’s rocket did not take off, despite all the effort that went into it, while another one launched into a neighbouring field!”
The day’s final activity, archery, “tested everyone’s nerves and focus,” according to Bernadette, and it was those with the steadiest hands who won the day.
Afterward, staff were treated to a barbecue. Never more well-deserved!
PayProp knows a successful company is made up of teams that can work and adapt well to new situations together. And as a distributed company, coming together in person allows for deeper personal connections than those formed over Zoom.
In a previous event, the UK sales team did a trust exercise that required employees to drive blindfolded with navigators, said Bernadette. “Relying solely on collaboration and seeing the humour in high-pressure situations did wonders for their ability to overcome difficult tasks and relieving stress.”
“I loved how all the teams got on together and had fun. Lots of laughing, lots of cheering and it’s just good to get out and have some good enjoyment,” said Neil Cobbold, Managing Director of PayProp UK, in his closing speech. “As a distributed company, it’s important that we don’t forget the importance of team cohesion!”
